Massachusetts Makes Smart Grid Mandatory

Massachusetts has joined a growing list of states demanding that its investor-owned utilities invest in the smart grid — and find new models for how those investments should be valued. Consider it the latest move in a state-by-state reconfiguration of utility business models, aimed at creating new rules for sharing the costs and benefits of grid modernization between utility shareholders and customers.

Monday’s order (PDF) from the state’s Department of Public Utilities will require the state’s big utilities to submit a ten-year grid modernization plan (GMP) in the next six months. Advanced metering will be required as part of that plan — a significant development in a state which has seen almost no smart meters deployed to date.

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