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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Money for rural electrics' lines will help provide outlets for wind and solar power

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced distribution of $376 million to 10 rural electric cooperatives for new transmission and distribution lines and smart-grid technologies. These projects will affect nearly 20,000 residents in 13 states, Cheryl Kaften reports for TMCnet, a business-to-business and integrated-marketing media firm. Of the total, $14 million is for smart- grid technology such as advanced metering. (Read more)

"This investment is important as many of our renewable energy resources, such as wind and solar, are most abundant in remote regions that aren't well connected to the existing transmission network," Johnathan Hladik of the Center for Rural Affairs, writes for the Ennis Daily News in Texas. "By explicitly requiring that these funds be used for building or expanding existing transmission lines, our rural communities are able to take a significant step forward in an effort to better develop the resources we have at our disposal." (Read more)

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