Pilot project smart grids are appearing everywhere. GE was just awarded $2 million in Recovery Act funding to establish a smart grid at the Twentynine Palms Base in California.

The funding was released to display how a "more intelligent energy management system can help military bases further safeguard... their power systems while also reducing overall energy costs," said John Kern, President of GE's Smart Grid Research Lab. The project contract is being finalized between GE and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program office at the Department of Defense.

A microgrid is essentially a condensed smart grid -- a small self-sustaining area that can be isolated from the grid when a fixed connection is risky. The system created by GE will manage not only interaction with the larger grid, but also local renewable sources on-site, like solar or wind.

GE is currently researching a microgrid controller in upstate New York that will be built by GE Digital Energy. This technology will be further refined by GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms to research a new supervisory control and software system.

Twentynine Palms is the world's largest Marine Corps base, and hosts Combined Arms Exercises. The exercise is the most advanced live-fire training program for tactical ground and air support, involving around 50,000 Marines.

Military installations accounted for nearly 4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity last year, per the 2009 Defense Appropriations Act. A smart grid will address defense concerns for power reliability, energy security to reduce exposure to terrorist activities, and also continue the military's history of working to reduce emissions.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Army announced plans to lease 4,000 electric vehicles over the next three years. Even as far as a year ago, the Army was working to cut their emissions by 30% by 2015.

GE will also be hosting a Smart Grid Media Forum at the company's Global Research Center in Niskayuna, NY on July 14th. The forum will explore the subject through industry and GE experts, and also include a tour of key research and development initiatives.

Photo courtesy of GE.