Colorado City Becomes First Fully Functioning "Smart Grid" City in the World

The city of Boulder, located about 30 miles from Denver, has become the world's first "smart grid" city.

Xcel Energy, the electricity provider for the city of Boulder, recently completed construction of the infrastructure and launched the remaining software to enable all SmartGridCity operational functions.

Among other things, Boulder's smart grid allows re-routing power around congested lines, identifying power outages, and switching power through entirely-automated substations. The smart grid infrastructure included more than 200 miles of fiber optic cable, 16,000 smart meters, and 4,600 small business and residential transformers.

In the last quarter of this year, retail customers will be able to mange home energy use through a web portal.

The smart grid concept is considered an integral part of America's new energy economy. Consequently, the fact that the first smart grid city is located in Colorado is yet another clear indication of this region's energy leadership role.

A series of web-based videos about the project can be viewed by clicking here.