Portland General Electric Opens Smart-Grid Demonstration Facility

May 31, 2013

PGE President Jim Piro said the project’s purpose is to “help Oregon and the nation learn how to build intelligent energy resources for the future while continuing to deliver long-term value for customers.”

Pete Fehrenbach

Portland General Electric opened a 5-megawatt energy storage facility today to show how wind and solar power coupled with demand-response technology can increase the reliability and efficiency of energy delivered to businesses and homes.

The Salem Smart Power Center in Salem, Ore., is an 8,000-square-foot fully functional smart-grid demonstration site. PGE partnered with Cleveland, Ohio-based industrial manufacturer Eaton Corp. (IW 500/72) to develop the facility’s energy storage system and customized solutions.

“Eaton’s power-system expertise helped make the project possible,” Piro said. “We appreciate the dedication and excellence they brought to this project.”

The Salem Smart Power Center is part of the PGE’s Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project, a program that involves 60,000 customers in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

For more information about the Salem Smart Power Center and PGE’s smart-grid programs, see www.portlandgeneral.com/smartgrid.

About the Author

Pete Fehrenbach | Pete Fehrenbach, Associate Editor

Focus: Workforce | Chemical & Energy Industries | IW Manufacturing Hall of Fame

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Associate editor Pete Fehrenbach covers strategies and best practices in manufacturing workforce, delivering information about compensation strategies, education and training, employee engagement and retention, and teamwork. He writes a blog about workforce issue called Team Play.

Pete also provides news and analysis about successful companies in the chemical and energy industries, including oil and gas, renewable and alternative.

In addition, Pete coordinates the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame, IW’s annual tribute to the most influential executives and thought leaders in U.S. manufacturing history.