State Regulatory Opportunities and Impediments to Smart Grid

On August 25, 2010, the Silicon Flatirons Center brought together a number of experts in the fields of economics, technology and policy, including public utility commissioners, economics professors, financial analysts, and policy advisors, to discuss regulatory issues facing smart grid deployment in the United States. The discussion was held at the University of Colorado School of Law and touched upon the economics of the smart grid, incentives for the variety of stakeholders in the smart grid effort, the technological challenges of implementing a “smart” electricity generation and distribution system and its constituent technologies, and the policy implications at both state and federal levels.