ARRA SGDP Kansas City Power and Light (Green Impact Zone SmartGrid Demonstration)

Kansas City Power & Light and its partners demonstrated an end-to-end SmartGrid —built around a major SmartSubstation with a local distributed control system based on IEC 61850 protocols and control processors—that includes advanced generation, distribution, and customer technologies. Co-located renewable energy sources, such as solar and other parallel generation, were to be placed in the demonstration area and will feed into the energy grid. The demonstration area consists of ten circuits served by one substation across two square miles with 14,000 commercial and residential customers. Part of the demonstration area contains the Green Impact Zone, 150 inner-city blocks that suffers from high levels of unemployment, poverty, and crime. Efforts in the Green Impact Zone focus on training residents to implement weatherization and energy efficiency programs to reduce utility bills, conserve energy, and create jobs. KCP&L’s SmartGrid program was to provide area businesses and residents with enhanced reliability and efficiency through real-time information about electricity supply and demand. It was to enable customers to manage their electricity use and save money.