Public-Private Collaboration to Spur Smart Grid Innovation

Representatives from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), ComEd, Silver Spring Networks (SSNI) and West Monroe Partners have opened the Center for Smart Grid Application, Research and Technology (CSMART). CSMART is dedicated to researching, testing and analyzing the latest smart grid and smart city technology innovations in a real-world environment. Located at IIT's Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation and built with the support of IIT, ComEd, Silver Spring Networks and West Monroe Partners, the center is one of the first of its kind to bring together academic, industry and utility experts to provide a fully-functional test environment for smart grid and smart city technology.

The smart grid provides improved reliability and gives customers information they can use to take control of their electrical usage. CSMART will leverage the unique capabilities of academia, utilities, and private enterprise to determine the best ways to deploy and support advanced smart grid technologies. The center will support and publish research on the impacts of these cutting edge technologies on new and existing business models. The open business environment at CSMART will help advance the development in these key areas not just in Chicago and Illinois but across the United States.

“This unique partnership underscores the value brought by bringing institutional knowledge from multiple sectors to advance smart grid technology," said Mohammad Shahidehpour, Director of the Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation and Bodine Chair Professor at Illinois Institute of Technology. “As we continue to see smart grid implemented on a global basis, this center will become the model for the creation of new technology that will harness energy and benefits for all users.”

“As a partner in CSMART, ComEd is continuing to fulfill the promise of the smart grid and, together with these leaders in innovation, we are creating new smart grid technology that will result in even greater energy benefits for our customers," said Terence R. Donnelly, Executive Vice-President and COO of ComEd. “The innovation coming from this center will result in greater electric reliability and increased benefits from the smart grid.”

“Chicago is at the center of ingenuity, technological advancements and new energy developments,” said U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-IL). “Thanks to IIT, ComEd and its many partners we are putting smart city technology into the hands of customers. The new center for CSMART brings together innovative leaders in their field of expertise to transform how we support and control electrical usage for the future.”

“Chicago is a world class city driving innovation in sustainability,” said Karen Weigert, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Chicago. “We look forward to this new lab and the partnership behind it as they strengthen the competitiveness of our city by advancing the use and understanding of energy.”

CSMART provides the platform to conduct a wide range of smart grid and smart city R&D analysis projects. Some of the initial, state-of-the-art demos include: Smart street lights operational testing – Intelligent and adaptive networked street lights can reduce operating and maintenance and energy costs by 75 percent through LED lights that are controlled and connected by a network. The software helps provide scheduling, remote on/off and dimming features as well as outage detection notification for faster repairs to ensure the safety of citizens and the community. Smart street lighting networks can also establish a platform upon which additional smart city applications can be deployed

Distributed Energy Resource Management – ConnecttheGridTM – cloud-based application that provides work-flow management and an online dashboard for utilities to manage distributed generation application approvals, including roof top solar, as well as providing asset tracking, reporting and forecasting.

And data analytics and real time interactive dashboard - smart-grid communications networks are used to monitor operations and collect data from throughout IIT’s electric microgrid in order to optimize electrical efficiency of the system and predict faults prior to their occurrence.

“The partners for CSMART each provide expertise that will help engage the community, and transform how students are thinking of smart infrastructure,” said Steve Ingram, Vice President Global Delivery, Silver Spring Networks. “Silver Spring’s standards-based networking platform will help unlock significant operational and consumer benefits including improved outage management, increased energy efficiency, improved grid reliability, and greater empowerment for consumers. We look forward to bringing this innovation to the CSMART Lab to help with infrastructure modernization efforts in Illinois and beyond."

Tom Hulsebosch, Managing Director of West Monroe Partners, said “We are pleased to be part of this unique collaboration with IIT, Silver Spring Networks, and ComEd. The research done at CSMART will help West Monroe Partners optimize the data integration, analysis, and security of advanced smart grid devices and distributed generation for our utility clients.”