Data Access and Privacy Issues Related to Smart Grid Technologies

Citation: U.S. Department of Energy, Data Access and Privacy Issues Related to Smart Grid Technologies (Oct. 5, 2010).

Overview
This report by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complements DOE‘s companion report, ''Informing Federal Smart Grid Policy: The Communications Requirements of Electric Utilities. Both reports are also components of the federal government‘s much broader efforts to facilitate the adoption and deployment of various Smart Grid technologies.

This report and its companion report also respond to recommendations directed toward DOE in the National Broadband Plan (NBP), authored by the FCC at the direction of Congress. The NBP seeks to ensure that every American has access to broadband capability. The NBP also includes a detailed strategy for achieving affordability and maximizing use of broadband to advance consumer welfare, civic participation, public safety and homeland security, health care delivery, energy independence and efficiency, education, entrepreneurial activity, job creation and economic growth, and other national purposes.

As part of this strategy, the NBP recommended that DOE evaluate the overall communications needs of the Smart Grid, consider consumer-data-accessibility policies when evaluating Smart Grid grant applications, and report on the states‘ progress toward enacting consumer data accessibility and develop best practices guidance for states. This report implements the latter two recommendations, while the companion report implements the first recommendation.