Fluke Nabs $1.4 Million in ARRA Funding for Smart Grid R&D

Fluke Corp., Everett Wash., will receive $1.4 million in federal stimulus funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to ensure the smart grid is reliable, stable and ready to accept power from renewable resources including wind and solar. The company was chosen to create a new calibration technology that's a catalyst for creating a standard with which electricity flowing into the Smart Grid will be evaluated. The standard will enable consistent measurement of electricity from all sources, including renewable resources such as wind and solar. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the area of Measurement Science and Engineering Research to support research in areas deemed of critical national importance.

Fluke's new calibration technology will be used to calibrate Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs), a gating technology that measures the health of the electrical power grid. PMUs play a vital role in the deployment of the smart grid, by measuring and evaluating power flowing into the grid from increasingly diverse sources. Grid distribution centers use this critical information to determine where and when to send power across transmission lines, leading to more efficient use of energy and lessening the risk of power interruptions and outages. Details