In a few weeks,the U.S.Deparenent of Energy (DOE) will announce which utilities will receive the first round of stimulus funding made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly called the stimulus plan. It will make available $4.5 billion for smart grid projects that, according to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, will be a down payment on our nation's clean energy economy. The money's No. 1 purpose is to preserve and create jobs, butrnChu and other industry experts have said the funding will jump-start needed modernization of the nation's electricity grid, helping the United States reach DOE goals of a clean energy economy.rnSince the stimulus funding was created and announced in February, utilities have been feverishly working with vendors and consultants to complete the stimulus applications and raise the matching funds required of companies that are awarded stimulus funds.
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