US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says his agency has reached a goal to expand smart grid technology usage. Vilsack says one of the biggest challenges in rural development is the efficient delivery of power. He hopes more money the USDA has secured will help electric co-ops better serve farms and ranches.
Tom Vilsack: "We want to do a better job of working with them to make sure that their customers are as efficient with the use of their electricity and power as possible which is why smart metering makes sense."
Vilsack announced the funding goal today at Piedmont Electric Co-op in Hillsborough. Susan Cashion says Piedmont has offered smart grid monitoring to all of its customers since 2009.
Susan Cashion: "And it just empowers them..to give them more information so they can control the energy that they use and that they have to pay for."
Vilsack says North Carolina has received more than 700 million dollars to help set up smart grid technology.
