Portland General Electric (PGE) says that it is planning to deploy three smart grids that will enable more than 20,000 customers to use demand-response signals and incentives for using smart home technologies.

The utility says the technology will give customers greater energy efficiency opportunities and increased control over their energy use and carbon footprint.

The project was conceived and is overseen by energy regulators in Oregon. To accelerate the concept, PGE developed the pilot with guidance from the Rocky Mountain Institute.

Under the program, PGE says that it will help customers automate their smart devices, such as thermostats, water heaters, electric vehicle chargers and batteries, to work with PGE as it operates the grid. When demand for electricity is especially high, customers will be able to decide if they want to reduce their energy consumption.

To accomplish this, PGE says it will leverage communications capabilities and distribution system upgrades in three Oregon cities: Hillsboro, Portland and Milwaukie. Three feeders and substations in these cities will be equipped with remote controls that increase system reliability and enhance safety and cyber security.

The utility says that the test bed will accelerate the development of distributed resources, which include customer-hosted renewables like rooftop solar; flexible resources like batteries, thermostats and water heaters; and electric vehicle charging.

The two-and-a-half-year project aims to achieve at least 66% participation rate. The utility says that a typical participation rate in demand-response programs nationally is less than 7%.