Benefits analysis of smart grid demonstration projects

Three example benefits analyses of smart grid demonstration projects are reported. Two U.S. projects are both in Irvine, CA. Southern California Edison's Irvine Smart Grid Demonstration project achieved excellent results for Volt-VAR control, but 9 demonstration zero net energy homes proved far from economic. A microgrid controller being developed for the U.C. Irvine campus promises valuable reliability benefits, and its combined heat and power plant delivers significant ongoing benefits. At the Tianjin Eco-city, multiple demonstrations have been effective technically, but fall short of economic viability.