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Joint Russian/ American study on legal/ regulatory, market, consumer and technical impediments to Smart Grid technology development
This Study was prepared by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Russian Energy Agency (REA), and the United States Energy Association (USEA) under the framework of the U.S./Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission Energy Efficiency Working Group’s Russian/American Smart Grid Partnership Initiative. This study was designed to provide the Russian and American stakeholders with on overarching 360 degree perspective on the major impediments to Smart Grid deployment in the U.S. and Russia. The study doesn’t include recommendation; it only assesses the current barriers that prevent smart grid technology deployment in the United States and Russia. It is organized into two parallel sections, one focusing on the impediments to smart grid technology deployment in the United States and the other on the impediments to its deployment in Russia. A common analytical framework for the study was jointly developed by the U.S. and Russian counterparts to ensure that the studies were parallel in their analyses and the impediments are divided into the following high level main Smart Grid related themes: Smart Grid Concept Markets Efficiency Cross-Subsidy Generation Consumer Participation Behavioral Norms Data & Analytics Smart Grid Investment Environment Education Grid Modernization A parallel series of in-person interviews were conducted in the U.S. and Russia with relevant smart grid stakeholders including government agencies, regulatory officials, infrastructure companies, electric utilities, industry associations, market operators, and research institutions. The interviews ranged 2-3 hours in length. The subjects were informed in advance that their opinions were not for attribution, leading to a candid exchange of opinion. A customized questionnaire jointly developed by the Russian and American expert consulting teams was utilized during each stakeholder interview.
