Stillwater, Okla., is a city of just over 45,600 residents that was ranked No. 67 on a list of "America's Best Small Cities" in 2010 by CNN and Money Magazine. The city maintains an electric distribution system that includes approximately 378 miles of overhead and 267 miles of underground power line. Stillwater also maintains eight electric substations and operates the 35-megawatt Boomer Lake Station. The Stillwater Utilities Authority manages the city’s electric utility, which is valued at approximately $50 million.
Today's energy environment consists of many converging issues that include alternative energy sources, regulatory and legislative concerns and emerging technologies. Smart Energy Source offers opportunities to tap into innovative energy solutions out of reach for each partner - CREC, Oklahoma State University, the City of Stillwater and C.H. Guernsey & Co. - alone. The Smart Energy Source business plan focuses on the goal of achieving sustainability and growth through partnerships. With increased sustainability and growth come financial benefits and savings that will ultimately be passed down to all consumers.
The City of Stillwater brings a wealth of information and experience to the Smart Energy Source partnership. City Manager Dan Galloway and Councilor and Vice Mayor Dr. Chuck Hopkins serve on the Smart Energy Source Board of Directors, and Utilities Authority Director Dan Blankenship serves as a project manager. The City of Stillwater has begun to invest in grid modernization technologies that will be leveraged with the other partners to move toward the future of energy through grid modernization. Some of these technologies include:
- full-scale deployment of advanced metering for water utility meters
- supervisory control and data acquisition system
- fiber communications system
- 900Mhz wireless communications system
The Smart Energy Source business model creates an integrated network of initiatives making possible each partner's participation in grid modernization, and the City of Stillwater is no exception.