Washington (Platts)--21Sep2009/629 pm EDT/2229 GMT

The US Department of Energy on Monday announced $144 million in funding to train workers on upgrading the country's electricity grid.

The funds, announced by Energy Secretary Steven Chu during a speech at the GridWeek 2009 conference in Washington, come from the economic stimulus package passed by Congress earlier this year.

"America cannot build a 21st Century energy economy with a mid-20th Century electricity system," Chu said. "By working with industry leaders and the private sector, we can drive the evolution to a clean, smart, national electricity system that will create jobs, reduce energy use, expand renewable energy production, and cut carbon pollution."

Of the funding announced on Monday, $100 million will be distributed to utilities for smart grid workforce training programs, while $44 million will be awarded to state public utility commissions to hire new staff and retrain employees on energy efficiency, renewable energy, carbon capture and other conservation technologies.

In his keynote address to the conference, Chu outlined his vision for a modernized electrical system, including a smart grid, dynamic electricity pricing, energy storage capabilities and easy-to-follow incentives and instructions for consumers on how to conserve and consume less energy.

"It's complicated sometimes to save energy," Chu said. "It has to be as easy and automatic as possible. We need pilot programs to stimulate the right behavior."

--Herman Wang, herman_wang@platts.com