Portland General Electric Co. is planning to file a proposal for a large-scale "Smart Grid Test Bed" initiative with the Public Utility Commission of Oregon. If approved, the project would roll out in 2019.

Under the program, the utility would aim to enable more than 20,000 customers in the Oregon cities of Hillsboro, Portland and Milwaukie to take advantage of special demand-response signals and incentives for using smart home technologies. The program would accelerate adoption in these so-called smart grid test beds to of customer-hosted renewables like rooftop solar, and flexible resources like batteries, thermostats and water heaters, as well as electric vehicle charging, according to an Oct. 11 news release.

Through the two-year program, Portland General Electric is targeting at least 66% participation from customers.