Program  Manager
Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
U.S. Department of Energy

Merrill Smith has been a program manager in the R&D Division of the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability since 2006, working on the Smart Grid and related techologies.  Ms Smith’s focus area is on microgrid technologies including utilization and integration of clean power generation into the distribution system and its effects on energy efficency, security, and impact to the grid.  In addition her work includes the Smart Grid Demonstration Program which is examining the integration and optimization of a variety of smart grid technologies.

Ms.Smith was one of the founding members (founded in 2000) of the Distributed Energy Office at the Department of Energy where her primary responsibility was managing the National Combined Heat and Power program.  In addition, she has managed several other programs including work in materials development and development of low emissions technologies for Advanced Turbines and Microturbines. 

Merrill is formally from the Industrial Technologies Program where she worked on a number of DOE initiatives targeting the promotion of advanced power systems, bioenergy and Industries of the Future.   Merrill joined DOE in 1991 after working as a design engineer and construction manager with several engineering firms.  Merrill earned a Civil Engineering degree from Virginia Tech and received a Masters in Engineering Management from the George Washington University.