A smarter grid also is critical if the state achieves its goals of electrifying the transportation sector — the largest source of greenhouse-gas emissions. Under that scenario, the state will have to adopt different time-of-use tariffs for optimum times to charge plug-in electric vehicles.
“It will be difficult to implement a different tariff without a smarter grid,’’ said Frank Felder, director of the Center for Economic, Energy and Environmental Policy and the Rutgers Energy Initiative.