Can the DOE stimulate the smart grid?

Although the federal stimulus package is a work in progress, it seems pretty clear that substantial funding will be directed to the Department of Energy for promoting smart grid programs, aimed at providing finer grained control of usage, distribution, and pricing of power in the grid. A smart grid involves building a large network of devices to monitor and control the flow of power, and it's possible that some of the money dedicated to expanding broadband could help in this regard. There are also some tax breaks in the form of accelerated depreciation that could benefit utilities, and money in the form of state aid could go to grid projects in some states. Still, the DOE allotment appears to contain the vast majority of the money for the grid.