Farmingdale may soon be home to the nation's first "smart-energy corridor," or such is the plan proposed by the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), Farmingdale State College, Stony Brook University and others in the region.

If created, the corridor, outfitted with "smart" electric meters, would run along Route 110 and include some 500 businesses and homes. Potential long-term benefits would be considerable, since the initiative would help LIPA customers monitor and reduce their energy usage, increase the system's reliability, would facilitate energy efficiency and create green collar jobs. Instant wireless communication between the power company and its patrons is one of the advances that would help better monitor power use.

And assuming its board of trustees approves the measure, LIPA also plans to provide customer incentives for smart meter use (the meters will cost $250 apiece), such as a rate structure that would offer new discounted rates for off-peak use.

The groups will make their combined pitch for stimulus funds in June, which is when the government will begin taking bids. They will ask for a reported $17 million (out of the stimulus program's $4.5 billion targeted for smart-energy projects) to cover costs. With money provided on a matching basis, LIPA will have to come up with $3 million of its own for the proposed plan.