GridPoint

GridWise™ Accelerates Efforts to Develop a Smart Grid in the U.S.

National 'GridWeek 2007' Conference, Plus a Focus on Federal Policy

WASHINGTON - Jan. 29, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ - The GridWise Alliance announced today that it is working with the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability on a major, national conference, "GridWeek 2007," as part of its accelerated efforts to develop a smart grid in the United States

The conference, to be held April 23-26 at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington DC, will gather leading experts on grid modernization, energy industry executives, and government officials. The four-day event will provide a forum for the diverse groups currently working on grid modernization, and will focus on policy issues related to smart grid technology deployment.

"The energy industry is at a tipping point. We need to embrace the smart technologies that exist today which can connect every part of a utility company, as well as the analytics which can provide real-time access to critical data for better decision making," said Guido Bartels, the newly- selected Chairman of the GridWise Alliance and General Manager of IBM's Global Energy and Utilities Industry. "Acting today means far-reaching benefits tomorrow -- from energy reliability and protection of our nation's electrical infrastructure, to billions in cost savings and an increase in national competitiveness."

The GridWise Alliance unites companies from across the country who are committed to transforming the nation's electricity grid by integrating emerging energy and information technologies to generate, distribute, and consume energy more efficiently, cleanly, and cost-effectively. Formed in 2003, the Alliance grew out of the growing concerns from utilities and consumers alike, that underinvestment in the nation's electric grid was reducing reliability, increasing costs, and resulting in an inability of the electric grid to provide for the needs of the future economy. The Alliance provides a forum where members representing a broad range of interests in the electricity sector can meet, exchange ideas, and work cooperatively on a common set of issues, with the goal of moving the US electric grid into the information age.

Guido Bartels assumed the Chairmanship of the GridWise Alliance on December 12, 2006. Other new Alliance Board officers include:

GridWise Alliance Vice Chair: Terry Mohn, Technology Strategist, San Diego Gas & Electric Co.,
GridWise Alliance Secretary and Treasurer: Lynn Sutcliffe, CEO of the EnergySolve Companies.

"Our members are strongly committed to changing policies at both the national and state levels," said Steve Hauser, Executive Director of the GridWise Alliance. "These new policies will clearly change the way power is delivered in the future." Hauser is also the Vice President of Strategy for GridPoint, Inc., which is a GridWise Alliance member company.

The GridWise Alliance continues to add new members, with six new companies joining in 2006. The new companies are Beacon Power, Current Communications, Duquesne Broadband, GridPoint, ICE Energy, and Site Controls.

"We welcome the participation of these new companies in the GridWise Alliance," said Hauser, "and we expect many more companies to join us in 2007 as our vision and activities are more broadly recognized. We see this as critical to increasing the use of renewable energy, as well as increasing the overall efficiency of our energy system."

For more information about the GridWise Alliance, visit: http://www.gridwise.org

Current members of the GridWise Alliance include: American Electric Power, AREVA-T&D, Battelle, Beacon Power Corp., Bonneville Power, Con Edison, Current, Duquesne Broadband, EnergySolve, EPRI, GE, GridPoint, Inc., IBM, Ice Energy, PJM Interconnection, RockPort Capital Partners, SAIC, Sempra Energy, Site Controls, and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

Contact Information

Lee Coogan
202.530.9740 or lcoogan@navista.net