GridWise Alliance, IEEE PES enter into agreement

Thursday, 22 April 2010 08:49

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The technology-neutral smart grid coalition GridWise Alliance and and IEEE Power and Energy Society (IEEE PES), a top provider of scientific and engineering information on electric power and energy, have signed an agreement that enables the two organizations to collaborate on smart grid-related issues. The news was announced during the Smart Grid Day, held in conjunction with the IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Conference and Exposition in New Orleans.

The GridWise Alliance, founded in 2003, is a coalition of public and private stakeholders that advocates for a smarter grid for the public good. The Alliance’s self-described mandate is to facilitate “the effective collaboration among stakeholders, to promote, educate, and advocate for the adoption of innovative smart grid solutions. These solutions will achieve economic and environmental benefits for customers, communities, shareholders and society. GridWise Alliance members include utilities, IT companies, equipment vendors, new technology providers and academic institutions.”

GridWise Alliance members represent utilities, system operators, manufacturers, investors, academia, and information and communications companies. IEEE PES is a global nonprofit association of more than 25,000 technical professionals throughout the electric power industry. The organization is part of IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional society encompassing 400,000 members in 160 countries.

GridWise Alliance President Katherine Hamilton says the agreement to collaborate “will strengthen the engineering basis of our group. IEEE PES has worked diligently to ensure professional engineers are appropriately educated as our utilities build their smart grid programs. IEEE PES has provided significant thought leadership on smart grid and can help provide a technical foundation to the policies we advocate.”

Wanda Reder, chair of the IEEE Smart Grid Task Force, “We are thrilled to be partnering with the GridWise Alliance. Our relationship will join the advocacy leadership of the GridWise Alliance with the technical expertise and integrity of IEEE PES. We look forward to collaborating on education and workforce development, because we feel strongly that a prepared workforce with appropriate competencies is one of the most critical elements for smart grid success.“