GridWise Alliance To Create Smart Grid In U.S. Announces Fifteen New Members

The GridWise® Alliance announced that fifteen leading companies and academic institutions have joined the national coalition whose goal is to transform the nation’s electric power system. New members include BC Hydro, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Electricite de France, Elster Integrated Solutions, EnerNex Corp., Florida State University-Center for Advanced Power Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Institiute of Electrical Power Engineering, Milsoft Utility Solutions, Open Systems International, Optimal Technologies Corp., Progress Energy, Solar Integrated Technologies, Tendril Networks, and VELCO.

"We are pleased to welcome these new members to the GridWise Alliance. These companies and academic institutions strengthen the coalition and broaden our impact by bringing their knowledge and innovation to our efforts to transform the electricity grid," said Guido Bartels, Chairman of the GridWise Alliance and General Manager of IBM’s Global Energy and Utilities Industry. "With the addition of these new members the diversity of the GridWise Alliance continues to grow further demonstrating that the development of a smart grid is a truly collaborative effort."

"In recent months energy issues have been on the minds of many Americans. With passage of the energy bill in 2007, Congress recognized the need for us to produce and consume energy more efficiently. One of the actions they proposed is the deployment of a smart grid," said Terry Mohn, Vice Chair of the GridWise Alliance, and Technology Strategist/Enterprise Architect with San Diego Gas & Electric. "The GridWise Alliance and its members have been advocating on behalf of a smart grid for over five years. We are happy to have these new members as part of the Alliance and we look forward to working with them as we continue our efforts to create a 21st century electricity grid."