FSU joins coalition working to improve U.S. power grid

Published 25 September 2008

Seminoles center joins the other sixty-nine member companies and organizations of the GridWise Alliance to push for modernizing the U.S. power grid

More movement on the smart grid front: Florida State University’s Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS) has joined a prominent national coalition which seeks to transform the U.S. electric power systems. CAPs is now a member of the GridWise Alliance, a group of sixty-nine leading companies and academic institutions whose goal is to combine their knowledge and innovation in an effort to increase the safety, reliability and capacity of the U.S. power grid.

CAPS looks forward to contributing to this important effort to achieve a more resilient, reliable and secure power system,” said Steinar Dale, director of the center. Founded in 2003, the GridWise Alliance advocates a vision of an electric system which integrates the infrastructure, processes, devices, information, and market structure so that energy can be generated, distributed, and consumed more efficiently and cost-effectively. Its members include utilities, IT companies, equipment vendors, new technology providers, and educational institutions.

According to Dale, “FSU CAPS’ resources will support the GridWise Alliance by helping to develop, analyze, demonstrate and ‘de-risk’ new technology and new approaches to power delivery.” Referring to the members of of the GridWise Allianxce, Guido Bartels, chairman of the alliance and general manager of IBM’s Global Energy and Utilities Industry said that, “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.” He added that “the diversity of the GridWise Alliance continues to grow, further demonstrating that the development of a smart grid is a truly collaborative effort.”

GridWise Alliance members are gathering at GridWeek 2008, being held this week in Washington, D.C. This annual meeting examines smart grid successes, their role in carbon reduction, alternative distributed generation, and implementation of the Energy Act of 2007.