IEC award smartgrid innovations

Smartgrid innovations

The development of the much anticipated US smartgrid is gathering pace as President Obama seems increasingly eager to invest. The need for a smart national electricity grid has never been disputed, but there have been concerns that its development has been held back in recent years due to government inaction.

However the International Engineering Consortium (IEC) recently announced a program to honor innovations in smartgrid technology, helping to confirm its place in today's electronic power industry.

The IEC have announced the winners of the first GridVision Awards program, which celebrate outstanding contributions within sector. The awards recognize products and services that represent significant advances towards the goals of a smarter, more efficient and more reliable electric power grid.

'Decarbonizing' the energy system

The last 12 months have seen significant progress in the deployment of smartgrid and smart meter technologies, topped off by the $3.4 billion of investment as a result of Obama's economic stimulus fund. This total was then pushed up to $8 billion as a result of industry cash and private investment.

Despite this significant investment some have remained critical of the government's handling of the smartgrid, accusing Washington of being too hesitant and a new report insists the government is not pushed hard enough over the nationwide roll out of the smartgrid.

The Obama administration has been advised to make renewables a high priority in the electricity sector so the energy system can be 'decarbonised'.

Smartgrids are absolutely key to securing energy supplies for the future and fully capitalizing on recent developments in the wind and solar industries, both in need of a grid that can further share the network access between renewable and conventional generators.

That's why these awards are so important.

"Smarter, more efficient, more reliable grid"

"The GridVision awards honor the services that represent significant advances towards the goals of a smarter, more efficient and more reliable electric power grid," commented IEC President John R. Janowiak.

The awards are part of the larger Grid ComForum, a conference that provides a venue for grid operators and technology suppliers to discuss the business and technology management issues that must be addressed to create the next-generation power grid and realize its benefits.

The inaugural group of GridVision Award honorees were chosen by a panel of industry experts because they exemplified the most innovative and effective applications of these technologies.

Key winners included PG&E, for its pioneering deployment of next-generation grid infrastructure with the SmartMeter program and Verizon Wireless, continuously aggressive in the smartgrid field looking to partner with utilities and exploring ways to include remote energy management through its IPTV or broadband packages.

Related Articles:

Why the US needs a smar grid | Obama jump starts smart grid | Are smart grids secure?

Daniel Jones

Daniel is a Politics and Philosophy graduate from Cardiff University where he also worked as a section editor on the award winning student newspaper. After university he joined an IT support company where he was a B2B online writer. He loves anything to do with sport and joined GDS in July 2009.

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