Modern Grid Strategy Team Graduates to New Role as Smart Grid Implementation Strategy

The transition to the Smart Grid may be nearing the “end of the beginning.”  The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Modern Grid Strategy team is changing its name and mission to support the industry’s current transition from a concept development, education and alignment phase, i.e. “the beginning,” to one that is focused on Smart Grid planning, design and implementation.

The DOE Modern Grid Strategy (previously the Modern Grid Initiative) began at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) five years ago in January 2005.  The mission assigned to the team was to “Accelerate Grid Modernization in the United States.”  Much has been accomplished since then to develop the fundamental Smart Grid concepts and to share those concepts with key stakeholders.  Many have become foundational to the Smart Grid planning and implementation activities in progress today.

Understanding this progress, the team has been renamed the “Smart Grid Implementation Strategy” (SGIS) team.  Its focus will be to “accelerate the transition to a Smart Grid in the United States through the development of implementation strategies and tools.”   The NETL SGIS team is uniquely suited to act as an “independent broker” now turning its attention to providing tools, materials and expertise to assist with advancing Smart Grid implementation.  While the team will have this new focus, it will continue to provide training and assistance to stakeholders, including consumer groups and others, still desiring to learn more about the fundamental Smart Grid concepts.

More specifically the SGIS team has set its sights to lead in the following areas:

·         Smart Grid evaluation and implementation planning

·         Smart Grid business case development at utility, state and regional levels

·         Engineering analyses to support better understanding of Smart Grid deployments

·         Evaluation and communication of Smart Grid implementation results to key stakeholders from a systems view perspective

·         Integration of SGIS work with that of other Smart Grid organizations to optimize overall effectiveness

A number of references developed by the team are available at www.netl.doe.gov/smartgrid  and they will also soon be available on the Department of Energy’s Smart Grid website at www.smartgrid.gov.  Please contact the team at smartgrid@netl.doe.gov if you have questions, would like to provide input, or if you need assistance in any areas described above.

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