Reps. McNerney, Ellmers Launch Congressional Caucus to Promote Awareness of Technologies Transforming the Electric Grid

ROSSLYN, Va., – The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and GridWise Alliance today commended Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) and Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) on the launch of the Grid Innovation Caucus as a new congressional caucus. This afternoon NEMA and GridWise and their organization’s members will join Representatives Ellmers and McNerney to officially launch the caucus.

“Technological innovation is at the heart of modernizing the electric grid,” said NEMA President and CEO Kevin J. Cosgriff. “Not only are NEMA manufacturers committed to developing the technologies that will ensure a reliable, resilient, and interoperable electrical grid, they are well along the path of bringing these enhancements to market. We are grateful for the leadership of Representatives McNerney and Ellmers who, with the creation  of this caucus, are demonstrating their commitment to addressing the challenges and opportunities facing the nation.”

“This caucus is vital in providing a platform for a range of stakeholders from across the broader energy ecosystem to discuss the ways in which the U.S. electricity grid can, and must, evolve to meet America’s energy needs, consumer expectations, and the demands of a digital economy,” said Becky Harrison, CEO, GridWise Alliance. “The impacts to the grid, the utility business models and regulatory models are clearly linked and must be addressed in a comprehensive approach; this caucus can help raise awareness about these issues. Moreover, the caucus can also help bring the key stakeholders together to help identify actionable steps to evolve our  electric grid and enable a reliable, resilient, efficient, and sustainable electric `Grid of the Future.’”

The mission of the Grid Innovation Caucus is to educate members of Congress and staff about the importance of the electric grid to our nation’s economy and the ability to innovate and modernize the grid to bring it into the 21st century. The caucus will support education and outreach activities to highlight innovative technologies and efforts that help enhance grid reliability and resilience, as well as improve economic growth and competitiveness.

The U.S. electric grid is in a period of unprecedented change. Regarded as the greatest engineering achievement of the 20th century, the electric grid today is changing to:

• enable system operators to better monitor and control operations
• allow utilities to improve grid reliability and restoration/response after a major storm or natural disaster
• be more effective at integrating new and diverse supply and demand side resources
• provide consumers with meaningful energy usage information, price signals, and solutions to more effectively and efficiently manage their energy use.

NEMA is the association of electrical equipment and medical imaging manufacturers, founded in 1926 and headquartered in Rosslyn, Virginia. Its 400-plus member companies manufacture a diverse set of products including power transmission and distribution equipment, lighting systems, factory automation and control systems, and medical diagnostic imaging systems. Total U.S. shipments for electroindustry products exceed $100 billion annually.

The GridWise Alliance consists of electric utilities, information and communications technology equipment and service providers, national laboratories, regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and independent system operators (ISOs), academic institutions, and more, working to advance the modernization of the electric grid.