It’s been a busy month for the GridWise Alliance team as we continue to follow developments with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) implementation at federal and state agencies, talk with our allies on Capitol Hill to inform their oversight activities, organize upcoming Policy and Technology Council meetings around this quarter’s theme of Utility Communications, begin the next phase of the Grid Modernization Index (GMI), and dive into planning for this year’s gridCONNEXT® in December.
Member Survey. The GridWise Alliance was founded in 2003 in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and a number of leading companies in the grid industry, some of whom are still members today. As we look forward to our 20th anniversary, we are embarking on a strategic planning exercise to guide us into the next decade of serving the grid modernization industry. We kicked off the first stage of this process at our June Board of Directors meeting in Chicago in June. The next phase will be a member survey—be on the lookout for the survey in your inboxes the last week in July. We urge you to take a few minutes to complete the survey to provide your feedback about how the GridWise Alliance can continue to add value to the industry, our members, and to you as individuals.
Reception at NARUC’s Summer Policy Summit Meeting. If you will be at NARUC’s Summer Policy Summit in San Diego this year, join our friends in the clean energy industry at a reception co-sponsored by the GridWise Alliance. No RSVP for the reception is necessary, but we are interested in knowing how many of our members will be attending the Summer Summit, so please let Richie O’Neill know if you plan to be there.
What: Clean Energy Industry Reception
When: Monday, July 18, 7 pm
Where: Marina Tower, Marisol Room, Floor 13 – Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina
Thank you, Aurora! Join me in wishing Aurora Edington, GridWise’s Policy Director for the last year, a warm farewell as she takes on a new role as Electric Grid Policy Manager at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources next month.
Under Aurora’s leadership, GridWise engaged our members and outside stakeholders through working groups, workshops, and one-on-one conversations to inform reports, comments to agencies, and other valuable content that contributed the grid industry perspective to policy makers and the public. With Aurora’s guidance, the GridWise Alliance developed a new approach to the Grid Modernization Index (GMI), releasing the first ever Grid Readiness Framework. We launched the new Technology Portfolio Initiative to educate policy makers and stakeholders on how the grid functions and the key technologies that must be deployed to deliver those functions. GridWise submitted numerous comments to federal agencies on implementation of grid-related programs in the IIJA. She led a workshop with NASEO, NARUC and AASHTO (state Department of Transportation officials) on EV charging infrastructure.
As many of you know from your regular interactions with her, Aurora is extraordinarily talented, gifted with a quick mind, genuine curiosity, and a constantly upbeat outlook on life. This is my second stint working with Aurora, and I certainly hope there will be at least a third! Thank you, Aurora, for your significant contributions to the GridWise Alliance, and best wishes in your new role.