Dear The GridWise,
As you are all aware, the 2024 election results have largely been decided, and Republicans have taken control of the White House and both branches of Congress. President-Elect Trump has been making announcements of Cabinet nominees, including for the Departments of Energy. Now that we know the political context within which the GridWise Alliance will operate in the next few years, we will be refining our policy goals for state and federal action to support grid modernization. Your first opportunity to participate in discussions about our industry priorities for 2025 and beyond will come at our annual conference, gridCONNEXT® 2024, on December 10 and 11, when we will host a workshop to flesh out our GridWise policy platform. Registration is still open, so plan to join us in Washington, D.C. in a few weeks!
Whether you were excited or dejected about the results of the election this year, the truth is that grid modernization is not a partisan issue. Both parties support efforts to improve reliability and resilience, secure the grid, and to keep electricity affordable. The parties might differ on approaches to climate change, but investments to keep electricity affordable and reliable, and to meet rapidly changing customer preferences and growing demand, will also support decarbonization. The GridWise Alliance will continue to work with anyone with an interest in grid modernization, which turns out to be just about everyone these days. We will kick off our December gridCONNEXT® meeting with a bi-partisan panel discussion about the impacts of the 2024 elections on the power sector, so make sure you have a seat in the room!
We are still in the process of collecting data for the next Grid Modernization Index (GMI). We urge all our member utilities to participate in the survey this year. Stakeholders, like you will help inform how states and utilities are preparing for the evolving demands on our grid—ensuring reliability and affordability. Our survey is available on-line, and you can request access to the survey here, but we are also collecting data via phone calls. To schedule a call with a surveyor, please contact Jane Zaretskie. Participating in the survey should take no more than 30 minutes. Remember, over the years, many policy makers and decision makers have used the results of the GMI for insights into the state of the grid around the country. Our new GMI will give a far more comprehensive view of the nation’s electric grid, but our report will only be as good as the data we receive.
Sincerely,
Karen Wayland