WASHINGTON, D.C., August 10, 2021 – The GridWise Alliance applauds the U.S. Senate bipartisan infrastructure group for its leadership with the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The grid provisions in the infrastructure bill will be an historic investment to accelerate the deployment of technologies and systems to modernize and enhance the electric grid.
“GridWise Alliance members and its Grid Infrastructure Advisory Council, who represent an esteemed national list of electric grid industry leaders, are focused on accelerating innovation that delivers a more secure, reliable, resilient, and affordable grid that will support decarbonization of the U.S. economy,” said GridWise Chair Gil C. Quiniones, New York Power Authority President and Chief Executive Officer. “We commend President Biden for his leadership and support of this bipartisan infrastructure legislation. We also thank our Senate leaders for addressing the need to update our electricity infrastructure and recognizing the many benefits that will come from investing in our nation’s power system.”
The GridWise Alliance and its members believe that the electric grid and its supporting infrastructure are the foundational component of an advanced and thriving digital economy.
“We are excited to see more than $70 billion in funding that is in line with the GridWise Alliance’s recommendations for grid investments,” said Karen Wayland, CEO of the GridWise Alliance. “The Senate has recommended $11 billion for grid resilience and $3 billion to enhance grid flexibility, among many other programs. This is a tremendous investment in critical energy infrastructure and we are very pleased to see this bill advance. Modernizing the electricity grid over the next decade is critical to decarbonizing our energy system.”
Read the GridWise Alliance Summary of the Bill, outlined within the broad categories of funding needs that were identified during the GridWise stakeholder process, including:
- Resilience
- Deployment of technologies to enhance grid flexibility
- Deployment of technologies to enhance grid integration of buildings and vehicles
- Cybersecurity technology and workforce
- Utility communications
- Workforce development
“This anticipated investment will allow our industry to put grid enhancing technologies, and the men and women who build them, to work more quickly,” said GridWise Alliance Vice-Chair Lisa Barton, American Electric Power’s Chief Operating Officer. “By prioritizing shovel ready projects, we can accelerate the transformation to a more resilient and flexible power grid to support cleaner generation resources while improving reliability for our customers and providing economic benefits in urban and rural communities as these investments are deployed regionally.”
“A modernized grid will enable the integration of a host of other technology developments such as renewable energy, energy storage, distributed generation, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle deployment and infrastructure supports,” added Wayland. “Without an optimized electric grid, we will never fully reap the benefits of these innovative technologies, including the intrinsic societal benefits like reduced emissions, better reliability, increased security, and energy equity.”
About GridWise Alliance
The GridWise Alliance leads a diverse membership of electricity industry stakeholders focused on accelerating innovation that delivers a more secure, reliable, resilient, and affordable grid to support decarbonization of the U.S. economy. For more information about the GridWise Alliance, visit: www.gridwise.org.
Media Contact:
Richard O’Neill
Executive Director
GridWise Alliance
roneill@gridwise.org
(202) 530-9740