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New York State Smart Grid Consortium Executive Director Offers Vision During Speech at New York Energy Week Closing Ceremony
[June 27, 2013]

New York State Smart Grid Consortium Executive Director Offers Vision During Speech at New York Energy Week Closing Ceremony


NEW YORK --(Business Wire)--

James T. Gallagher, the Executive Director of the New York State Smart Grid Consortium (NYSSGC), a public-private partnership devoted to statewide implementation of the smart grid, today called for action and innovation to modernize the state's power grid during remarks at the Closing Ceremony of New York Energy Week (NYEW). Hosted at the DORMA Design Center in Manhattan, the event also featured Sergej Mahnovski, Director, NYC Mayor's Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, along with other key industry leaders, and represented a critical reflection point as the region continues to recover from Superstorm Sandy with less than 200 days remaining in Mayor Bloomberg's (News - Alert) administration.

"We have less than 200 days to mobilize around the Mayor's vision, but sustainability and smart energy choices are now ingrained in the City's culture, so let's make sure that the next 200 days are not the end, but instead simply the foundation and catalyst that will launch us into decades of future achievements," said James T. Gallagher, Executive Director, New York State Smart Grid Consortium. "As a diverse coalition of utilities, technology providers, policy makers and universities, we are all committed to working together to achiev one common goal - the modernization of the New York power grid - to better serve all New York energy users."



As part of the recommendations recently outlined by Mayor Bloomberg's Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR), the NYSSGC will partner with the City and task force on several major initiatives including 1) the development, testing and deployment of sensors and other new technologies to improve system monitoring and situational awareness before, during and after major weather events or other disturbances; and 2) the identification and facilitation of innovative microgrid projects intended to improve system reliability and resiliency.

"The Consortium is working with its utility members to establish microgrid projects both in New York City and in upstate New York," added Gallagher. "These action oriented projects will demonstrate the advances that have been made in power technology, and most importantly, they will show customers tangible benefits and what the smart grid and the utility of the future will truly mean to them. New York should and will lead, and is poised to be recognized as the innovation center of the nation in the field of power research."


Other NYEW Closing Ceremony speakers included Susan Leeds, CEO, NYC Energy Efficiency Corporation; David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy & International Affairs, DOE & Inaugural Fellow, Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University; and Khalil Shalabi, CTO and Director of Research & Development, New York Power Authority. Founded by energy policy research and data company Energy Solutions Forum, in conjunction with a coalition of committed public- and private-sector energy professionals, NYEW was created to encourage cross-functional cooperation in the traditionally fragmented energy industry. NYEW started on June 24 and featured more than 20 events throughout the week.

About the New York State Smart Grid Consortium
New York is home to a world-class leading effort designed to establish a pathway towards lowering the cost and increasing the efficiency of our Grid. The New York State Smart Grid Consortium (NYSSGC) brings together the world's leading utilities, technology providers, policy makers and research institutions to identify opportunities that show the most promise for broader smart grid technology deployment. The Consortium provides the perfect convening point to develop, test and eventually implement the best solutions and a way to work with policy makers to identify needed regulatory developments. In addition to serving as an advocate for the best technology and policies, the Consortium serves as a resource and collection of experts when it comes to the future of New York State's grid. Incorporated on July 22, 2009, the Consortium is a not-for-profit 501(c) 6 corporation - for more information, please visit www.nyssmartgrid.com.


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