America’s energy needs face several paradigm shifts. To help meet projected growth in the demand for electricity while at the same time doing the least harm to the environment on the power production and consumption sides, smart grid technology will play an important role for a number of reasons:

  • It will bring greater security and stability for transmission and distribution operators
  • It can integrate intermittent — but very clean — sources of electricity, such as wind and solar into our power grid
  • It will allow for “Smart Buildings” to go online for greater efficiency and lower costs
  • It enables customers who are both consumers and producers of electricity to give back to the grid.

The opportunity smart grid offers extends across the United States to all forms of commercial, industrial and residential customers and consumers.

 

While we, as an industry, are familiar with these often-touted benefits of smart grid, it is not always easy for the folks tasked with implementing this latest technological advancement to dig much deeper into the how, when, where and why of smart grid.

 

Siemens Smart Grid TourTo assist in that process, Siemens will arrive next week in New Orleans (at the IEEE PES T&D Conference & Exposition) and set up a smart grid dome across the street from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Within the dome, which is 70ft. wide and over 30ft. high, visitors can learn about:

  1. Smart generation
  2. Smart transmission and distribution
  3. Smart consumption

Siemens Answers. The Smart Grid Tour aims to highlight smart grid technology already in action around the world and help those in the industry facing their own projects with some valuable lessons learned. Through educational sessions hosted in the smart grid dome, topics such as:

    • Enabling generation & renewables
    • Smart grid integration
    • Meter data management
    • Bridging operations technology to information technology
    • Preparing a building for smart grid
    • The vital role smart grid plays in our industrial future

While we all agree that what we can learn about such topics online (especially in social media communities like this one) is amazing and invaluable, there is still a lot to be said for seeing, touching and interacting directly with specific equipment, software and experts. So, this tour will attempt to personally meet as many industry professionals as possible, hitting 6 cities in 6 months:

1.      April 22 – New Orleans

2.      May 26 – Atlanta

3.      June 23 – Chicago

4.      July 14 – Portland

5.      September 28 – New York City

6.      October 18-21 – Washington, D.C.

 

To learn more and register to attend in a city near you, go to:
http://www.usa.siemens.com/smartgridtour