National GridWeek 2007
Advancing Grid Modernization: A National Agenda
“It's clear that the power grid needs … to be modernized. As we go into an exciting new period of American
history, we want the most modern electricity grid for our people ... we need more investment; we need research
and development ...” President George W. Bush
GridWeek is a major industry event focusing on grid modernization that will be held April 23-26, 2007, at the
Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, DC. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is
supporting this event to increase its visibility and to highlight DOE’s leadership on this critical issue. This event
underscores the importance of key provisions of the Energy Policy Act 2005, specifically focusing on the
Electricity Modernization Act of 2005 and the Distributed Energy and Electric Energy Systems. “The energy
bill will help ensure that consumers receive electricity over dependable modern infrastructure … We have a
modern interstate grid for our phone line and our highways. With this bill, America can start building a modern
21st century electricity grid, as well …” declared President Bush during the bill signing ceremony.
The purpose of GridWeek is to identify, align, and facilitate partnership opportunities for resolution of key
technical, economic, and societal issues as related to building a modern 21st century electricity grid. This
national event will provide a forum for key industry leaders and stakeholders to engage decision-makers on the
relevant issues and potential solutions in advancing grid modernization.
GridWeek will provide an open forum for all key stakeholders to hear about important advances being made
around the country in modernizing the grid. DOE and the organizers of GridWeek plan to bring together the best
minds from the following groups involved with electricity generation, transmission, and distribution to
participate in GridWeek:
- Government organizations (federal, state, and local)
- Commercial private sector (utilities and energy companies, IT companies, investors, etc.)
- Nongovernmental organizations
- Thought leaders from academic, research, and analyst organizations
The event will encompass various organizational meetings on April 23 & 24, with networking activities designed
to facilitate information exchanges, alignment, and coordination among stakeholder groups. The following two
days, April 25 & 26, will consist of four sessions. Each conference session will focus on a major theme of grid
modernization—Technical, Economic, Regulatory and Policy, and Partnership Opportunities—and will feature
leading speakers in identified topic areas. In addition, a Plenary Session will lead off the conference by
providing perspectives from distinguished leaders representing key stakeholder groups.
U.S. Secretary of Energy, Samuel W. Bodman is invited to be the keynote speaker the morning of Wednesday,
April 25, to provide a federal government perspective. Also invited to join Secretary Bodman in the Plenary
Session will be Nicolas DoNofrio, Executive Vice President, IBM; Jim Rogers, CEO, Duke Energy, and others.
For Additional Information: http://www.gridweek.com/
28/Nov/2006
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