Consumers, Schools and Businesses across the Globe have a New Resource to Understand Their New Energy Future
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE today unveiled itsyoursmartgrid.com, an interactive and informative Web site designed to educate consumers about the holistic benefits of a smarter grid. This announcement comes the first day of GridWeek, the premier smart grid conference being held in Washington, D.C., next week, where policymakers, utility executives, academics and industry leaders will gather to discuss the broad implications and benefits of a smarter grid.
At a time when Washington’s decision makers are determining the best use of stimulus dollars, when utilities are brainstorming how to best educate consumers and when Americans are questioning what all this “buzz” is about, the material on itsyoursmartgrid.com has never been more timely.
"The smart grid can give us new choices and control over our energy usage and costs," said Anthony Star, director of policy and evaluation at CNT Energy, a leader in demonstrating the value of dynamic electricity pricing. "Therefore, consumers will need to be at the front and center of smart grid innovation in order to realize its full potential. The easily understood, educational content on itsyoursmartgrid.com provides information in a simple, straight-forward manner that I've yet to find elsewhere on the Web."
The Web site delivers an end-to-end view of the smart grid in everyday language. The site explains why we need to change the way we deliver and use power—to improve efficiency and productivity, to optimize the integration of cleaner energy resources and electric vehicles and to empower consumers to manage usage and save money, while improving our nation’s energy independence and economic competitiveness. It also outlines what will be different in the ways the smart grid enables us to receive, use and pay for electricity.
“Quite frankly, most people don’t know very much about the traditional power grid, so talking about the smart grid adds a layer of complexity,” said Bob Gilligan, vice president, transmission and distribution at GE Energy. “But there’s a big difference and a big need to better understand the benefits of a smart grid. Unlike the grid of the past 100 years, the smart grid gives consumers an active role in choosing how they use and pay for electricity. It helps us integrate more clean energy. It helps us to become more efficient and productive as a society, and it will ultimately improve our competitiveness and energy independence. So we created Itsyoursmartgrid.com to help consumers understand these far-reaching benefits.”
Itsyoursmartgrid.com is all about learning and understanding, offering educational resources ranging from videos to a regularly updated blog. Site visitors can expect to be educated entertained and enlightened about the smart grid and how it will help us continue to power our lives comfortably and reliably for decades to come.
Schools and civic organizations can use Itsyoursmartgrid.com as a valuable teaching tool to help change our energy habits for the new realities of a growing, ever-more-energy-hungry world.
Through industry collaborations, GE will deliver one of the broadest portfolio offerings in the industry to modernize the electrical systems from the power plant to the consumer. From smarter appliances to technologies for plug-in hybrid vehicles, to providing renewable technologies and smart meters, GE has the breadth and knowledge needed to increase energy productivity all the way up and down the lines.
About GE Energy
GE Energy (www.ge.com/energy) is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies, with 2008 revenue of $29.3 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy works in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels. Numerous GE Energy products are certified under ecomagination, GE’s corporate-wide initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet pressing environmental challenges.
About GE
GE is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com. GE is Imagination at Work.
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