The GridWise Alliance, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, will host the first annual GridWise Global Forum on Sept. 21-23 in Washington, DC. The GridWise Global Forum will bring together an unprecedented gathering of international policy leaders, corporate leaders and technology innovators from North America and around the globe to share their experiences with today’s smart grid deployments and visions for a smarter grid over the next two decades.

“Transforming the world’s electricity grids is critical to the planet’s long term energy future,” said Guido Bartels, GridWise Alliance Chair. “For only by modernizing the ways in which we generate, transmit, distribute, and consume electricity can we achieve the energy goals crucial to building a sustainable energy future and achieving economic growth."

The GridWise Global Forum will facilitate this collaboration by drawing speakers and participants from high levels of government and the private sector. An international gathering of government leaders, legislators, regulators, business leaders, investors, consumers, and environmental advocates will discuss the impact of the smart grid on the ways in which the world will use energy, the impacts of its adoption on different classes of consumers (industrial, commercial, and residential), the impacts on energy supply, and opportunities for investors. The outcomes will include a global view of smart grid today, including best practices from around the world; a clearer understanding of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead; and a commitment from countries around the world to work together to achieve the full potential of smart grid.