Focus: Smart Grid

New York (November 15, 2010) – The German Center for Research and Innovation (GCRI), in cooperation with the German American Chambers of Commerce (GACC), will host a roundtable discussion on the technology, policy and business outlook of intelligent energy management systems. The event will take place on Thursday, November 18, from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M., at the German House New York (871 United Nations Plaza, First Avenue, btw. 48th & 49th Streets).

Kurt Becker, Associate Provost for Research and Technology and Professor of Physics at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, will moderate the evening’s panel of experts from Germany and the U.S. Barbara Kates-Garnick, Consultant of Urban Technologies at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, will give an overview of the business opportunities that smart grid technologies offer. Jim Gallagher, Senior Director of Energy Policy at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, will introduce the many measures that are being taken in the New York City to ensure grid stability in the coming decades, including the pilot smart grid project in Long Island City from Con Edison. Christian Hoepfner, Director of Technical Operations at the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems, will detail Germany’s smart grid strategy, leading toward 80% renewable energy by 2050.

Energy security is a growing concern worldwide. The important issues of energy supply, storage, distribution and use are all tied to the concept of smart grid. Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, are valuable resources that are plentiful and becoming easier to collect, but to use them, new and innovative systems must be designed that can bring the energy from where it is produced to where it is needed. This energy must be stored during times of lower demand and released at the peaks. Even traditional fuels, such as coal and natural gas, cannot reliably power a city of 8 million people without an efficient energy management system to balance load and prevent loss of power when it is needed most. The GCRI and the GACC are committed to raising awareness of these and other important issues as well as the opportunities they present for international cooperation on business and technology innovations.
Focus: Smart Grid is part of a series of events that encourage discussion and partnership on such topics as energy, economy and policy.

The GCRI website, www.germaninnovation.org, will be launched soon. More information about the GACC, including future events and services, can be found on their website at www.gaccny.com.

German Center for Research and Innovation
Andrea Deierlein
Communications Officer
871 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Deierlein@GermanInnovation.org
(212) 339 8606, ext. 302

This release was published on openPR.