The McDonnell Group

ATLANTA – Sep 4, 2009 – A diverse group of utility and energy technology industry stakeholders have come together to advance smart grid in the State of Georgia. The non profit Technology Association of Georgia’s Smart Grid Society board of directors was formed this past Spring. It’s been my honor to serve as a board member of this all volunteer group that The McDonnell Group now supports as a silver sponsor.  

The mission of the TAG Smart Grid society is to educate, enlighten and accelerate the development of Smart Grid in Georgia by exploring key technologies and collaborations necessary to drive Smart Grid systems into reality.

Under the leadership of chairman Anthony Maiello of GE, the board is comprised of a diverse group of senior executives from organizations including Georgia Tech, IBM, Siemens, Southern Company, Oglethorpe Power and many others. 

Over the course of several months and many hours of meetings, the board has reviewed its governance guidelines under its TAG charter and voted to affirm the definitions of smart grid laid out by NIST. It has also formed board committees and established a vision and mission for a multi-year game plan.

One of the goals of the group is to shine an international light on Georgia’s leadership role in the utility and energy technology industry. Working to expand Georgia’s base of human and investment capital, TAG Smart Grid will ultimately help drive innovation and job growth in Georgia across a wide range of sectors including software, hardware, power technology manufacturing, and communications among others.

The TAG Smart Grid Society started its efforts with a booth this week at the Georgia Green Business Expo, and several board members will be sharing the group’s message later this month at Grid Week in Washington DC.

On September 30th the group holds its first breakfast panel event at the Atlanta Technology Development Center (ATDC). For more information on the TAG Smart Grid Society including a full list of board members, upcoming events, and to register for the September 30th breakfast visit: http://www.tagonline.org/SmartGrid.php.