From the Vermont-Sandia Partnership website: “More than any other state in the nation, Vermont has forged effective partnerships among its policymakers, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, privately owned companies and citizen groups, leveraging their expertise and collective willpower to spur energy innovation statewide.

These efforts reflect growing partnerships statewide and a deep commitment to energy sustainability. Vermont’s efforts have been further strengthened by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy to support a utilities-led smart-grid effort called eEnergy Vermont and also a partnership with Sandia National Laboratories to help create the Nation’s first statewide 21st-century energy infrastructure.”

Events of this nature will certainly help pave the way for a green energy future in Vermont! While it may not be possible for all members of the Smart Grid Working Group to attend this week’s event, all should certainly feel welcome to contact AJ or Ethan to compare notes, and to receive updates and thoughts on event proceedings. A more involved VSGWG discussion of event findings may be forthcoming, too. To learn more about the Vermont-Sandia Partnership, please click here.

“Climate change will likely pose very serious challenges to human society. This talk will characterize the environmental, economic and social factors leading to these challenges and the expected impact on international stability and global security.”

Members of the Vermont Smart Grid Working Group (VSGWG) are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The Smart Grid is rapidly changing how electricity is generated, used, and managed in the U.S. In this presentation, Juan Torres – Manager of Energy Systems Analysis at Sandia National Labs – will discuss some of the U.S. smart grid initiatives and the technical, policy, and business challenges that are being encountered.

Members of the Vermont Smart Grid Working Group (VSGWG) are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Thanks sincerely to all who attended our inaugural VT Smart Grid Working Group (VSGWG). By all accounts, Mr. Goldman’s presentation was well prepared and thought-provoking. Several group members have requested copies of Mr. Goldman’s presentation. To download his presentation as a PDF, click here.

Thanks to your positive interaction, the night was a great success, and we look forward to many more work group meetings with you. For our next meeting, Vermont Smart Energy Institute founder, AJ Rossman, will lead a discussion on integrating renewables into the smart grid. (Details TBA – Check back for updates or click here to subscribe to our RSS feed.)

Vermont Smart Grid Consumer Behavior Research Plans for 2011-2013

Several research projects, sponsored by Efficiency VT and the electric utilities, will examine the potential for consumer behavior change from the deployment of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology in Vermont this year. Ethan Goldman, Measurement & Verification Specialist at Efficiency Vermont, will discuss the AMI or “Smart Grid” technologies that will be deployed state-wide over the next two years and the additional in-home components that will be tested as part of these studies.

Ethan Goldman holds a BS from Hampshire College and an MS from Carnegie Mellon University in Green Informatics. His research has included the behavior-based conservation potential of energy monitoring systems and the development of a Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) system.