Microgrid Alliance Folds into Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid

Microgrid Knowledge
1/28/15

By Elisa Wood

The Microgrid Alliance (MGA), one of two microgrid advocacy organizations formed last year, has folded into a larger group, the Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid (ADS).

MGA and ADS announced the change Tuesday. They had already had a close connection in that Dan Delurey, CEO of ADS, has also served as MGA’s executive director. MGA held an inaugural event last year at ADs  National Town Meeting on Demand Response & Smart Grid in Washington, D.C.

“We are especially happy to merge these two groups together as we ramp up for the 12th annual National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid,” Delurey said. “We certainly plan to include lessons learned and examples of microgrids on the agenda and program for the event coming up May 26-28 in Washington, DC.”

Terry Mohn, CEO of General Microgrids, who has served as MGA’s chairman, will become the chair of the new Microgrids Committee within ADS.

“ADS considers the new advances in microgrids to be an important component under the smart grid umbrella, and we look forward to providing ADS members and members of the MGA with new resources and services in the microgrid area,” said Howard Smith, resource planning and operations manager for Alabama Power and chairman of ADS.

The Microgrid Resources Coalition (MRC) is the other microgrid advocacy group formed last year, this one out of a group associated with the International District Energy Association (IDEA).

MRC was announced in Atlanta at IDEA’s 27^th Annual Campus Energy Conference.

IDEA will hold this year’s campus conference in Denver Feb. 10-13. The event will include  a “Workshop: Microgrids & Electrical Distribution Systems,” Feb. 10. Among speakers will be: Ted Borer, Princeton University; Bob Manning, Harvard University;  C. Baird Brown, Drinker Biddle & Reath; John Kelly, The Perfect Power Institute; Juan Ontiveros, University of Texas, Austin; Mike Dempsey, Burns & McDonnell ; Edd Lovette, PowerServices; Paul Barter & Steve Brown, Environmental System Design.

http://microgridknowledge.com/microgrid-alliance-folds-association-demand-response-smart-grid/