Announcing the Galvin Electricity Initiative
Contact:
Crystal Borde
cborde@vancomm.com
(202)331-4323
Announcing the Galvin Electricity Initiative
PALO ALTO, CA — The Galvin Electricity Initiative officially announced its mission to create an actionable blueprint for transforming the U.S. electricity supply and service infrastructure into a resilient and adaptable system that can perfectly meet the needs of the rapidly evolving digital economy and society. The fundamental principle guiding this Initiative is that raising the quality of the nation's electricity supply system will create substantial cost savings for all consumers and society at large.
The Initiative is sponsored by the Galvin Project, Inc., which is led by Bob Galvin, former CEO of Motorola and a key figure in establishing the internationally recognized "Six Sigma" quality control process. "Our country needs an absolutely reliable energy system that is robust under the most demanding circumstances," says Galvin, "a fact that is particularly evidenced by the recent losses of power in the Gulf region due to Hurricane Katrina."
According to the Electric Power Research Institute's (EPRI) President Emeritus Kurt Yeager, who is leading the Galvin Electricity Initiative, "The reliability and performance of the U.S. electric energy infrastructure must be transformed. It was adequate for the analog, electromechanical world of the 20th century, but needs to be reinvented to meet the demands of the '24-7' electronic age."
Yeager says, "We are seeing a converging 'mega-infrastructure' that integrates energy, telecommunications, transportation, and electronic commerce. Innovation throughout the electric energy supply chain is essential for this to be fully realized. The resulting benefits will be profound in terms of U.S. productivity, security, and competitiveness."
The first phase of the Initiative will examine specific technical innovations that are likely to be pivotal in both shaping and meeting the economy's electric energy service demands, particularly within the next 10 to 20 years. The second phase will develop an achievable blueprint of technologies, policies, and incentives for creating the system of electricity services and supply that best represents Galvin's goal of "absolute excellence."
Galvin underscores that this project will result in "practical proposals" for consideration by the industry and the public. For example, he foresees opportunities for fundamentally better power quality to ensure that sensitive electronic equipment operates reliably, for greater energy efficiency throughout the system, and for increased opportunities to use renewable energy and distributed energy resources.
The work plan for the project, "Transforming Electricity Service Reliability and Value for the 21st Century," is available for download here. The website also includes a review of the U.S. electricity enterprise and its future prospects.
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