Top Electric Coops Headed To Rural Smart Grid Summit

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- With a leading Smart Grid Pilot Project underway on the island, Puerto Rico will play host to the CEOs of the top electric utility cooperatives from across the United States at the Rural Smart Grid Summit (RSGS) beginning October 26th in San Juan.

"The Rural Smart Grid Summit will help our not-for-profit, rural electric coop from Michigan establish real partnerships and hands-on understanding of product and technological developments with leading vendors," said Robert L. Hance, CEO and President of the Midwest Energy Cooperative. "At a traditional trade show or expo, we usually visit booths but do not have effective time to explore opportunities. At The Summit, we'll be given open access—access and direct interaction with top executives of Smart Grid enabling technology companies and make plans to move our coop forward."

The RSGS is an exclusive, invitation-only, fully-paid event for the CEOs of eighty plus U.S. electric coops. The electric coops will interact in small, intimate venues with Smart Grid technology executives.

"Besides being more affordable than Orlando or San Francisco, Puerto Rico has one of largest government-owned electric utilities, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), which launched a Smart Grid pilot program earlier this year," remarked William Booth, Event Director of the RSGS.

PREPA is ranked number one among public power utilities in the United States in the number of customers served and income earned according to a study of 1,284 utilities in the U.S. conducted by the American Public Power Association in 2007.

Howard L. Scarboro, retired CEO of the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, observed, "CEOs of electric coops who attend RSGS are making an intelligent decision to the benefit of their members, their future, and the modernization of their coop's electric grid. And besides, for coop CEOs, there is no cost to attend the Summit. Some coops currently have budgetary traveling constraints."

RSGS is also open to any Smart Grid vendor interested in sponsoring the event but is limited to about 40 companies that will discuss and disclose their Smart Grid solutions and products. Senior level discussions will take place at the RSGS that may help create collaboration on future products.

For more information, visit www.ruralsmartgrid.com. Prospective vendor participants may contact Colin Martin at [email protected].

SOURCE Rural Smart Grid Summit