Echelon Partners on APEC Meetings to Bring Smart Grid Best Practices to Growing Asia Pacific Countries

San Francisco hosts diplomats to discuss trade expansion, economic growth and energy efficiency for region producing 55% of global GDP

Smart grid technologies, and the variety of energy sources and distribution points they can manage, are a critical aspect of this discussion. Developing common standards will speed deployment and improve economies of scale. Last month, APEC specifically held a two-day workshop on advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and smart grids in Chinese Taipei, where energy experts from APEC economies gathered to discuss their current energy priority needs. The Ministerial Conference chaired by secretaries Chu and LaHood will then lead into several related discussions to coordinate regulations on energy networks, including a meeting next week on smart grid interoperability standards.

Smart grids are one of the key conduits to increasing the adoption rate of renewable energy technologies, said Dr. Jerry Ou, Director-General of Chinese Taipei's Ministry of Economic Affairs' Energy Bureau, at the opening of the APEC workshop. "The adoption of renewable energy technologies and the deployment of AMI and smart grids are potential solutions for energy crises and environmental protection," said Dr. Ou. Developing smart grids and deploying AMI to facilitate the delivery of energy to homes and businesses is also important because it enables the flow of new and renewable energy sources to consumers.

"We look forward to sharing what Echelon, our customers and our partners have learned from building the smart grid throughout Europe and the U.S. with over 2.7 billion consumers in large, developing economies such as China, Thailand, Malaysia and other APEC countries. With the experience that comes from connecting more than 35 million homes to the smart grid around the world in the past decade, we can help APEC countries accelerate their commitment to a greener world," said Ron Sege, President and CEO of Echelon.

The San Francisco APEC meetings are officially called the Third APEC Senior Officials Meeting and Related Meetings (SOM 3). Despite the daunting title, the subject is simple: jobs and growth. The meetings span such topics as competitiveness of small and medium business, women and the economy, transportation and energy efficiency, green technology, and smart grids. Meetings at SOM 3 will work to enhance regional economic integration, green growth, and public-private partnerships on regional cooperation and regulatory convergence.