Massoud Amin, University of Minnesota professor of electrical and computer engineering, will speak to members of the U.S. Congressional Research and Development Caucus during a briefing on the U.S. power grid and energy in the nation’s capitol today, Thursday, March 26.

The briefing, “Modernizing the Electric Grid: A ‘Smart’ Way to Use Energy,” will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. today in H-137 Capitol Building. National officials turn to Amin for insight on power grid and energy issues because of his vast experience. Amin is an internationally known expert on power grids, smart grids, smart grid security, critical infrastructure and critical infrastructure security. He pioneered research on smart grids, coined the term “self-healing grid,” and led the development of 24 technologies transferred to industry.

In the briefing, Amin and others will focus on the need to update the U.S. electrical grid not only to accommodate the nation’s growing thirst for energy, but to also serve as a catalyst to help the struggling economy and encourage innovation.

They will also discuss how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes $4.5 billion for accelerated siting of transmission lines by the Department of Energy Office of Electricity Delivery and Reliability. Amin will also examine the present and future of the smart grid and what challenges the country will face in implementing the smart grid.

David Wollman, chief of the Quantum Electrical Metrology Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will discuss the agency’s role in developing the smart grid.

Source: University of Minnesota