“By sharing knowledge and ideas on how each of our nations and our companies are moving forward on smart grid, we can make better decisions and learn from each other,” says Guido Bartels, GridWise Alliance Chair

“As the world has become more inter-connected electronically, we are beginning to apply some of those same technologies to our respective electric grids. Working together with public and private organisations in Japan, we can assist each other on standards and interoperability.”

At the conclusion of a GridWise seminar, the GridWise Alliance and Japan Smart Community Alliance signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

“Smart grid technology and the smart community have shown a strong potential to grow by not only drawing interest from developed countries like the United States, but also emerging countries such as China and India,” says Kazuaki Koizawa, Secretary General of the Japan Smart Community Alliance.

“I am convinced it is important for the United States, the world leader in the technology of this field while being proficient in information communication technology, and Japan, which has developed grid technologies, to continue working together to cultivate new markets and facilitate standardisation.”

The Japan Smart Community Alliance was officially established in April 2010.