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Electri International, a foundation that supports electrical industry research, released “Customer Side Smart Grid Installations—Preparing for the Future,” a report that examines how implementation of the smart-grid technology is changing the nature of the electrical distribution system in the United States.
Led by a team of researchers from California Polytechnic State University, the report examines how smart-grid technologies on the customer side can help electrical contractors find more retrofit and new construction projects in the residential, commercial and industrial markets.
The report predicts that customer-side smart grid installations will continue to grow and that electrical contractors will find it more necessary to be informed about the technology.
The research team spoke with experts and studied current smart-grid publications to deduce the logical opportunity openings for electrical contractors. The team also has begun to develop a certificate program for electrical contractors that want to demonstrate competence with smart-grid technology.
The full report is available free for National Electrical Contractors Association members and begins at $40 for nonmembers. In addition, on Dec. 8, 2014, Electri hosted a webinar on the topic with the report’s two main authors. The report and a recording of the webinar are available at www.electri.org.
About The Author
JOHNSON is a writer and editor living outside Washington, D.C. He has worked in magazine, web and journal publishing since 2006, and was formerly the digital editor for ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine. Learn more at www.tjfreelance.com.
