Ralph Masiello, of Burlington, Mass.-based KEMA has been named a board member of the GridWise Alliance, a consortium of public and private stakeholders aligned around a shared vision of a fully integrated electric system. One of his first contributions as a board member was to lead an analysis of the number of jobs created by government investment in the smart grid deployment.
Masiello is senior vice president of energy systems consulting with KEMA, as well as one of the firm's global innovation managers. He is also principal author of KEMA's recent book, ‘Utility of the Future: Enhancing Sustainability, Reliability and Profitability, Volume 1.’
KEMA, a global provider of business and technical consulting for the energy and utility industry, joined the GridWise Alliance in April 2008. The firm is contributing its insight and expertise in electric utility-based smart grid technologies, processes and projects to help the Alliance develop national and local policies necessary for modernizing the nation's electrical grid system.
During the next four years, KEMA's projection anticipates that a potential disbursement of $16 billion in smart grid incentives would achieve the following:
– act as a catalyst in driving associated smart grid projects worth $64 billion,
– result in the direct creation of approximately 280,000 new positions across various categories in the U.S., of which more than 150,000 will be created by the end of this year, and
– create nearly 140,000 new direct jobs that would persist beyond the smart grid deployment as permanent, ongoing high-value positions.
SOURCE: KEMA
