G.E., Google, LG Electronics and Whirlpool Corporation are some of the corporate heavyweights behind a collaborative effort that aims to show how smart grid technologies and practices can help achieve climate change goals.

Dubbed the Smart Green Grid Initiative, the effort aims to include smart grid at the upcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen in December. The initiative will sponsor educational events at the Copenhagen talks as well as events in the United States in the weeks leading to December.

National Grid, Southern Company, AEP, Landis + Gyr, Echelon, Tendril, Ice Energy, Enspiria, EMeter and Itron are also lending their support to the initiative.

The group will also work with the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, the Demand Response and Smart Grid Coalition, and the Demand Response Coordinating Committee.

The initiative intends to help government, industry and policymakers understand and manage the variable and intermittent nature of smart grid technologies. It will try to demonstrate that demand response and energy storage solutions can complement renewable resources and avoid the building of new fossil fuel power plants.

“Smart grid solutions are often viewed primarily for their efficiency and cost savings, but every kilowatt saved is also a carbon savings,” said Bob Gilligan, vice president of G.E. Energy’s transmission and distribution business.

The initiative also aims to provide new information to the electricity consumers regarding their energy usage. According to Dan Delurey, chairman of the Smart Green Grid Initiative, studies have shown that customers with energy usage information become more energy efficient by up to 15 percent.

Several webinars and a Capitol Hill briefing will be held to build awareness on the effect of smart grid technologies on climate change.

-   Natassia Y. Laforteza