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Today clean energy research firm New Energy Finance announced the first Charter Members of the Consortium on Digital Energy (CoDE). CoDE draws upon expertise and experience from the energy, information technology and communications sectors to create a converged perspective on the development of tomorrow’s digital energy infrastructure. The Charter Members are Duke Energy, Elster, eMeter Corporation, National Grid, GridPoint, Inc., Intel, Philips, Telecom Italia, Vodafone Group, Imperial College London, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Risø DTU.

The CoDE Charter Members recognize that unprecedented change is happening to the world’s energy system: grids based on massive centralised fossil fuel plants are having to integrate distributed, renewable, intermittent capacity; plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles are beginning mass penetration; and consumers are demanding unprecedented control over their energy use. There are new types of data to manage – data on carbon footprints, on liberalised pricing, on resources and on usage patterns. The cost of sensors and communications has dropped dramatically. All of this means that in the next 10-20 years, and in some areas much sooner, the world’s energy infrastructure will undergo transformation similar to that which has rippled through the media and telecommunications industry

“Digital Energy is about the convergence of the traditional energy, telecom and IT industries. Control is switching from analogue to digital, and data is going to become pervasive throughout the system. This goes far beyond just network optimisation of the existing grid. We’ll be looking at key issues such as: Who owns the data? Who is responsible for making it secure? How will it be moved around or stored? Will all this be done by energy utilities, telephone companies or software companies? How should players in the energy industry prepare themselves for this future? Are there ways for new entrants to build powerful franchises?” said New Energy Finance Chairman and CEO Michael Liebreich.

Today’s political and policy events have brought the Smart Grid to the forefront of political and economic debate. President Obama has placed the Smart Grid at the heart of his economic stimulus program. In Europe, the debate has been around the urgency of adding high voltage DC transmission to connect offshore wind and other renewable sources. However, Liebreich believes that the full implications of moving to a digital energy infrastructure have not yet been grasped by industry, regulators and policy-makers: “What we have seen in Germany, Spain and Denmark is that you can pump five to ten percent clean energy into the current grid infrastructure without it falling over. Beyond that, however, you have to make significant changes. There is no way of achieving 20% renewable energy by 2020, or 50% cuts in carbon emissions by 2050 without changing the way we distribute and control energy in the economy beyond recognition. The opportunities go far beyond the current energy infrastructure players. The challenge is huge, but the countries that figure it out first will be selling products and services for decades.”

The Consortium on Digital Energy brings together senior business decision-makers from all of the facets of the digital energy value chain. It will be led by New Energy Finance researchers with strong backgrounds in energy efficiency and telecommunications. Andrew Bud, Executive Chairman of mBlox, the world’s largest mobile transaction network, will be chairing the consortium and leading a Steering Group made up of representatives from the Charter Members. New Energy Finance is soliciting a further few Charter Members and will then throw the effort open for further organisations to join.

“The transformation of the telecoms industry over the last two decades has created enormous value and great opportunities for both incumbents and new enterprises. The implications of digital transactions for the energy industry are at least as far-reaching and exciting,” noted Bud. “The Consortium will forge a common vision for this future, building on the expertise and experience of companies and public bodies from many countries and many sectors.”

The global research effort, which will run for one year, will focus on mapping the future digital energy infrastructure under alternative evolutionary scenarios. It will identify the likely winning business models, potential bottlenecks in policy, technology and supply chain as well as determine the opportunities for third party investment. It will include two senior management workshops, and results will be presented at the third New Energy Finance Summit in March 2010.

Media contact for CoDE:
Lauren Bigelow, Commercial Director, North America, New Energy Finance
+ 1.212.744.1988 lauren.bigelow@newenergyfinance.com

Media contacts for New Energy Finance:
EMEA
Angus McCrone, Chief Editor, New Energy Finance
+44 207 092 8834 angus.mccrone@newenergyfinance.com

North America:
Ethan Zindler, Head of North American Research, New Energy Finance
+1 703 486 5667 ethan.zindler@ newenergyfinance.com

About New Energy Finance
New Energy Finance is the world’s leading independent provider of subscription-based research to decision-makers in renewable energy, energy efficiency, biofuels, carbon capture and storage, nuclear power and the carbon markets. The company has a staff of more than 130, based in London, Washington DC, New York, Palo Alto, Beijing, Shanghai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Cape Town, São Paulo, Sydney and Perth.

New Energy Finance’s Insight Services provide deep market analysis to investors in wind, solar, bioenergy, geothermal, carbon capture and storage, energy efficiency, nuclear power and the traditional energy markets. Our Industry Intelligence service provides access to the most comprehensive database of investors and investments in clean energy. The New Energy Finance Briefing is the leading global news and newsletter service focusing on clean energy investment. New Energy Finance is co-publisher of the first global stock-market index of quoted clean energy companies (ticker symbol NEX). The company also undertakes custom research and consultancy and runs senior-level networking events.

About CoDE
The Consortium on Digital Energy, facilitated by New Energy Finance, draws upon expertise and experience from the energy, information technology and communications sectors to create a converged perspective on the development of tomorrow’s digital energy infrastructure. The Charter Members are Duke Energy, Elster, eMeter Corporation, National Grid, GridPoint, Inc., Intel, Philips, Telecom Italia, Vodafone Group, Imperial College London, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Risø DTU.

About Duke Energy
Duke Energy is the third largest electric power holding company in the United States, based on kilowatt-hour sales. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 4 million customers located in five states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky - representing a population of approximately 11 million people. Duke Energy's commercial power and international business segments operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. Information is available at: www.duke-energy.com.

About Elster
Elster, a global leader in smart metering and smart grid solutions has delivered over 2 million smart metering devices worldwide with systems located in North America, Europe, Central America, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean. Elster smart metering system solutions provide utilities with energy conservation capabilities via demand response programs, smart grid applications, and operational efficiencies resulting in significant value creation across the utility enterprise. Elster has over 7,500 staff and operates globally in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia. www.elster.com

About eMeter
With 24.2 million meters under contract, eMeter’s EnergyIPTM software allows electric, gas and water utilities to realize the full benefits of their Advanced Metering and Smart Grid initiatives. eMeter's experienced professional services team plans, installs and configures the EnergyIP software, as well as providing strategic consulting services related to meter data management, advanced metering and demand response. For more information please visit www.emeter.com.

About GridPoint,Inc.
GridPoint, Inc., an established leader in smart grid technologies, implements intelligent software solutions that are transforming the electric power grid. Allowing utilities to incrementally adopt and customize solutions to better measure and control energy efficiency, load management, renewable integration, storage management, and electric vehicle management, GridPoint’s solutions benefit utilities, consumers, and the environment alike. On the Net: www.gridpoint.com

About Imperial College London
Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 12,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture. Since its foundation in 1907, Imperial's contributions to society have included the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of research for the benefit of all continues today, with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to improve health in the UK and globally, tackle climate change and develop clean and sustainable sources of energy. www.imperial.ac.uk

About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.

About National Grid
National Grid is an international energy delivery company. In the U.S., National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, and manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. National Grid also owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation that provides power to over one million LIPA customers – www.nationalgrid.com

About the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

About Philips
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified Health and Well-being company, focused on improving people’s lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of “sense and simplicity”. With sales of EUR 26 billion in 2008, the company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being. More information on Philips and sustainability is located at www.philips.com/sustainability.

About Risø DTU
Risø DTU is the National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy in Denmark. Our research focuses on development of energy technologies and energy systems with minimal impact on climate, and it contributes to innovation, education and policy.

About Telecom Italia
The Telecom Italia Group is a Italy’s leading ICT enterprise active in fixed-line and mobile telecommunications, the internet, media and news respectively through Telecom Italia, TIM, Alice and Virgilio, La7, MTV Italia, and APCOM, all of which are high-profile brands with a reputation for competency and reliability. The Group also operates in office and system solutions through Olivetti, a flag bearer for Italian technology and design around the globe. In addition to its domestic market leadership, the Group has a significant presence in Latin America, where TIM Brasil is one of the country’s leading carriers.

About Vodafone
Vodafone is the world's leading international mobile telecommunications company, with equity interests in 27 countries and Partner Markets in more than 40 countries. As of 31 December 2008, Vodafone had approximately 289 million proportionate customers worldwide. For further information, please visit www.vodafone.com.
 

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