GridSmartCity is a consortium of 32 partner organizations – ten local distribution companies, smart grid innovators and commercial entities, academia, government and other key electricity industry stakeholders – focused on a culture of cooperation and collaboration intended to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of local distribution networks. This includes advancements in self-healing grids, electric vehicle infrastructure, conservation program implementation, renewable energy initiatives, cooperatives and community energy planning, among others. The GridSmartCity partnership was launched in May 2009. GridSmartCity has been recognized as an innovative approach to bring utilities, industry, government bodies, academia and customers together, to work towards a greener and smarter electricity grid. The GSC Cooperative was established in 2013 to help bring greater efficiencies and broader scope to the purchasing powers of GSC utility partners through cooperative initiatives.

Smart Grid modernization and green energy present significant opportunities for change and innovation, and ultimately how consumers interact with electricity. With these opportunities, also comes large challenges and tough questions. They touch every sector of the industry and demand the best of our collective thinking. GridSmartCity® seeks to embrace these opportunities and challenges. Through the website, the annual GridSmartCity Round Table event, and the ‘GridWatch’ trends newsletter, their goal is to be on the cusp of trends and issues and to provide a forum for dialogue and discovery, and ultimately to contribute to the best solutions balancing the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s customers.