State/Federal Representatives Participate in WSU Energy Summit
PULLMAN, Wash. - On April 2, the Energy Systems Innovation Center at Washington State University hosted its first annual Energy Summit in conjunction with the commissioning of a new grid-scale energy storage battery on the site of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in Pullman, Washington. The focus of the summit was storage technologies, one of the most critical challenges of incorporating renewable energy into the electric power grid. The summit featured keynote addresses by Washington Governor Jay Inslee, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Pat Hoffman, assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity Delivery and Reliability. The summit was also attended by leaders from many utilities throughout the region. In their addresses, both Sen. Cantwell and Asst. Secretary Hoffman highlighted cyber-security as an ongoing issue for the grid.
WSU’s ESI Center brings together research faculty, business leaders, and governmental organizations to address one of the world's most pressing technological challenges - demand for clean, reliable energy. Several TCIPG researchers at WSU serve as steering committee members for the ESI Center.