Global Smart Grid Federation Announces New Executive Director

-- Former European Energy Executive Named to Lead International Organization

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Smart Grid Federation, an international collaborative effort among national and regional smart grid associations, today announced that Ronnie Belmans, former Chairman of the Belgian Distribution System operator Elia, has joined GSGF as its first Executive Director.  Mr. Belmans was selected after a global search that began earlier this year.

"The Board of Directors of The Global Smart Grid Federation is pleased that Ronnie Belmans is joining GSGF as its first Executive Director," said Paddy Turnbull, acting Chairman of GSGF.  "As a recognized industry thought leader in Europe and beyond, Ronnie brings a wealth of experience to GSGF.  He will provide strategic direction to GSGF as it works to transform the world's electricity systems through the deployment of smart grids; one of the most important sectors in the global energy industry."

"As the Executive Director of GSGF, I will try to bring all stakeholders together to develop smart grids in a way that will benefit consumers as much as possible," said Mr. Belmans.  "I believe we must listen to the user; understand his requirements on the service level, his environmental concerns, and new types of business requirements, translating them into products and businesses that can lead to economic growth. We can learn from a global approach by exchanging knowledge acquired from real-world deployments, leading to a faster and more efficient implementation. My task will be to listen, bring the ideas together and bring forward ways to cooperate within the organization and with organizations worldwide that have similar goals."

About The Global Smart Grid Federation:
GSGF was established to accelerate the deployment of smart grid around the world by directly linking international associations thereby facilitating the sharing of best practices; consumer engagement; innovation and capacity building.  GSGF currently has twelve national and regional smart grid organizations as members including the Danish Smart Energy Alliance, EDSO for Smart Grids (EU), GridWise Alliance (U.S.), India Smart Grid Forum, Israel Smart Energy Association, Japan Smart Community Alliance, Korea Smart Grid Association, Smart Grid Australia, Smart Grid Canada, Smart Grid Great Britain, and Smart Grid Ireland.  Collectively, the GSGF member organizations represent smart grid interests in more than 27 countries.

For more information about the Global Smart Grid Federation, please visit: www.globalsmartgridfederation.org.

Media Contact:
Melissa Dentch
Global Smart Grid Federation
+1-202-530-9740
mdentch@gridwise.org