While smart grid solutions are being adopted by power distribution agencies worldwide for enhanced distribution of electric power, a number of industry organizations have been created to provide members with a common platform for sharing their views and addressing the challenges being faced by them.

Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative or ‘SGCC,’ a nonprofit organization that aims to accelerate the adoption of a consumer-friendly, consumer-safe and consumer-approved smart grid, has announced the final agenda for its second annual consumer symposium, to be held in the winter of 2012. The organization provides research and education to enhance smart grid consumer engagement, and offers its vast expertise to various advocacy groups, technology vendors, research laboratories and electric utilities.

Named “Partnering for Progress: Communicating a Consumer-Friendly, Consumer-Safe Smart Grid,” the event will be held on January 23^rd at the DistribuTECH conference in San Antonio; and the organization has invited all smart grid stakeholders to attend the symposium.

“We’re confident that the panels we have set for the Smart Grid Consumer Symposium will generate fresh ideas and actionable insights that will assist our attendees in their efforts to engage consumers positively on the subject of smart grid,” commented Patty Durand, executive director at SGCC, in a statement. “The SGCC Smart Grid Consumer Symposium 2012 is a must-attend event for everyone charged with delivering smart grid programs, products or services to the public. We think attendees will be very satisfied with their experience.”

John McDonald (News - Alert), director of Technical Strategy and Policy Development at General Electric Digital Energy and chairman of SGCC Board of Directors, will kick off the event at 1.00 p.m., after which the 2012 State of the Consumer Report by SGCC will be introduced. The study is a comprehensive analysis of two research projects SGCC had commissioned recently. All the attendees will be handed over a copy of the report.

Afterwards, a number of panel discussions will be held that are focused on such topics as explorations of customer concerns and market segmentation, and the results of smart grid consumer research throughout 2011. Attendees of the symposium will collaborate to share best practices about smart grid.

Back in September, TMCnet reported that the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative or ‘SGCC’ had reached a total of 70 members, an increase of 40 percent since January 2011.