Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Conference Focuses on Future Energy Systems, Nation's Overtaxed Power Grid

PITTSBURGH, March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Coming on the heels of the recent massive blackout in Florida which left millions without power, the fourth annual Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Conference is dedicated to finding cheaper and more reliable ways to deliver electricity to customers in an era where the nation's power grid is overtaxed with ever greater demand.

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The two-day conference -- being held on March 10-11 at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon -- will focus on efficiency, security and control in future energy systems, from cyber-physical to wind-generated. It will address topics such as micro-grid generation, industry and policy challenges, advanced technologies for generation and environmental issues.

"Our nation's electricity industry continues to face unprecedented challenges, from aging infrastructure to rising costs and global warming," said Lester Lave, professor of economics at the Tepper School and conference co-host.

Professor Marija Ilic, of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, said: "This event brings together the leading experts who are focusing on solutions that will be crucial in providing reliable, sustainable electricity service to an ever-growing number of consumers."

The conference is co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Tepper School, the Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center, and the departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy.

The event is a signature offering of the Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center, which was established in August 2001 to work with industry, government and other stakeholders to address the strategic problems of the electricity industry in an effort to make it more competitive and more reliable.

About the Tepper School of Business: Founded in 1949, the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon (http://www.tepper.cmu.edu) is a pioneer in the field of management science and analytical decision-making. The school's notable contributions to the intellectual community include six Nobel laureates and a consistent presence in the top tier of business school rankings. The Wall Street Journal recently ranked the Tepper School as the fifth-best business school in the United States.