MNN - Mother Nature Network

GE Energy is creating a new smart grid division, which will be headquartered in Marietta, Ga. Marietta is part of the Atlanta metro area, and this new division is expected to bring about 400 new green jobs to the metro area over the next three years.

 

The new facility will be located at Eola Capital’s Parkwood Point, which is near the current GE Energy headquarters building. The new smart grid division could open its doors as early as this summer.

 

According to an article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, “GE received almost $650,000 to fund a $1.2 million smart grid center of excellence that would train 260 engineers and software developers every year.”

 

This is just a small portion of the nearly $100 million the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded to businesses and organizations across the nation to help prepare today’s utility workers for tomorrow’s smart grid jobs.

 

The recent $100 million is just a drop in the bucket. As the nation moves towards a more comprehensive clean energy economy, funding in the smart grid sector will likely see a big surge. In late 2009, President Obama announced a $3.4 billion plan for modernizing the nation’s power grid. From smart meters on every house in America to plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles needing to recharge, an expansive smart grid is inevitable.