Today I’m at the Clean Energy Ministerial in Washington, D.C. The array of energy talent here from around the world is mind-boggling. I’m extremely proud that the United States as a country was able to pull together an initial conference like this; UAE and the U.K. will have a high bar to meet as they host the next two years. Secretary Chu kicked things off this morning with a number of announcements, two of which are near and dear to my heart.

First is the Super-Efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative, working to pull super-efficient appliances into the market. Having spent the last year leading the EPA/IEEE 1680.3 Television Energy Conservation effort, I’ve seen first-hand how challenging it can be to strike a suitable balance for all stakeholders in the discussion. Gaining worldwide government support for these types of efforts in a coordinated fashion is vital to incenting manufacturers to comply. Two of SEAD’s high priorities are to increase energy efficiency of TVs and lighting, which combined make up for about 15% of household electricity use. Since TVs and lighting are pretty similar around the world, this is a logical place to start. SEAD believes that globally-coordinated energy incentive programs focused on lighting, TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, and electronics could eliminate the need for 300 mid-sized power plants by 2030.
THAT’S pretty cool.

The second very cool announcement is the formation of the International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN). A theme that those of us in the Smart Grid standards world have been hearing over the last year is the high level of interest from the international community in what we’re doing with Smart Grid standards here in the U.S. ISGAN government participants include Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, the EC, France, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S.

Coordination of Smart Grid standards internationally will enable a more efficient market for manufacturers, better economies of scale for energy consumers of all sizes, and ultimately a better environment for everybody on the planet. That’s pretty cool, too.