Matsui Announces $750k in Federal Funding for Local Smart Grid Training Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 9, 2010

CONTACT: MARA LEE
(202) 225-7163

CA Today, Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (CA-05) announced that California State University, Sacramento is one of 33 recipients nationally to receive Recovery Act funds for the development of a new training program to enhance the region's growing smart grid system. This award totaling $905,348 is comprised of a $749,992 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy; $83,356 in matching funds from the California Energy Commission; and $72,000 in funds and in-kind contributions from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). The grant application was supported by Rep. Matsui in a written letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. The collaborative program will lead to a national Smart Grid Workforce Development Network which will accelerate workforce development initiatives.

The Recovery Act has served not only to stave off an economic crisis affecting all Americans, but to provide Sacramento many opportunities for regional growth, said Rep. Matsui. Today's award comes at the heels of a multimillion dollar announcement for our local community colleges to establish a health training program and builds on last year's award of $127 million for smart grid implementation in our homes and offices."

This grant highlights Sacramento State's leadership in one of the most pressing issues of our time, said Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez. Our University is educating the next generation of innovative workers in the energy sector while developing technology that will help modernize our nation's aging electrical grid. I applaud Congresswoman Matsui along with our partners in the California Smart Grid Center at Sacramento State for their efforts to support our faculty and students in this critical endeavor.

Sacramento State has a well established track record of providing access and excellence to the students of our region, stated Emir Jose Macari, Dean of Sacramento State's College of Engineering and Computer Science and Director of the California Smart Grid Center at Sacramento State. Our power engineering graduates are in great demand, and many of our alums hold prominent positions in utility companies, energy-related industries, and government agencies up and down the state.

Sacramento is becoming a major clean technology capital, said John DiStasio, GM and CEO of SMUD. Having a workforce proficiently trained in the complexities of the smart grid is a key component in attracting more clean tech and green tech companies that will transform our region's economy.

This funding will allow Sacramento State to graduate well-trained electrical engineers with smart grid credentials, adding crucial skills to the area's workforce that will help meet increasing demand for skilled labor. Electrical utilities predict that as many as 50 percent of their technical staff will be retiring within the next five to ten years. This training program will provide displaced workers across Sacramento with the opportunity to change their careers to the power industry by providing scholarships, continuing education courses, and certificate programs.

Nationally, the programs will focus on training activities that support electricians, line workers, technicians, system operators, power system engineers, cyber security specialists and transmission planners. The selections include support to develop and deploy training programs broadly as well as to conduct actual personnel training for current and future employees. Workers will receive training on the transmission and distribution systems as well as new intelligent grid systems, such as smart meters, phasor measurement sensors and advanced communication networks.

Sacramentans have laid the groundwork for our community to become a national leader in the clean-tech industry, added Rep. Matsui. This grant and the coming training program will engage educators, employers, and hard-working men and women of Sacramento in accelerating our path to greening the city - in turn, providing new job opportunities, ensuring regional economic prosperity for the future, and lowering the cost of living for local families.

Rep. Matsui has advocated on behalf of smart grid technology on both the House floor and with her work on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Through grants authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, this Congress and the Administration have created and preserved regional jobs helping to stimulate the Sacramento economy and improve the community for generations to come. For a list and interactive map of Recovery funding coming to the Sacramento region, including over $200 million for clean tech and green initiatives, please visit www.matsui.house.gov/recovery .