Duquesne Light partners with Pittsburgh universities to modernize power grids - The Green Voice

Pitt isn’t the only high  education institution DLC has partnered with this year. In Dec. 2021,  DLC also worked with Carnegie Mellon University’s Scott Institute for  Energy Innovation to co-host an event addressing how to advance  “beneficial electrification.” The term is used to describe the need to  transition to clean, renewable energy – including wind, solar, and other  methods – to power homes.

Among the issues covered by a panel of  experts is the “role beneficial electrification can play in mitigating  climate change and creating local jobs” and “strategies to reduce  greenhouse gas emissions and lower energy costs” according to a press  release.

Among the speakers at the event was Alex Laskey, founder  and executive chair of Rewiring America. DLC had signed on to support  Rewiring Americas Initiative, described as aiming to “achieve national  emissions goals, improve our health, lower monthly bills, and create  millions of clean energy jobs by first electrifying households.”

“When  we think about how we move to beneficial electrification, the three  components that we focus on should be: reduce energy usage, if possible,  reduce carbon outputs and reduce cost,” said DLC president and CEO  Kevin Walker.

                                           

                                        

The University of Pittsburgh’s Energy GRID Institute and  Duquesne Light Co. announced that they would collaborate on a platform  designed to “advance and implement innovative solutions in support of a  more secure, resilient, and clean energy grid,” according to a press  release. The five-year partnership is meant to ensure that the city’s  electric grid is prepared to handle changes, such as the mass adoption  of electric vehicles, with innovative solutions and a better prepared  workforce.

DLC is one of the largest energy companies in  Pittsburgh, with a stated mission of providing “safe, reliable,  resilient and affordable power to more than 600,000 customers across  southwestern Pennsylvania.” Joining with DLC will help to advance the  mission of Pitt’s Energy GRID Institute, which works to find solutions  to improve the consumer power industry.

Faculty members at Pitt’s  Swanson School of Engineering will be among the first to participate in  this new partnership by merging their work with DLC engineers’ ability  to bring new technology to the market. Three students will also serve as  part of the Duquesne Light Company Electric Power Innovation  Fellowship, a program meant to develop electrical engineering students  beyond the traditional bachelor’s degree.

Joe Havrilla, associate  vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship at Pitt, says that  working with DLC, and sharing the resources offered by Pitt’s Electric  Power Technology Lab at the Energy Innovation Center, will “facilitate  projects that will benefit students, the University, DLC and the  surrounding community.”