GE smart grid project to bring 400 jobs to Atlanta area

By David Markiewicz

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

General Electric said Wednesday it will create 400 new high-paying jobs in Cobb County where it will locate its $15 million Smart Grid Center of Excellence, a project supporters say establishes metro Atlanta as a focal point for the green energy industry.

To open by this fall near the Cobb Galleria and Interstate-75,  it will include the world headquarters of GE's new Digital Energy business, a smart grid engineering laboratory, and an exhibition area showing how the smart grid works. Employees will conduct research and development and application engineering.

Smart grid is the name given to a more directed and efficient digital technology system of distribution of electricity to consumers. Advocates say it can better regulate power demand and supply and offer benefits such as quicker restoration of electricity in the event of outages.

Long term, supporters say, it could enable consumers to choose their power source from among traditional and alternative fuels, and allow motorists to refuel their electric vehicles overnight, then return unneeded power to the system for use elsewhere the next day.

Smart grid's potential prompted the U.S. Department of Energy recently to grant nearly $100 million to a group of companies and colleges to develop programs to train future employees such as engineers in the technology.

GE received $649,903  of the funding and Georgia Tech received $647,368. The company and school will work together in the project.

Local and state officials hailed the news.

"This is not just another headquarters," said Hans Gant, senior vice president of economic development for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. "It is a headquarters for a new industry that could really position Atlanta and Georgia as a leader in that sector nationally and worldwide. "

"They're a global company and could have gone anywhere," said Heidi Green, deputy commissioner for global commerce for the  Georgia Economic Development Department. She said GE would benefit from the state quality jobs tax credit and that Georgia would benefit even more because of the company's investment. GE would be eligible for $9 million in tax credits over five years.

Dan Heintzelman, president and CEO of GE Energy Services, cited Atlanta's international airport access,  its universities and the cooperation of local government officials, as well as GE's current presence in the area.

A growing number of companies in the smart grid sector, including suppliers, vendors and even competitors, likely will want to locate in Atlanta because of GE's smart grid presence, and because of local support for the industry, Gant said.

GE already has a significant corporate presence in the area. It has about 2,300 employees in metro Atlanta and about 5,300 in Georgia. GE Energy and GE Technology Infrastructure are both headquartered here.

The center "supports our state’s strategic growth as a global leader in the energy sector,” Gov. Sonny Perdue said. “The solutions that will be developed at the Smart Grid Technology Center of Excellence not only benefit GE Energy’s customers, but will also serve as a model for smart and responsible energy production throughout this industry.”