Galvin Electricity Initiative Completes First Phase of Visionary Research

Results Define Pathway to 'Perfect Power System' for Meeting Needs of 21st Century Consumers

Palo Alto, Calif., March 24, 2006 - The Galvin Electricity Initiative, a privately funded activity to create a blueprint for transforming the reliability and value of U.S. electricity service, released the results from the first phase of its landmark research project today. The Initiative is sponsored by the Galvin Project, Inc., created by Bob Galvin, retired CEO of Motorola, with a clear and unambiguous objective: to design an electricity system that "perfectly meets the needs and expectations of all consumers under all conditions . . . in short, a system that cannot fail." To help define the path to accomplish this vision, the Galvin Initiative research team brought together a group of more than 60 diverse independent experts, encompassing every aspect of innovative power system design and advanced technology. In a series of exploratory tasks and workshops, these experts took an approach contrary to conventional electricity industry wisdom -- rather than concentrating primarily on infrastructure or regulatory issues, their investigation focused on energy consumers and their needs for service and functionality. The resulting reports describe in detail the results from the five main tasks -- including a comprehensive scenario-based analysis of consumer needs, an assessment of potential innovations in electric energy technologies, and functional specifications for achieving the perfect power system. Kurt Yeager, one of the leaders of the Galvin Electricity Initiative and President Emeritus of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) noted: "Over the last decade, every U.S. consumer has, on average, been without power for 200 minutes or more each year. And even when the power is on, the quality of electric service is typically far from perfect -- all at a time when consumers are depending on electricity to power a rapidly growing array of advanced digital devices. "The results of the first phase of the Initiative provide an in-depth framework for the design of smart power systems that will perfectly meet the evolving needs of consumers, and will stimulate untold innovations in end-use energy devices and services. In addition to absolute quality, another key principle guiding the Initiative is to unleash self-organizing entrepreneurs whose innovative leadership, guided by consumer needs and opportunities, provides the most confident engine for quality transformation and enduring value improvement. The second phase of the Initiative, already underway, will expand the initial results into specific implementation blueprints, business templates, and quality management plans for achieving perfection in 21st Century electricity supply and service. The complete work plan and final task reports from the first phase are available for download at www.galvinelectricity.org, along with a variety of other relevant information resources.

For More Information Contact

Kurt Yeager +1-650-855-2400 www.galvinelectricity.org