IBM has opened an energy and utilities solutions Lab in Beijing, aimed at developing IT solutions for the electricity industry.

 

The E&U Solutions Lab is IBM's first worldwide and is also intended to help the company win a share of smart grid initiatives in China, which has allocated $7.3 billion to energy system reform in its current budget.

 

“As part of our growth strategy, we strive to become a key part of China's energy and utilities ecosystem, working with the Chinese government, utility companies, solution providers and business partners,” said Matt Wang, vice president, IBM’s China Development Labs.  

 

One of the lab’s priorities is a new IT platform to support a power distribution network, now being trialed by a state power utility. It has worked with the China Electric Power Research Institute (CEPRI), owned by the State Grid Corporation, in building the platform, which supports decision-making for energy savings and loss reduction.

 

Another project is an intelligent IT platform, now being implemented, to deliver analysis of excessive energy consumption.