GE starts smart grid division in Atlanta

GE Energy is creating a division focused on modernizing the country’s electric grid, which it will headquarter in Marietta, Ga.

The new division will bring 400 new jobs to metro Atlanta over the next three years and take about 100,000 square feet at Eola Capital’s Parkwood Point. The division could move into the building, at 2018 Powers Ferry Road near GE Energy’s headquarters, this summer.

Atlanta-based GE Energy, a major player in the smart grid space, is also planning a $15 million center of excellence here.

GE received almost $650,000 to fund a $1.2 million smart grid center of excellence that would train 260 engineers and software developers every year, electric and engineering trade publication EE Times reported April 8.

Smart grid technologies aim to lower the cost and improve the efficiency of power generation and delivery. They also help make the power grid more reliable and inclusive of renewable energy technologies, such as solar and wind power.

Read the full story in the Atlanta Business Chronicle.