MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Jan. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- BRIDGE Energy Group, the leading Utility business consulting and systems integration solutions provider, today announced that National Grid has selected the organization as the project leader and primary system integrator for the company's Smart Grid project in Worcester, Massachusetts, which covers approximately 15,000 customers.  

National Grid's smart grid pilot, developed in partnership with customers, the city of Worcester and other key parties, is designed to provide participating customers a new level of choice and control over their energy use through advanced technology. The goals of this project include empowering customers to save energy, increasing electric service reliability and improving response to power outages.

"Utilities are transforming the way they do business in order to become more customer-centric, energy efficient and operationally effective, improving consumer programs and reducing power outages," said David E. Olsson, CEO of BRIDGE Energy Group. "BRIDGE's Utility-focused domain and technology expertise will be applied to piloting and implementing National Grid's transformational advances in their technological, operational and customer practices."

This local project is expected to serve as a model for how to deploy all essential technologies, such as head end systems and MDMs, in a Software as a Service (SaaS) model.  It will also be the first to utilize 4G WiMAX technology for network communications.

"We are excited that the collective vision for this project has transitioned from the planning stage to implementation," said Cheri Warren, Vice President of Asset Management at National Grid. "Our focus now is delivering on this vision alongside a select group of technologies and industry experts, managed by BRIDGE Energy Group, to help us achieve this goal." 

BRIDGE has been selected by National Grid for the definition, management and delivery on several fronts including Program Governance and Management, Business Readiness, Solution Architecture and Design, Testing and Transition to Operations.  In addition to managing over a dozen different vendors and technologies, BRIDGE's team of integration experts is also responsible for defining the end-to-end architecture in conjunction with the National Grid IS teams and technical vendor teams. 

Updated communications on Worcester's energy transformation can be viewed at www.green2growth.com. 

About BRIDGE Energy Group
BRIDGE Energy Group is the leading Utility business consulting and systems integration solutions provider for clients in the energy industry.  BRIDGE offers business and IT transformation strategy planning, program management and expert implementation services in support of key Market Operations, Customer Support Systems, Grid Operations and Smart Grid initiatives across Transmission, Distribution, Independent System Operators and Regional Transmission Operators.  Founded in 2004, BRIDGE is headquartered in Marlborough, MA.  For more information on BRIDGE, please contact 888-351-8999 or visit www.BridgeEnergyGroup.com.

SOURCE BRIDGE Energy Group