ATLANTA -- Southern Company (NYSE: SO) Chairman, President and CEO Thomas A. Fanning told participants at the 2011 Grid ComForum East that successful implementation of the smart grid will depend on what benefits the technology brings to the customer.

“I think what we have to do is evolve the smart grid environment so that it brings value to our customers and allows them to have control,” Fanning said. “The value proposition to customers – reliability, price, customer satisfaction and how they interact with us – will be better if we do that.”

Fanning went on to say that the “sanctity of the grid is critical” and that he believes it’s best to take a conservative posture in deploying smart grid technologies.

“For one thing, it’s important we get the standards right,” he said.  “We still don’t have a standard plug for electric vehicles, for example.”

The International Engineering Consortium, Southern Company and the Georgia Institute of Technology hosted the forum June 1-3 at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center. Some 350 people attended, including staff and management from numerous electric utilities, vendors, suppliers and academia. Southern Company Executive Vice President Susan Story served as the forum chairperson. 

Fanning’s comments came as part of a panel discussion --  Visions of the 21st Century Grid – that focused on what the future can hold for customers and the industry as “smarter” technologies are developed and put in place. “We’re trying to create a world people don’t know they want yet,” he said.

Fanning noted that Southern Company includes smart grid as one of three components of what it calls “smart energy:”

·         Smart power – the efficient and clean production of electricity using a variety of resources, including renewables and energy efficiency

·         Smart grid – reliable and secure delivery of that electricity

·         Smart choices – programs that help customers make use of current and emerging electro-technologies

Each of these components, Fanning noted, is focused on providing customers high reliability at affordable prices.

“We always justify our investment in how it will benefit our customer,” Fanning said. “Reliability, low prices and customer satisfaction are in fact the first filter in everything we do.”

Fanning also addressed the need for favorable regulatory treatment, advancements in smart grid-compliant appliances, communicating benefits to customers and regulators and ensuring the security of the grid.

With 4.4 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average. Southern Company was named the World’s Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility by Fortune magazine in 2011, and is consistently listed among the top U.S. electric service providers in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

####