Albuquerque, NM – July 15, 2014 The University of New Mexico met with distinguished leaders on Friday from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and its New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) who came to New Mexico to visit the Smart Grid projects at Mesa del Sol and Los Alamos County. On behalf of UNM, Executive Vice President for Administration David Harris, School of Engineering Dean Joseph Cecchi, and STC CEO Lisa Kuuttila were on hand to welcome the guests at Mesa del Sol’s Aperture Center, the site of UNM’s collaborative smart grid project with NEDO. STC Economic Development Manager Eri Hoshi, who serves as STC’s international liaison with Japan, was also present.
The Japanese delegation included Midori Matsushima, State Minister of METI, Kazuo Furukawa, Chairman of NEDO, and Hiroshi Mimura, President & CEO of Shimizu North America. METI is the funding agency for NEDO’s global smart grid demonstration program. The smart grid projects in New Mexico were NEDO’s first sites to complete their R & D objectives and involved Japanese industrial partners who collaborated with UNM, the state labs and Los Alamos County to transform the Aperture Center into a smart building and built a smart house and microgrid in Los Alamos. Shimizu North America led the industrial partners’ effort at the Aperture Center.
“I believe our guests have been very impressed with what we have accomplished at these sites. They were able to see how the researchers and engineers created the Aperture’s energy management system and microgrid technologies to use energy in a more efficient and sustainable way.” 
The smart technology at the Aperture Center is being managed by UNM’s Center for Emerging Energy Technologies under the leadership of Center Director Dr. Andrea Mammoli. The Center is continuing to refine the system with the development of production forecasting and microgrid simulation model technologies and is working on additional funding to expand the project.
Source: STC.UNM
For more information, contact:
Denise Bissell
(505) 272-7310
dbissell@stc.unm.edu