About GWAC: The GridWise® Architecture Council (GWAC) was formed by the U.S. Department of Energy to promote and enable interoperability among the many entities that interact with the nation's electric power system. The GWAC members are a balanced and respected team representing the many constituencies of the electricity supply chain and users. The GWAC maintains a broad perspective of the GridWise vision and provides industry guidance and tools that make it an available and practical resource for the various implementations of Smart Grid technology. GWAC Members: The GridWise Architecture Council (GWAC) is a team of industry leaders who are shaping the guiding principles, or architecture, of a highly intelligent and interactive electric system—one ripe with decision-making information exchange and market-based opportunities. This architecture will provide guidelines for interaction between participants and interoperability between technologies and systems. The Council is neither a design team, nor a standards making body. Our role is to help identify areas for standardization that allow significant levels of interoperation between system components. We are helping to outline a philosophy of inter-system operation that preserves the freedom to innovate, design, implement and maintain each organization's portion of the electrical system. GWAC Products: The GWAC develops and disseminates written definitions and clarifications of interoperability principles, concepts, and recommendations, and provides guidelines, checklists, and position statements in support of its mission. These documents can be found at www.gridwiseac.org and in a variety of public documents and professional conference presentations and publications.