Supervisors in California's Marin County are the latest to try a moratorium on smart meter installations, citing health concerns in their 4-0 vote this week. The action may be largely symbolic, but also highly visible.
Colorado regulators this week cut 38% from the $13 million a year Xcel Energy charges customers to pay for the beleaguered SmartGridCity pilot project in Boulder. The PUC chairman referred to the project as a "dead end."
Grid modernization might be a lot simpler in a country ruled by a clear-thinking and decisive dictator. Security expert Andy Bochman suggests centralized direction could crush cultural and bureaucratic inertia. But taking it full circle, he finds you've got to be careful what you wish for.
Oklahoma Gas & Electric has asked Arkansas regulators for approval of its proposal to recover costs for a smart meter and related smart grid technology project planned for its western Arkansas service area.
A California legislator has introduced a bill that would require the state public utilities commission to give customers who don't want smart meters an opt-out option. See what Jesse Berst has to say about it.
Tension is building in the smart grid security standards world and Andy Bochman is here with a blow-by-blow report along with a brief heads-up on what to expect in the NERC CIP arena come 2011.
If the U.S. is to successfully handle the energy challenges it faces, the federal role in transforming energy policy needs a dramatic overhaul — and a much larger federal investment in energy R&D is essential, according to a new report from the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
The controversial Cape Wind offshore wind farm took one step closer to becoming the country's first offshore wind producer when Massachusetts regulators OK'd a contract allowing it to sell power to National Grid. But there's still a lot of grumbling about the project.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has proposed rule reforms intended to make integration of variable renewable energy sources like wind and solar into the electric grid more efficient while maintaining grid reliability and bringing possible cost savings to customers.
The smart meter backlash is far from over. Central Maine Power Company recently asked the state's public utilities commission to dismiss complaints that the advanced meters could be fire, health and security hazards.
The just-released Fleet Electrification Roadmap provides plenty to chew on in its business case analysis for EV and PHEV adoption in U.S. government and business fleets. The study addresses both challenges and opportunities and makes some ambitious policy recommendations.
Kurt Yeager knows exactly what he wants from the smart grid. The Galvin Electricity Initiative executive director and former head of EPRI wants it to be perfect and he's not afraid to tell you how to do it. Click inside to read what he had to say during a recent smart grid policy conference in Oregon.
DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will get some outside help in managing its wide-ranging portfolio of activities in the form of a volunteer advisory committee of experts from a variety of disciplines, including industry, education, regulation and science.
The Energy Department and Secretary Steven Chu are all but guaranteed to have a tough time of it next year when a Republican-controlled House of Representatives goes after discretionary spending as a way to cut the deficit.
An administrative law judge for the Colorado PUC ruled this week that Xcel Energy can recover nearly $45 million in costs from customers for its SmartGridCity project in Boulder. Opponents have 20 days to file appeals.
A convincing business case is important, but will not necessarily ensure regulatory approval. That's according to Rick Hornby, who has testified on smart grid business cases in several jurisdictions, including the BGE case in Maryland. What else do regulators want to see? Rick explains inside.
There are signs that the United States is losing ground - and investment dollars - to other countries with stronger government mandates for smart meters and renewable energy standards. Do you agree? Click inside and weigh in.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has identified five "foundational" sets of standards for smart grid interoperability and cyber security that are now ready for consideration by state and federal regulators.
Cape Wind, the country's first large-scale offshore wind farm, got formal approval from the Department of the Interior this week after nine years of legal and regulatory turmoil.
An Illinois appellate court ruling determined that state regulators were wrong to allow Commonwealth Edison to pass on specific costs of "doing business" to customers, and the decision could cost the utility millions and derail planned smart grid initiatives.
California legislators passed the country's first energy storage bill this week, which directs state regulators to set targets for utility adoption of cost-effective storage technologies.
EPRI's cyber security collaborative was picked by DOE as one of 10 initiatives to assess and develop a comprehensive program of technologies, standards and best practices to protect the U.S. electric grid against outside attacks.
Smart grid companies eyeing the unused broadcast spectrum referred to as “white spaces” are cheering the FCC vote that opens them up for wireless networking.
We're getting mixed signals about the vitality of the smart grid market. On the one hand, the recent DistribuTECH conference was one of the most successful ever. On the other, a well-known Wall Street analyst recently told his clients that the smart metering sector is "facing several headwinds," including weak regulatory support in the U.S. and delays in European adoption. Taking the pulse of the smart grid industry is this week's Tuesday Topic.
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