Utilities looking for a good source of consumer-friendly information have a new resource with the launch of SmartGrid.eei.org, the Edison Electric Institute's smart grid microsite designed to help the public understand how the smart grid benefits them.
Many are asking, “What is the Smart Grid?” Many more are trying to define it with short “sound bite” descriptions. These short statements cannot adequately convey the level of detail needed to provide a clear understanding. The smart grid isn’t a thing but rather a vision and to be complete, that vision must be expressed from various perspectives – its values, its characteristics, and the milestones for achieving it.
The research is clear - better understanding will lead to a better, smarter electric grid. And now you can do your part to spread the word about why we need to modernize the grid and the benefits that will result for everyone. We've packaged up an awesome Smart Grid 101 package, including a free eBook, a great video and three more fun resources you can use to share the smart grid story.
In this century, national prosperity will depend on access to cheap, clean electricity. That is why it is so important that every company and every consumer understand enough about the smart grid to advocate for its construction in their part of the world. This eBook provides a quick but comprehensive overview of the smart grid and what it means to our world's future.
If you're looking for holiday gifts for the boss or a co-worker, we've pulled together some book recommendations from the Smart Grid News Store. Who knows? You may find a title or two for yourself.
This report offered by Research and Markets addresses smart grid technologies and investments, and analyzes the impact the smart grid will have on the power industry. It examines the technologies needed for smart grid development and profiles 68 technology providers. The report outlines 52 smart grid demonstration projects, including 32 DOE smart grid and storage projects, and profiles 54 utilities deploying the smart grid as well as industry organizations involved in smart grid development.
This book offered by Research and Markets describes the smart grid fundamentals, including a new concept of electric power distribution networks that allows for distributed generation sources such as renewable energy. The first of its two sections analyzes the integration of smart grids, and the second is devoted to their use in linking consumers to the grid. It also touches on regulatory issues and new business models.
Smart grid security guru Andy Bochman has spotted two books he thinks Smart Grid News readers should know about. Neither focus exclusively on cyber security, but he says both titles further an understanding of the big picture wrapped around smart grid security, privacy and the compliance landscape.
We're hearing more and more about the emergence of smart cities. TMCnet contributor Tracey E. Schelmetic takes a look at the trend with new research on smart city technologies and market projections.
As part of the Recovery Act, the DOE pumped millions into smart grid training programs. Private firms, utilities and associations are also investing in training initiatives. So where are they? What do they look like? Click inside for a peek at some of the programs poised to help fill the labor gap looming in the electric utility industry.
This paper examines the evolution of today’s grid operating system and outlines the development of a new grid operating system which will facilitate the transformation of the grid. Without the development of an advanced grid operating system, the full value of a variety of individual technologies like electric vehicles, electric energy storage, demand response, distributed resources, and large central station renewables such as wind and solar will not be fully realized.
This illustrated 19-page document prepared by the Public Technology Institute is a guide for local governments that explains how the smart grid can communicate price variations directly to intelligent devices inside homes and businesses, help educate consumers on the environmental impacts of their energy consumption and pave the way for plug-in electric vehicles. It was prepared by PTI as part of its work for the U.S. Department of Energy to assist local governments in their energy assurance efforts.
The nation's crumbling electric grid is the focus of this video report created as part of PoweringANation.org, a project through the School of Journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. Through interviews with industry leaders, the report explains how electric consumption is increasing dramatically, and the construction of power lines has fallen far behind, setting the stage for more serious and frequent blackouts in the coming years.
The Demand Response and Smart Grid Coalition took the smart grid message to the UN climate change convention in Cancun, Mexico, this week. The coalition's mission was to educate convention delegates on the critical role of the smart grid and demand response in achieving climate policy goals.
The Electric Power Research Institute has created a graphical reference card that provides a beginning framework for understanding the scale, economics, environmental impacts, and reliability of various power generation options.
The global wind energy market could take a turn for the better now that the technology to forecast fluctuations in wind speeds over several years is available. That's reasonably good news against the backdrop of a flat 2010 predicted for the wind energy industry, though production is expected to start growing again in 2011.
In just one minute and 51 seconds, this nicely rendered video from Consolidated Edison NY does an impressive job simplifying the complexities of Smart Grid technologies and showing how they work together and - more importantly - what it will all mean for New York residents as the pieces are put in place. It's a smart way to tell the consumer story.
Adoption of Smart Grid technologies could put the brakes on offshore oil exploration that led to the BP Gulf Coast oil spill, the worst in U.S. history. At least that’s the conclusion reached in The Environmental Magazine.
Marine and hydrokinetic technologies (ocean waves and currents, tides and rivers) are getting more attention (and money) than ever before. But how likely is it that we'll see them pumping out power in the foreseeable future?
A beta version of the Recovery Act funded Smart Grid Information Clearinghouse has launched with a wide variety of information on Smart Grid technologies, projects, legislation and standards geared toward consumers, utilities and vendors.
This first edition of The Impact of the Smart Grid on Utilities, Customers, and National Security provides an understanding of what the smart grid is, the changes that it will bring about, customer concerns that may create a barrier to implementation and vulnerabilities in the electric system that might be introduced or exacerbated by its introduction. The report, offered by Research and Markets, also notes that the current grid is based on technology invented more than 100 years ago, and that today it is inefficient, congested and incapable of meeting the future energy needs of the information economy without major operational changes and long-term investment.
This article provided by UK-based Sentec explores the implementation of smart meters, relating it to the discussions which have taken place on the pros and cons, problems and opportunities for the government, utilities and consumers. There is also a section with mini case studies looking at the products consumers will be able to buy in 2014 for home energy management and what benefits they will bring.
The smart grid allows intelligent and real time monitoring of the electric power network, enables near instantaneous balancing of supply and demand, detects theft and leakage, reports outages, automates billing, enables remote disconnect – and will provide consumers and business with energy management tools and information. According to this report offered by Research and Markets, the smart grid is expected to revolutionize electric power transmission and distribution, and to transform society in much the same way the Internet did-if not more so.
Our new Smart Grid Lessons Learned channel is chock full of case studies that can save you time and trouble. Why reinvent the wheel when you can learn from those who have been there, done that? And with so much at stake in handling the volumes of data that smart meters will tap, we created a one-stop resource to help you meet the challenges (and opportunities) of meter data management. Click inside for a quick tour.
Natural gas is getting so cheap that it may become cheaper and faster to slap up a gas-fired peaking plant than to implement a complicated demand response or renewable project - two of the biggest drivers of a smart grid. Yikes! Will natural gas alternatives make the smart grid too expensive by comparison? That's this week's Tuesday Topic in our discussion forum. Please join in.
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