With nearly 4,000 votes cast, Smart Grid News readers (and their friends) have picked the smart grid companies they think are the ones we should watch in the year ahead. Did they get it right? We thought there were some surprising choices (and omissions.) Click inside and see if you agree.
We asked readers to nominate smart grid companies that should be on our radar in 2011 and your responses came pouring in. In today's post we highlight our fourth installment of your 11 in 2011 nominations, along with observations on each of them from Jesse Berst.
A study from Newton-Evans Research says spending in North America for substation automation and integration programs is now at more than $500 million, with the very real potential to reach $10 billion.
Distribution automation is the next hot smart grid trend, according to Pike Research. Utilities worldwide are expected to sink $46 billion into the technologies to improve efficiency, reliability, service quality and conservation, according to a new cleantech research report. And by the way, the return on investment is expected to be better for DA than for smart meters.
With all the stimulus money (and press) focused on smart meters last year, you might think AMI is the only way to start a Smart Grid initiative. But Jesse Berst points to evidence the tide is turning and that grid applications may prove the quickest way for some utilities to demonstrate benefits. Click for his analysis.
Intelligent electric devices that allow for quick reactions to changes in a utility's distribution grid are among the features of the new distribution feeder-automation system just launched in the U.S. by Siemens.
One of these days the smart meter hoopla will die down and utilities will start layering distribution automation on top of their metering infrastructure. When they do they’ll discover that S&C Electric’s pioneering approach to distributed intelligence makes a great complement to centralized C&C. At least that’s Jesse Berst’s take on it. Click inside and see if you agree.
Engineering firm SAIC will soon release software able to predict grid failures days, weeks and even months before they happen. Reliability center maintenance (RCM) has been catching on in other industries, but has yet to gain traction in the electric power sector despite attempts by several startups.
Our job is to be your “radar,” alerting you to changes on the horizon. This month we alert you to important trends in distribution automation (DA) and what you should do about it right now. One piece of advice for some utility professionals... slap yourself upside the head. Click for our explanation.
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.
Twitter
Facebook
Linkedin
RSS
