California is relying on traditional regulatory mechanisms and utilities to implement energy demand reduction programs, but Rory Jones and Steve Malloy of PlanetEcosystems argue in today's guest commentary that it's a painstakingly slow and immensely costly way to go about it. Click to see what they contend is an easier, faster and better approach.

Siemens is targeting data centers - the single largest energy consumption source for most enterprises - with its new Data Center Infrastructure Management solution that draws on its experience in building automation, power distribution and other areas. Click inside for a closer look.

Will 2013 be a breakthrough year for residential demand response and home energy management? Energate VP Louis Szablya thinks that may be the case and offers up 10 predictions for what we might expect.

We've got a lively point / counterpoint underway on demand response's scalability and whether residential and commercial loads are worth trying to reduce through demand management programs. Today Comverge exec John Rossi makes the case for engaging all demand-side resources to reduce load.

There's even more indication this week that energy management - both residential and commercial - is gaining traction. Click for a quick catch-up on recent developments, including promising results from utility pilots in Tennessee and Nevada.

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, one of the largest co-ops in Texas, sought a residential demand management program that would allow the utility to curtail load during peak times while also maintaining high customer satisfaction scores. As this case study details, Bluebonnet entered into a pilot agreement with Consert involving approximately 200 residential participants and Consert’s Virtual Peak Plant technology.

Third quarter venture capital funding in the smart grid space showed some signs of life after three relatively weak quarters. That's the word from Mercom Capital. Click to see where the rise came from and why we agree with Mercom that it is part of a growing trend.

Imagine how much power 10,000 window air conditioners propped in New York City apartments suck up when temperatures soar during the summer months. Consolidated Edison knows - and with ThinkEco is launching an interesting initiative that could see 5 MW of demand reduction from those window units.

Essent N.V., the largest energy company in the Netherlands, is inviting app developers to win prizes by creating consumer-friendly energy management applications using Tendril's cloud platform - and Essent's customers will get to pick the best of the bunch.

Earlier this year FERC approved a request by the PJM Interconnection to allow for small-scale assets down to 100 kW to participate in frequency regulation applications. The move opened the door for Viridity Energy and Enbala Power Networks to initiate demand-side regulation projects that could respond to grid signals on a second-by-second basis. What does it mean for traditional DR and energy storage? Brian Warshay of Lux Research offers a perspective.

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.

The drama over Boulder's SmartGridCity gets the attention, but not far away in Fort Collins, partners in a DOE-funded Renewable and Distributed Systems Integration project are compiling results from their real-world research into load shedding and local energy generation. We talked with a project engineer about lessons learned - like how hard it is to go beyond a 25% reduction in peak load and how real-world constraints (such as the "noise pollution" of a diesel generator) can impact results.

Early this year, SGN readers voted Calico Energy Services one of the top 11 smart grid companies to watch for 2011. The company seems to have lived up to the billing with its just announced Unified Operations Center, which at least some observers say carves out a brand new playing field in the energy management software market. Click inside for a look under the hood.

Curtailing electricity demand in a society that can't buy all the latest electronic gizmos fast enough? In a world that needs to keep the wheels of industry churning out all of those gizmos - and providing jobs? A reader made the point the other day that we might be better off promoting energy innovation over curtailing demand. What do you think? It's this week's topic in our discussion forum. Please join in.

Brattle Group economists have given Smart Grid News readers a sneak peek at an upcoming white paper that draws intriguing conclusions about electric demand in the U.S. and predicts a fourth wave of energy efficiency on the horizon – integrated demand-side management. Click inside to see if you agree.