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Reviews
A regular feature of Smart Grid News is the SGN Tech Take. In this series of articles, power engineer and architect Erich Gunther evaluates actual products and services against the SGN Smart Grid Scorecard. SGN believes these Tech Takes provide actionable intelligence to our readers, so we are listing past articles in a summary table. Below are the products previously reviewed in SGN Tech Take articles:
Summary of previous SGN Tech Take articles using the SGN Scorecard
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Article Date
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Article Name
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Vendor &
Product
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Product Type
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Primary,
Secondary Market
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Score (out of 100)
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|
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Oct. 20,
2009
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Smart Grid Technology Review: PQube Power Quality Monitor
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PSL
PQube Power Quality Monitor
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Monitor that helps determine cause of electricity disruptions
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Efficiency, Distribution Automation, Metering
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90
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|
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June 9, 2009
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Greenbox Delivers Energy Usage Understanding to Utility Customers
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Greenbox Technology
Greenbox
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Web-based energy tracking and managing
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HAN/Home EMS, Utility Internet/ Customer EMS
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85
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Mar 16, 2009
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Can Utilities Have Their Cake and Eat it Too with the ICI Networks MISURâ„¢ Router?
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ICI Networks
MISURâ„¢
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Network router
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WAN
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80
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Feb 4, 2009
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Ice Bear Energy Storage System
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Ice Energy
Ice Bear
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Thermal Storage Device, Control System
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Demand Response
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90
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|
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Nov 18, 2008
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DNP Secure Authentication
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DNP Users Group
DNP Secure AuthentiÂcation
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Field Applications
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Field Equipment/ Applications
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80
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|
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Nov 5, 2008
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Cybectec SMP family of substation gateway and processor products
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Cooper Power Systems
SMP Gateway
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Field Equipment
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Field Equipment/ Applications, Enterprise Applications
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85
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|
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Oct 21, 2008
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Triangle MicroWorks protocol stack software leaves no excuse for vendors to implement interoperable devices
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Triangle Microworks
Protocol Stack (DNP3, IEC 61850)
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Field Applications
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Field Applications, Enterprise Applications
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88
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Sept 23, 2008
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Trilliant’s SecureMesh: Great Interoperability, but Can It Scale?
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Trilliant
SecureMesh System
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FAN
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FAN
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74
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Aug 26, 2008
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Time, who has the time? Smart Grid time that is.
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Arbiter
GPS Clocks
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Field Equipment
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Field Equipment/ Applications
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84
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July 23, 2008
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IntelliTEAM® Designed With the Smart Grid Utility in Mind
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S&C Electric
IntelliTeam II
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Field Equipment
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Distribution Automation
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69
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May 6, 2008
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Can Control4 Lead the Way to Wireless HAN Access?
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Control4
HC-300
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HAN Equipment
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Home Automation
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83
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April 8, 2008
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Itron’s OpenWay®: Utilities can Benefit from its Standards-Based Approach
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Itron
OpenWay System
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Meter, FAN, Software
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HAN/ Metering/ Meter-specific Network,
WAN
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88
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Mar 26, 2008
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Does your power system always have a pulse?
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Dranetz-BMI
Signature System DualNode
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Field Equipment
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Sensors & Monitoring
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76
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Feb 19, 2008
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RuggedRouter —designed with the Smart Grid utility in mind
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RuggedCom
RuggedÂRouter
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Field Equipment
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WAN
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89
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Jan 30, 2008
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Wireless home sensor network finally possible
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Tendril
TNOP v2.0
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Enterprise Application
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HAN, Enterprise Applications
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86
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|
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Jan 16, 2008
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Is Silver Spring Networks' "SEN" the Breakthrough We've Been Waiting for?
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Silver Spring Networks
Smart Energy Network
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FAN/WAN
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FAN/WAN
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81
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Rating philosophy:
In the meantime, please enjoy these reviews as a personal take on how I (and my staff who do the background research) think a particular product suite or technology fits into the Smart Grid universe and use that as a guide on your own research into how that product might serve your organizations need after your own carefully evaluation.
Suggestions are of course most welcome!
Smart Grid Scorecard (PDF)
EPRI IntelliGrid Architecture Web site
GridWise Architecture Council website
| Relative score adjustment over time |
| How are relative scores being adjusted as new products are released and reviewed? Relative scoring does have merits, especially when comparing to other products available at the time scored. However I'm afraid a product reviewed highly 3 years ago (with low competition) will look better than a new product that is scored lower against a much higher relative standard. There are a couple approaches that might mitigate stale relative scores: 1. Score against absolute benchmark, then translate to current relative index. Whenever the relative index is adjusted to higher standard the old scores will automatically decrease compared to new products. 2. Develop relative improvements table that can be used to adjust scores in each area.(Tricky as new metrics are added that old product review might not have information about.) For example, perhaps one metric index has improved 20% in the industry over last 2 years. All reviews 2 years old would take a 20% decrease in their original score for that one metric. The table of relative adjustments needs to be published including adjustment amount, reason for each index adjustments, and official adjustment date. A link to this relative adjustments table needs to be added to any review over 6 months old (or provided in ALL reviews with understanding that new reviews are unaffected). 3. Mark all products reviewed over 2 years old with "Stale review" warning stating readers should not directly compare with current scores. Then re-review highest scoring and most popular (by sales volume) products every 2 years to update their score to current standards (and remove "stale review" warning flag). What is the SmartGridNews.com plan for responsibly managing relative review scores over time? |
| Zephan Schroeder - 07/23/2008 - 12:25 |
| BPL Global's Scorecard |
| BPL Global visited my company today and I was fairly impressed with their potential as a fully integrated solution provider (Transmission to the premise) for smart grid applications. Have you considered producing a scorecard for this company? |
| Michael Ray Henry - 12/09/2008 - 16:33 |
| Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories |
| What about SEL? Their products have always been developed towards Smart Grid for over 25 years. SEL was doing Smart Grid applications long before it became the latest buzz. SEL products have already been applied on Smart Grid applications accross the country including Smart Grid City. |
| Jim Murray - 03/25/2009 - 07:35 |
| comparable categories of service or product? |
| It's evident that permanent load shifting versus on demand shifting (which requires less communication) is favored in the scoring. Rather than a single SGN Scorecard perhaps it should be clear that only products that are comparable to each other should be relatively ranked. Else there's danger that someone who has already invested in communications and two-way response would be looking at permanent load shifting solutions though they provide little or no advantage over a more flexible system that's only shifting on demand and reliably reports it has done so. Also somewhere should be a single list of all the accredited formal standards a product meets (IEEE notably). |
| Craig Hubley - 03/25/2009 - 18:27 |
| Cristopia thermal storage & load shifting |
| Could you evaluate the Cristopia Energy System against the SGN Smart Grid Scorecard? This seems to be similar to Ice Bear Energy, but has numerous references and relies on Phase Changing Materials. It is distributed by CIAT. http://www.cristopia.com/ http://www.ciatozonair.co.uk/ |
| Tom Grand - 04/24/2009 - 06:31 |
| Evaluation of Tropos GridCom |
| I'd be interested in having you review the Tropos GridCom architecture and products to include in your smart grid scorecard. Specifically, our solution fulfills the WAN aggregation network piece for smart grid communications and provides a number of benefits vs alternative approaches. |
| Denise Barton - 04/28/2009 - 10:10 |
| How about Landis+Gyr? |
| I currently work for Landis+Gyr's flagship Command Center product, and would like to know how it ranks up there with SEN & Co. |
| Ty Terrell - 05/06/2009 - 23:52 |
| How is an application chosen for eval? |
| How are applications chosen to be evaulated and included in the score card? |
| M Habibi - 07/01/2009 - 14:25 |
| SOLAR CARS & V2Grid |
| If this isn't one of the best ideas on the planet, will someone tell me why I've been working on it by myself for 11 years and could win $2.5M via the Progressive Auto Xprize? www.xlr8sun.com |
| Larry Wexler - 09/17/2009 - 07:30 |
| Deep understanding of Automation, Power, and Utility |
| I highly respect the Smart Grid Scorecard as a great approach and tool to evaluate products to be used on a power grid. However, please, let us look into the term products and take it for a bit under the loop. In a hydro utility and power transmission business, products used on power grids are classified under three categories: Major, Non-major, and ancillary equipment. Major equipment is devices or apparatuses that are critical to grid operation, for example in a hydro utility business, major equipment could be transformers, switchgears, cables, poles, arresters, and so on. Non major equipment are supportive to major equipment such as connecting elbows, lugs, washers, hardware, brackets, cross arms, and so on. Ancillary equipment is all other equipment that is operating on low voltage (for example below 750V in Ontario), and constitute not an integral or critical part of the bulk system. Examples are Scada systems, monitoring systems, controls, RTUs, relays, metering equipment, sensors, and so on. 80% of the discussions about Smartgrid equipment fall under ancillary category and 20% under major equipment category. Equipment energized on the grid today is evaluated on safety issues but also its technical features shall fulfill first and foremost the required application in the field. Perhaps a helpful suggestion is that to view a equipment of issue for evaluation from two different perspectives: 1. |
| Bilal Khashfe - 10/04/2009 - 10:35 |
| Deep understanding .... continue previous comment |
| Continue previous comment: Perhaps a helpful suggestion is that to view a equipment of issue for evaluation from two different perspectives: 1. |
| Bilal Khashfe - 10/04/2009 - 10:42 |
| continue previous comment |
| Perhaps a helpful suggestion is that to view a equipment of issue for evaluation from two different perspectives: first) Application approach. Second) System approach. A equipment shall fulfill its specified function. A feeder transfer control system shall transfer the load within 30 seconds upon occurrence of a permanent outage, for example. On the top of that, the system shall be smart grid capable. And here will then the EPRI checklist kick in and can be applied for additional evaluations and observations. Is the system open enough for future expansions? Protocols? User friendliness? And so on. Another example: evaluating Transformers. A transformer shall be stepping down the voltage at minimum losses possible. After selecting the right equipment for the application, the question should be: is this transformer smartgrid capable? By doing so, we are helping the army of working specialists and managers in power utility industry to start applying smartgrid concepts in their daily practice and that smart grid is a vivid reality and no more a buzz word in the news. The above suggested approach is a very simply way to link current antiquated real world applications (the practice) to the new fancy and complex world of smart grid (Theory). |
| Bilal Khashfe - 10/04/2009 - 10:46 |
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Is it feasible for US to realize DG in home?
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I am Chengrui Cai who is a PhD graduate student with major in Power and Energy System. Now my research lies in SmartGrid. As far as I know, one of the important goal of the SmartGrid is to bring distributed generation to homes in US, which aims to install solar panel and small wind turbine in homes. However, ...