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Quick Take: Europe is starting to heat up. Smart meter rollouts start next year, with major activity expected by 2014. And now these new pilots in the UK give signs that distribution automation and related sectors may accelerate soon as well. But will it be soon enough to make up for the slowdown in North America? - By Jesse Berst

The selected projects were awarded amounts ranging from a little over $3 million to $36 million. Here is a brief rundown of the projects, as reported in metering.com:

·         Electricity North West Limited will test new ways to take advantage of latent capacity in the existing high-voltage (HV) network by combining network automation and interruptible contracts with large customers.

·         U.K. Power Networks will conduct trials to improve control over the HV network to connect more wind power and to come up with an investment model for linking renewable energy generation to the distribution system.

·         Scottish Power Energy Networks will explore how to wring more capacity from the existing HV network and improve efficiency for large customers.

·         Western Power Distribution receives awards for two projects, FALCON (Flexible Approaches for Low Carbon Optimized Networks) and BRISTOL (Buildings, renewables and integrated storage – which includes tariffs to accommodate network limitations). FALCON will deploy "smart interventions" on the HV network and innovative commercial arrangements with customers to develop an investment tool to model where those techniques can be efficiently used across the entire network. BRISTOL (to be implemented in Bristol, of course) will explore the potential for battery storage linked with solar generation in homes, schools and an office to benefit both customers and the network.

·         SSE Power Distribution will work to create a tool to help forecast where low carbon technologies could connect to the network and also will test network monitoring and energy storage.

The Low Carbon Network Fund has roughly $785 million available over a five-year period for trial projects on new technologies and operating and commercial arrangements that could help in the transition to a low carbon energy economy.

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Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com. He consults to smart grid companies seeking market entry advice and M&A advisory. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the US and abroad, he also serves on the Advisory Council of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Energy & Environment directorate.

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