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.
Standards are about to impact the Smart Grid industry with a suddenness that will wipe out certain companies. The only solution is to stay on top of developments. That's why we asked expert Chris Kelly to study and summarize EPRI's recent standards report to NIST. Read on for the quick highlights, with a link to his full analysis at the end.
The Smart Grid is missing its ultimate, long-term enabler — a vibrant market between supply and demand. But where is that market, and how will it function? In this first in a series on Smart Grid markets and pricing, analyst Richard Tabors discusses this missing piece and presents a thought-provoking paradigm he calls the "Three Pillars of the Smart Grid."
We are at the cusp of a vast expansion of geospatially located devices. At the same time, we are poised to set geospatial standards that may last for decades. Mark Reichardt, president and CEO of the Open Geospatial Consortium, provides this important overview.
The race is on for flexible, extensible, open standards for Smart Grid technology. Is there a front runner in communications sector? Telecommunications expert Joe DiAdamo thinks so. In this special feature, he explains why he thinks the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is the leading contender for Smart Grid communications.
One of the industry’s best-known thinkers suggests four approaches that will help utilities create a clear, step-by-step plan to access Smart Grid benefits. Click to read advice from IEEE Fellow John McDonald, currently GM of Marketing for General Electric, who explains how to develop a strong business case, how to pace investment, and more.
Standards can make or break a business. With national agencies focusing on defining Smart Grid standards with renewed urgency, understanding the process of developing and validating standards is more important than ever. This second part of our standards primer will help you do just that.
Standards are a vital piece to the puzzle of interoperability and product success. But what constitutes a standard? What's the difference between standards, specifications, and requirements? Read this primer to become an instant expert on this important subject.
Even recent history shows that being on the winning side of the standards game is a make-or-break decision for many companies, bringing customers to their door or locking them out entirely. With the complex task of Smart Grid standards now being addressed at an unheard-of pace, you need to get up to speed on standards issues now.
Smart Grid standards are on the fast track. The FERC, NIST, and a host of other players are coming together to seek the common good. But private patent rights could throw a wrench in the whole effort. How these issues are handled could shape the future development of the Smart Grid.
The Department of Energy last week issued its first preliminary guidelines for Smart Grid stimulus projects. The solicitation seems to indicate that the DOE favors coops and municipals over IOUs, science projects over deployments, isolation over interoperability, rate increases over private sector funding, and almost anything over smart meters.
The electric power industry will see greater transformation in the next 10 years than in the previous 50. Climate change, peak oil, rising costs, and aging infrastructure all pose not only tremendous challenges but also tremendous opportunities. Managing the enormous tasks ahead will require we apply four new lenses to our thinking.
When an architect designs a building, he establishes a solid foundation and relies existing standards as well as mature supporting disciplines. Joe Hughes outlines the metrics needed for designing and building the Smart Grid.
Scientists are racing to create energy without damaging the earth through so-called renewable energies such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat. But the means used to obtain energy from these sources are not without problems. In light of the ever increasing investment in renewable energy technologies, it’s time to separate fact from fiction.
Building a Smart Grid requires a combination of policy, planning, and implementation, and several states are making great strides in these areas. Jesse Berst surveys a cross section of Smart Grid experts to learn which ones are on the way to making the Smart Grid a reality.
The stimulus package has billions available for the Smart Grid. But how to distribute the money quickly and wisely? In this guest editorial, Silver Spring Networks VP Eric Dresselhuys offers some clear and simple criteria.
Although the stimulus package includes billions for the Smart Grid, the money won’t make a difference unless it is spent quickly and wisely. But how is the DOE to sort through thousands of proposals to find the winners? SGN has created a Scorecard for objectively rating proposals. We’ll be distributing it to governors, regulators, utilities, and federal agencies – as soon as we get your comments and improvements. Click to read the 23 criteria every project should meet, and to add your own opinions.
What is called the Smart Grid is really a constellation of technologies, standards, hardware, data, and more. Capgemini experts Meir Shargal and Doug Houseman explain how the pieces fit into the big picture.
A communications backbone is the key to building Smart Grid projects that work together seamlessly. Capgemini experts Meir Shargal and Doug Houseman lay out the necessary steps for achieving this interoperability.
Utilities take note: The Smart Grid debate is coming to your state and your utility commission. Founding Editor Jesse Berst was at the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, DC, to speak on Smart Grid matters. He reports that the battle has been won at the federal level. Now the fight moves to the states. Click to read the advice he gave to the governors and to leave your own suggestions.
Building to a long-term vision of a modern grid requires short-term steps that can veer the ultimate plan off course. What’s the best way to maintain the long view while addressing immediate needs?
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.
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