You can almost taste it. Feedback in all things. Isn't that what we want to know: How are we doing? Our morning weigh-in. The scale tells us how our diet is working, or not? A communication before we jump into our cars and head to work would tell us when we need to leave, how long the trip will take ... Then, we can throw out those unwanted emotions over being late. It is what it is. Energy and health are the first frontiers. Now, how long is it going to take? Will Google = Government? Is Microsoft going take this lying down? Standards of connectivity? What IEEE Committees? How long will the bureaucracy lag the demand?
W. Corey Trench - 02/10/2009 - 04:13
Google Energy
Great article! After a very successful 30+ years as a "serial energy entrepreneur, I have been working on a "stealth project" for the past 1.5 years, focused on a low cost smart charging system for PEV's. Our product development offices are at the Center for Automotive Research on the campus of Ohio State University. We have been working closely with numerous large utility companies, as well as with GE and other metering companies. We need a large, brawny infrastructure partner, like a Google. Can you put me in touch with the right person there, Jesse. Actually, I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to find the right person there for a few months.
Thanks!
RIch Housh www.plugsmart.net
Richard Housh - 02/10/2009 - 04:13
comments about Google Jumps into Smart Grid article
Dear Mr. Berst,
Thanks for your interesting article. Althought Google can have some gaps today those can be fill up with external knwoledge.
I can see many areas where Google can play a role interesting for the utilities and other market players.
Forgetting the risks of this project, I think it can change dramatically the way of looking at the energy.
Best regards,
José Ramón Lezameta
José Ramón Lezameta - 02/10/2009 - 04:14
Great Article
Great article! A lot of useful, consice and usable information. You lost me on one statement though:
>>Many utilities are forecasting that rates will need to double or even triple within the next five years.
Really? Not being picky, but can you point me toward any example of a utility predicting it's rates will triple in the next 5 years?
Bruce McHollan - 02/10/2009 - 05:25
Smart Grid and Google
It is a welcoming news to see Google jumbing into Smart Grid. It shows its vision... We need to take control of energy usage for cost, environment, and business opportunities. Well done article. Thank you.
Qumars Houshmand - 02/10/2009 - 06:01
Free Market Electricity
The smart grid will enable a distributed energy future to develop. If we have 2 things: a national consumer provider choice law coupled with a grid-tie law I believe that consumers will choose renewable energy and thereby force producers to build renewable capacity. In addition the right to choose providers at any time will foster competition for market share and thereby keep prices down and stimulate the development of new, better technology. I make a comparison with the breakup of Ma Bell. Once the consumers had choice and the market was made competitive prices became reasonable and new methods developed to deliver service (cell phones, web phones) which went totally outside the telephone "grid". I believe the same can be true for the electric industry.
Mike Johnston - 02/10/2009 - 06:33
Rate increases
Long-range forecasts by several Pacific NW utilities indicate big rate hikes on the horizon. Other regions may see similar challenges, especially if carbon caps come into play.
Jesse Berst - 02/10/2009 - 07:25
Commercial & Industrial Applications
Googles interest in the Smart Grid arena will most definitely heighten consumer awareness which in turn will help to focus broad attention on price hikes. Another market that will materialize should this get going is the needs of commercial and industrial consumers in demand response and other energy efficiency applications. This particular area is one our company has developed a niche for electric submetering. I welcome this good news.
Mario Natividad
President/Owner
Applied Metering Technologies,Inc.
www.appliedmetering.com
Mario Natividad, President/Owner - 02/10/2009 - 10:01
Smart homes and buildings online
Jesse,
There seems to be a lack of knowledge re internet-enabled solutions that monitor homes and commercial buildings by many groups involved in this area. For example, Honeywell and In2Networks have been shipping systems that do all of what Google is describing and can also integrate security, lighting, etc. It appears that Google has been working with GE (who also have talked about similar systems in the prototype stage). Google acknowledges that they will have to work with hardware suppliers but seems unaware of existing sources of information and control (e.g. PG&E is developing databases of meter info for industrial customers and moving ahead with tests of similar databases for small home/commercial systems). Google has said they will try to work with hardware and system suppliers. I hope they can help all parties to better understand the options as well as create a more open, integrated environment that serves both the suppliers as well as the building owners (something lacking from many of the efforts focused only on electric utility needs).
John Antonchick - 02/10/2009 - 10:16
W. Corey Trench Hit it right on.
Great article followed by W. Corey Trench's very strategic comments. Aside from the direct applications, detailed end usage information is an incredible source of marketing information. Whoever wins the data management race will be in an extraordinarily powerful position. One has to expect that they will even get a percentage of highway use taxes collected for EV charging and a "Gatesian" insight into every customer.
Don MacConnel - 02/10/2009 - 11:29
P-to-P Solar Energy Sales
The question is, will this new gadget allow me, as a home solar energy producer, to sell my extra solar power to the highest bidder somewhere else on the grid and keep track of the transaction? Peer-to-peer electricity sales (Napster for kilowatt hours)? I'm guess "yes" and that's quite a revenue stream.
Michael Powers - 02/14/2009 - 07:27
Googlepex?
I think Google's position on the ownership of the customers metering information is also another possible point of contention. Google believes it belongs to the consumer, and on the surface that appears to be a consumer freindly practicle take on it. However, many utilities have historically taken the other position and already use and treat the data as its own. Utility's certianly already aggregate the usage of consumers by many demongraphics already - how do you think rate cases get resolved to the actual ct/kwhrs?
Also, many of the new metering provide even more details about the characteristics of the customer service that wasn't economically available until recently (such as voltages, per phase measurements, outage events, power quality, etc). These quality of service metrics and or usage characteristics have never been fully debated as to ownership/privacy concerns.
Also, does Google intend to "keep" the data? What will Google do with all that data? Can they aggregate it and coorelate it to consumer buying hapbits? Can law enforcement "google power" a customers usage to determine he/she is at home so they can monitor him remotely? If so, what's the utility's liability?
Al Morgan - 02/25/2009 - 13:25
Smart Metering
Interesting move by Google. What surprises me is that we see a lot of articles, papaers, presentations on Smart Metering and Smart grids, but no mention of impact of SMART technologies on utility back offices systems.
TdS
TdS - 03/16/2009 - 10:02
Extremely Interesting
I am very pleased to see that there is a potentially unifying force in the smart grid initiative. Cloud Computing and the Internet are forces shaping our abilities in this field, and yet domain knowledge is lacking amongst those in key postions, including politicians. I hope some folks with many years of demand side management expertise assist with making the initiative effective and beneficial. Tony Jones AJA Inc. - ClearBlueSoftware.
Anthony Jones - 11/23/2009 - 00:36
No government control
No thank you. I don't want Google or government socialists telling me when I can take a bath or how I have to set our temperature, especially in the winter. We have young children who could get sick if they get too cold.
From fires in Philadelphia to firearms in Texas, smart meter associated flare-ups make the news weekly. And it makes us wonder: If you could turn back the clock and rethink the whole smart grid rollout, would you do it differently? And if so how? That's this week's topic in our discussion forum. Please join in.
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