Pairing Ice Energy’s Ice Bear with existing air conditioning units provides a cool solution to peak load shifting using basic and elegant principles of physics rather than complex algorithms.
US and UK governments propose Smart Grid investments... DOE and EPRI release studies and recommendations... Pundit sees Smart Grid deployment as a revenue loss for utilities... Excerpts published of new Electronomics book by Jesse Berst
Regulators have enormous influence over the where, when and how of the Smart Grid. Read our exclusive interview with the head of the regulators' national association for advice and warnings every utility should heed.
The question of the day is whether the recession will kill the Smart Grid boom. Click to read the forces for and against that lead to our conclusion – the slowdown will slow utility capital expenditures in general, but Smart Grid projects are likely to fare best of all.
Grid standards gain prominence... Another $170B for China’s grid... Carbon caps could break the grid... IBM financing BPL for rural customers... SmartSynch acquisition signals battle for C&I customers... Google’s Smart Grid plans... Smart Grid is $42B and growing.
Until the arrival of the DNP Secure Authentication protocol, some utilities were backing away from Smart Grid initiatives over concerns the security costs would be too high. Power engineer and systems architect Erich W. Gunther gives the new specification 80 out of 100 on the SGN Smart Grid Scorecard. Click to find out why he thinks it’s critical to keeping utilities on the safe path to a Smart Grid.
PG&E chooses GE meters with Silver Spring module… NERC warns again of needed grid upgrades… DR value bigger than expected… Cisco gives $250K for a Smart Grid business concept… Ice Energy gets $35M second round.
Power engineer Erich W. Gunther gives the Triangle Microworks protocol stacks an outstanding 88 out of 100 on the SGN Smart Grid Scorecard. He notes that the products support only standards-based solutions – a key SGN scorecard attribute. Click to read why it scores so high – but why it is not enough on its own to guarantee success.
A massive, global trend is underway that will make the Smart Grid even more important than it is today. It will also create startup opportunities as compelling as those in the early days of PCs and the Internet. Click for a link to a new white paper from Jesse Berst that documents the changes and explains the 15 opportunities it opens up for companies large and small.
NSF funds major Smart Grid research… Allegheny launches Smart Grid pilots… Zigbee gets more wins… GE and Itron choose partners… New research on technology roadmaps and European metering.
Southern California Edison has filed a patent on the use of advanced metering. Click to read why SCE took this move, how it intends to license the patent, and the implications for utilities and vendors.
Where will the electric system be in 2030? Bruce Renz of NETL’s Modern Grid Strategy team paints two futures for us, one business-as-usual and one Smart Grid. He then lays out the very different results these two alternatives present. He contrasts likely reliability indices, generation increases, asset utilization, and other metrics. A useful tool for anyone who needs to explain why the Smart Grid is a valuable investment.
NERC sends first notices of reliability violations... S&C Electric moves self-healing to the real world... Telepathx points to next-generation devices... EnergyConnect claims DR leadership in Northeast... UTC forms Smart Grid group... New research on BPL and wind transmission.
Utilities must take privacy and security concerns into account when designing AMI and must persuade consumers, regulators and politicians that privacy interests are adequately protected. Legal expert Mark Foley explains the best practices for utilities seeking to reduce AMI data privacy and security risks.
Despite vast resources, many Latin American countries face significant barriers to secure, self-sustaining energy industries. A Smart Grid can bring the predictability and manageability that lowers risks and opens up new frontiers for vendors and investors alike. Click for a report special to Smart Grid News.
Duke launches five-year Smart Grid modernization in Indiana... $1.7B in Smart Grid investment from ConEd in 2008... ComEd completes eight-year grid upgrade, Illinois group to study more improvements... Increasing wind power requires grid enhancements, DOE study finds... GridWise Alliance seeks President.
That meter data you’re so eager to collect? It could land your utility in hot water, unless you’re taking the right steps to protect your customers’ privacy. Legal expert Mark Foley explains the dangers and the solutions.
Control4’s HC-300 Home Controller holds a lot of promise for enabling the home area network link to demand response and other energy efficiency measures. Scoring 83 out of 100 today with promise for higher metrics in the future, it qualifies as Smart Grid technology.
LA Times says smart meters outdated? How wrong can they be? Wrong, wrong wrong says Metering America...Elster’s million plus radio frequency deployment supports a Smart Grid... Florida Power & Light builds a Smart Grid with Silver Spring...No Jetson toy here...Broadband is not the foundation of a Smart Grid.
A new energy ecosystem is emerging that connects smart, green buildings with a smart, green grid to optimize energy flows. This represents a significant opportunity for energy efficiency and mass-scale renewable generation. But creating a new, green energy ecosystem requires linking today’s heavily "stove piped" separate systems within buildings, as well creating linking between buildings and the grid. It also means expanding the definition of green buildings to include the digital smarts that connect diverse systems. The recent Green Intelligent Buildings Conference focused on ways to cut through "stovepipes" and build those new linkages.
Commissioner Sam J. Ervin of the NCUC chaired the committee that planned the recent National Electricity Delivery Forum. Commissioner Ervin met with SGN raised key questions that utilities must address in order to justify Smart Grid deployment at the state level, and he shared his insights on the multiple paths states may take in implementing the Smart Grid.
Smart Grid implementation will provide opportunities for a new form of loss – energy identity theft. "Smart" thieves will exploit the data-rich Smart Grid environment, unless robust network security and integrity are integral parts of any Smart Grid deployment. Without a robust technological and legal framework to address the risks of identity theft and tampering, the promise of the Smart Grid may never be realized.
Duke & GridPoint accelerate PHEV use... 3 A.M. Phone Call for Utility Execs... EnerNOC Awarded Second DR Patent -- Utilities, DR and DG Vendors “Wake-up”… Smart Grid Investors Eyeing $1T to be Spent on Electric Infrastructure... Are Top Utilities Investing in the Smart Grid?... AWEA Highlights Wind Forecasting/NYISO Wants Wind Farms to Pay.
2007 was a banner year for wind integration in the United States. ERCOT’s experiences in 2008, however, have pointed out the challenges faced by utilities attempting to integrate wind into their generation portfolio. Government incentives and mandated renewable standards, as well as investor interest, will drive continued wind generation in the U.S.
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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