Page 2: Seen and heard by Jesse Berst >>

By SGN Staff

 

The big show in San Antonio may be over, but we've got a few more bits and pieces to tell you about, including a new survey on smart grid implementation released by Microsoft and OSIsoft during the show. Scroll down for links to a few videos from the show floor, including a demo of EPRI's new insulator robot Ike.  And be sure to click to Page 2 for some of SGN Chief Analyst Jesse Berst's notes and whispers from his chats with industry execs.

 

Survey says: Smart grid implementation up 25% over last year

The Microsoft/OSIsoft Worldwide Utility Industry Survey 2012 reports a 25% increase above last year in the number of utilities that have implemented smart grid technology. The survey also notes that 28% of the companies surveyed are in the planning stage – but 24% have not begun adopting any smart grid technology. A total of 63% of the survey respondents, however, said they anticipate their budgets for the technologies will increase in the next two to three years. Jon C. Arnold, managing director for the Worldwide Power and Utilities Industry at Microsoft, said that while the survey clearly shows that more utilities are adding new devices to the grid and incorporating new data sets into their operations, many are "facing interoperability and integration challenges." He added that Microsoft's Smart Energy Reference Architecture provides infrastructure that protects current technology investments while supporting "forward-thinking smart grid solutions." Read the press release

 

Top 10 trends at this year's show?

Writing for earth2tech, Katie Fehrenbacher suggests the growing number of startups and entrepreneurs at DistribuTECH this year signals innovation appears to be alive and well. She goes on to list 10 trends from the show, from prepaid electricity to cellular coming on strong. Read the story

 

From the DTECH video files …

Even if you didn't wind up in San Antonio this year, you can still see some of the action. For instance:

·         EPRI's latest robot - Mark Messana demonstrates "Ike," EPRI's new insulator robot, during its grand unveiling at DistribuTECH/UPCE in San Antonio. Ike crawls along non-ceramic insulators to inspect their integrity and ensure that line failures are not imminent due to any recorded damage that Ike finds. Watch the video >>

·         New technology from S&C – Mike Edmonds introduces IntelliTeam Distributed Energy Management (DEM), which provides a single entry point to large aggregations of community energy storage (CES) units. Watch the video >>

·         Mover and shaker honors for Itron – Itron’s smart grid platform was recognized with the 2011 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Quality Leadership during DistribuTECH 2012. Watch the video >>

Next page: Seen and heard by Jesse Berst >>

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