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U.S. Chamber of Commerce Takes on NIMBYism. A large number of U.S. energy projects have been stalled or stopped by groups who organize resistance, get zoning laws changed, oppose permits, and file lawsuits, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In response, the Chamber has launched a Web site and campaign to expose the “not in my back yard” (NIMBY) groups or “green tape” that has become an obstacle to green jobs. The site, “Project No Project,” has links to threatened projects, a ProjectNoProject toolkit, and a message center so visitors can encourage Congress to take action. Quick Take: It’s good to finally see someone discussing the elephant in the room. Everyone claims they want renewable energy unless it means a wind farm or transmission tower built in their neighborhood. We must find a solution to these issues, or the U.S. will continue to be hostage to foreign oil and never meet its goals for reducing greenhouse gases.
Report in PublicPowerDaily, PDF, page 2
China Gets Smart on Grid. China has announced a massive Smart Grid project to transform its electrical system over the next ten years. The move is expected to improve transmission efficiency, secure power supplies, reduce carbon emissions, and allow for intermittent power sources like wind generation. The project will begin this year with planning and standards development, and is expected to wrap up by the year 2020. The news is seen as a boon to suppliers of Smart Grid technology, with many stocks surging on the announcement. U.S. companies are already getting involved. For example, China has struck a deal with Intel to use the latter’s servers for grid simulations. And General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt has said GE will collaborate with China’s largest power distributor on Smart Grid development. Quick Take: China may be undertaking the world’s largest Smart Grid project. According to analysts, the country may spend $99.6 billion USD on the Smart Grid and some $586 billion USD on power grids overall in the next decade. China’s State Grid Corporation is planning to invest $38 billion this year alone. We look forward to more details emerging regarding the country’s Smart Grid plans.
Proactive Investors report on investment in China’s Smart Grid Greentech Media on the cost issues for China’s Smart Grid
Providing air traffic control for the grid. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted the Spanish organization Aplicaciones en Informatica Avanzada (AIA) a patent for its electrical transmission network operating tool, AGORA (Advanced Grid Observation Reliable Algorithms). AGORA is a planning, monitoring, and restoration tool that claims to increase reliability for transmission networks, reduce risks of congestion, instability, and voltage collapse, and provide support for blackout restoration. The software is already in use in California through AIA’s U.S. subsidiary, EleQuant, Inc. Quick Take: Developments like this are a good reminder that despite all the focus on smart meters and demand response, some very important activity is also taking place in the world of wide area management (WAM). Like an air traffic control system for the grid, WAM can span multiple areas. In addition to simulations that allow for grid planning, WAM technology can provide a view of the grid that could span multiple control areas. This would let local utilities see what is going on, not just in their own territory, but also in neighboring areas for better preparation and coordination. Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) is bringing together these tools in its Electricity Infrastructure Operating Center (EIOC).
Will privacy stymie Smart Grid development? As the grid becomes smarter, how much will it be able to detect about the individual consumer? Could it determine what devices you are are using and when you are using them? Could it monitor whether you are home or not? Would a smart refrigerator track what RFID-tagged foods and drugs are in the home? These are some of the questions raised by attorney Susan L. Lyon in a recent Sustainable Industries article. Companies that develop Smart Grid technology need to anticipate whether their products violate privacy laws and prepare to deal with customer reactions. Quick Take: This story is part of a bigger theme that we have been emphasizing for several months now: The industry has to do a better job of presenting the case to consumers and dealing with their very legitimate questions and concerns. Utilities and vendors need to carefully examine those concerns and address questions of customer choice and notice as well as ensure they are not violating any privacy laws. Failure to do so can create consumer alarm (justified or not) that could lead to the blocking of Smart Grid solutions.
Sustainable Industries article on privacy and the Smart Grid
WiMax marches towards mainstream status. Space Data, whose balloon-borne SkySite platforms provide wireless services for military radio and telemedical monitoring, is teaming with Full Spectrum for Smart Grid communication. Using Space Data’s 930 MHz licensed spectrum, Full Spectrum’s FullMAX Broadband Wireless System will give utilities “their own private wide-area mission critical communications network for real time remote command and control of electric utility smart grid devices,” according to a news release. The combination is said to enable an interference-free, high-powered secure communications for difficult-to-reach distribution and substation locations over broad geographical areas. Quick Take: More and more companies are starting to bet on WiMax as a communication option. This approach to mobile WiMax is worth watching. For analysis of another WiMax effort, see the Grid Net link below.
Smart Grid remains one of the best investment opportunities. Green Chip Stock’s Nick Hodge continues to recommend putting your money in the Smart Grid. Following up on a piece he wrote in December, Hodges has now published a new analysis presenting three reasons to back the Smart Grid: First, the Department of Energy is using stimulus funds to invest up to $200 million per grant in Smart Grid projects. Second, the field is promising enough to start attracting big players like GE, Google, and IBM. Third, the climate change bill passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee recently, increasing its chances of passing later this year. Among other things, the bill has mandates for renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. Quick Take: At Smart Grid News, we’ve know about this trend for a while owing to the increasing number of calls we get from Wall Street analysts looking for the right place to put their money. But if you haven’t been paying attention, these articles will tell you why the Smart Grid space is so hot. Smart Grid: One of 2009's Hottest Sectors, in Green Chip Stocks 3 Reasons to Invest in the Smart Grid, in Greenstocks
Stimulus money has yet to benefit large power companies. The Smart Grid can’t outwit the recession, cries a recent headline in Market Watch. The article documents how large power company stocks have fared considerably worse poorly than the broader market despite promised government investments in Smart Grid and other grid improvements. The principal reason cited is a lack of clarity on the terms promised stimulus funding. Despite passage of the ARRA months ago, the DOE has yet to sort out how loan guarantees and tax credits would affect existing tax breaks for depreciation and other expenses. Quick Take: This article confirms our prediction several months ago of falling demand, slower growth, and a reduction in capital expenditures. But as the article notes, smaller companies developing new technology for grid efficiency are faring better than larger ones whose Smart Grid projects have been stalled by uncertainty over stimulus funds. The need for DOE to clarify funding and tax issues is real, but not likely to be a long-term problem. We continue to believe that Smart Grid is a smart investment.
SGN article on the Smart Grid and recession
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