Look below and on page 2 for  our third installment highlighting contenders in this year's Smart Grid Companies to Watch search. (If you missed the first two installments, they are both linked on page 2.) Be sure to check back as we'll be posting more contenders all week long, with voting slated for next week.

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HOW IT WORKS: Our team reviewed all of the nominations submitted by readers (and there were more than ever!) and we did a preliminary sort. Posted below is the third set of smart grid companies that made the cut and will proceed into the voting round. What you'll see below are abbreviated versions of the text that was provided by the person who nominated the company. We have not verified the information for accuracy. Typically we would, but in this case we wanted you to see what the reader said. After we're done listing all of the 2012 contenders, we'll ask you to vote for the 12 finalists.

BRIDGE Energy Group: As Green Tech Media recently pointed out in an article for the Top 5 Trends for Smart Grid in 2011, integration is the name of the smart grid name in ensuring that smart grid systems live up to their promises.   BRIDGE Energy Group is working on just that – from developing solutions to fully integrate conservation voltage reduction solutions with AMI and DMS to integrating IT and OT to create alignment with the front office and back office – BRIDGE continues to secure it’s spot as a formidable player in the integration space and will continue to develop solutions that support new and future business models. Learn more about BRIDGE Energy Group >>

Enbala Power Networks: I would like to nominate Enbala for connecting a network of large industrial loads that responds in real-time to the commands of a smart grid. With a returned energy efficiency of close to 100%, Enbala is now delivering demand-side load regulation service to PJM, the largest integrated electricity market in the world, covering all or part of 13 states and the District of Columbia. Learn more about Enbala Power Networks >>

Powerit Solutions: Powerit Solutions now controls about 30% of California’s automated demand response capacity via its Spara energy management system, according to recent statistics from the OpenADR Alliance. (The California ISO estimates that the state’s OpenADR capacity reached 200 megawatts last year; Powerit Solutions manages about 61 MW of this capacity.) Powerit was an early proponent of OpenADR and worked with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to help develop the standard. Throughout North America, Powerit now controls 536 MW for demand control, energy efficiency, dynamic pricing optimization, and demand response - allowing customers to save on energy bills, contribute to grid stability, and reduce their carbon footprint. Learn more about Powerit Solutions >>