Additional wind power in the U.S. Midwest could cut wholesale electricity prices by more than 25%, saving a typical household as much as $200 a year, proponents of new renewable energy capacity in the region said. Jon Hurdle of AOL Energy has the details. More >>
Sandia National Laboratories and the DOE released a new web tool they say makes it easier for utilities, regulators and developers to conduct a quick, high-level analysis of energy storage options and determine the value of energy storage technologies for a specified application. Click for details and the download link. More >>
A story out of Florida illustrates a trend occurring across the country. Lakeland Electric, with roughly 120,000 customers, has been forced to turn to an expensive outside consultant to manage its smart metering project. The reason? Their internal employee was hired away by private industry at twice his original salary. More >>
In California's investor-owned utilities, solar customers who take advantage of net metering don't contribute toward grid maintenance or assisting low-income customers. Is that fair to other ratepayers? A state assemblyman wants a study to analyze net metering costs and benefits - and as you might expect, it's raised the ire of some consumer advocates. More >>
Friends on the supplier side tell us the smart grid market has seen a slowdown, especially in large, multi-million-dollar projects. Apparently Florida Power & Light didn't get the memo. It just launched a $15.6 billion, five-year capital expenditure program. They aren't the only utility spending money, either. More >>
We had an email the other day from someone looking for ways to justify smart grid technology against charges it is still a young and unproven concept. Really? Recent announcements from Silver Spring Networks, PG&E and others certainly tell a different story. Click for details. More >>
Previously a high-priced fantasy, storage packaged with solar on a distributed basis is gaining momentum. Matthew Feinstein of Lux Research acknowledges there are some wild cards, but argues supply and demand will make storage a 'probable reality' for the solar industry. More >>
China has consistently embraced an aggressive and all-encompassing smart grid, and the recent unveiling of its 12th Five Year Plan shows clearly why the country is pulling away from the pack. More >>
In addition to numerous other challenges utility decision makers need to address, they also have to contend with evaluating strategies for customer-focused analytics - not to mention how to do it, when, where and if. A new report from IDC Energy Insights offers clear guidance on where to start and how to get through the process. More >>
Over the past few years, we've heard a lot about the consumer engagement mistakes made by a few pioneering utilities. Yet as time goes on, more and more utilities are figuring out how to do it right. One of the keys, it turns out, is to apply behavioral science to the problem. More >>
The demand for water is growing at an ever-increasing rate throughout the world, forcing utilities to come up with the best ways possible to manage it. According to a new report from Pike Research, that demand means smart water meter deployments are expected to take a huge leap within just a few years. More >>
Smart Grid: The Tuesday Topic - Smart Grid News - Grid Modernization and the Smart Grid
Three new demonstration projects caught our attention - a smart grid effort in Albuquerque's business district, a rapid recovery transformer study in Texas and a trial involving low voltage current sensor technologies in the UK. They also got us to thinking: At this stage in the smart grid build out, if you could design a demonstration project, what would it entail? That's our latest Tuesday Topic; click for the details.
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