privacy

It’s difficult to imagine life without electricity.  Our lives and lifestyles are so thoroughly intertwined with electricity that any disruptions in power can rapidly transform from minor inconveniences into life-threatening situations.  Thus the need for grid modernization – the Smart Grid – is vital to ensure that we continue...[read more]

In the movie “The Graduate”, Dustin Hoffman’s character was told that the future was in plastics. Today, he’d be told that the future is in data analytics. Just like many other business sectors are discovering, analytics will play an increasingly significant role in the management of Smart Grid networks.[read more]

The Smart Grid presents a number of challenges to policy-makers and utilities, but perhaps none is more vexing than the question of who will educate consumers about the rewards and risks of energy consumption data that can be derived from smart meters and increasingly from products that can disaggregate electricity “signatures” to determine usage of specific devices behind a meter.[read more]

Smart meters can be positively transformative for consumers to control their use of electricity.  But there are concerns about them that are threatening to slow down deployments in some areas. That has ramifications to Smart Grid plans everywhere. The three categories of concerns about smart meters are:    meter...[read more]

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a proposed decision regarding the privacy and security of electricity usage data on May 6.  This proposal sets the stage for how consumer consumption data is managed by the three investor-owned utilities (IOUs) in California – Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California...[read more]

Distributech 2011 showed that the Smart Grid is big, and getting bigger.  With over 8000 attendees and 400 exhibitors, there was plenty of buzz about distribution automation, partnerships, and the last link in the value chain – the consumer.  Many exhibitors featured their own or partnered Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS)...[read more]

Consumer privacy concerns are an important focus of many Smart Grid conversations.  Everyone agrees that consumers need to be educated about the entirely new types of energy use data that can be created with Smart Grid technologies.  While we must ensure that consumers are aware of their rights and responsibilities...[read more]

Last week the socially responsible investment community equivalent of the Oscars – the annual review of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) was unveiled and for the first time SAP has taken the lead in CSR performance for the software sector. It’s certainly a cause for celebration but maybe it’s more an occasion for Sekt...[read more]