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Smart Grids Will Revolutionize Cities
The internet, distributed renewable energy, electric vehicles and energy management are ready to coalesce: the impact on cities and our lives will be profound. The US-China Green Energy Conference (sponsored by the US-China Green Energy Council) held Friday in the Silicon Valley took a deep bi-national dive into what smart grids... [read more]
Natural Gas Explosion = Lessons for Smart Grid
An Independent Review Panel convened by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to study the causes of the September 9, 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, California released its findings late last week. This tragic event caused the loss of eight lives, and scores more were impacted with losses of property and... [read more]
PG&E To Let Customers Disable Their Smart Meters
Over the past year, a revolt against the rollout of utility Pacific Gas & Electric’s smart meters has swept through Northern California as some customers claimed the devices’ wireless transmission of electricity data was harming their health. In response, city councils in a number of cities tried to ban their installation. On... [read more]
Report: Californians paying too high a price for green energy
Are Californians forking over too much green for green energy?A new report from a ratepayers advocacy group found that the price of electricity in 59 percent of renewable energy contracts signed by the state’s three big utilities exceeded the market price referent, or MPR for all you utility junkies. Without getting into the nitty-gritty... [read more]
Natural Gas Pipeline Rupture and Explosion in San Bruno Kills at Least One and Destroys More than 50 Homes
PG&E has confirmed that a twenty-four inch natural gas pipeline in San Bruno, CA ruptured during the evening of September 9, 2010, causing a fireball measured at more than 50 feet in height that burned for several hours. The fire started at 6:00 pm, just before sunset, and was announced as being contained at 11 pm. It igniting dozens... [read more]
Report: PG&E smart meters not to blame for high bills
PG&E Smart Meter
On Thursday in The New York Times, I write about an independent report that finds that PG&E’s smart meters are not responsible for higher utility bills incurred by some customers: After Pacific Gas & Electric, the giant California utility, began installing smart meters in the state’s Central Valley, the company was swamped with... [read more]
The Dark Lining to a Silver Cloud on the Smart Grid Horizon
My blog dated April 19 focused on PG&E activities that seemed to be designed to kill the spirit and the objectives of the Smart Grid. Since then, PG&E has admitted that mistakes were made in some meter installs (although my PG&E smart meter functions perfectly, thank you very much), the tariff change is wending... [read more]
PG&E Dives Headlong Into Wave Power Project
Renewable Energy World has an article on PG&E's interest in wave power and projected costs of generation across wave power projects globally - Making a Splash: PG&E Dives Headlong Into Wave Power Project. Drawing power from the churning sea can seem as difficult as finding Kraken the mythical sea monster. Despite tales of... [read more]
Two stories about integrated utility smart grid programs
Obviously the electric utility industry is very much in the experiment and learning phase (also known as “trial and error”) of the smart grid. Two examples are provided by PG&E in California and Xcel in Colorado. It is tempting to rush to judgment on the impossibility of an efficient, well-run, customer-centric smart... [read more]
Is PG&E Killing the Smart Grid?
The news coming from PG&E these days is trending from bad to worse for the Smart Grid and for this country’s citizens. First they created a public relations disaster with their smart meter rollout, which now has its own term called “the Bakersfield effect”. PG&E investment in a sensible communications plan and budget... [read more]
Could PG&E’s New Rate Structure Stall California Solar Markets
A new rate plan introduced by Pacific Gas & Electric could hurt the California solar market, solar advocates say. PG&E, the nation’s most solar-powered utility, is planning to simplify its five-tiered rate structure by downsizing it to a three-tiered plan. Most residents would see their electricity bills rise, except for... [read more]
Responding to consumer concerns over smart meter
Smart meters have run into a bit of consumer resistance. Some of us – no doubt crazed by the energy-econ-techno-lust possibilities – imagined that smart meters would be greeted by consumers with smiles and good cheer, and just maybe a tear or two of gratitude trickling down the consumers’ cheeks as they thank their electric... [read more]
A smart meter for your troubles?
Smart Meters are supposed believed to be a less costly alternative to traditional interval or time-of-use meters billing customers by how much is consumed and at what time of day will force consumers to adjust their consumption habits to be more responsive to market prices. It’s also believed billing customers by how much is... [read more]
Connecting the Smart Grid Dots One Meter at a Time
There are more signs that the brouhaha over PG&E’s smart meter rollout may do damage to other utilities’ plans for similar deployments. News reports indicate that utilities and regulatory agencies in other states are closely watching the legal tangle devolve in California. Consumer advocacy groups in California are... [read more]
Western utilities sign deals for 24/7 solar power
photo: SolarReserve In The New York Times on Saturday, I write about utilities NV Energy and PG&E signing power purchase agreements to buy electricity from SolarReserve’s solar farms, which store the sun’s energy in molten salt to generate power at night: Solar farms that would serve two Western utilities are planning to use... [read more]
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Scott Edward Anderson is a consultant, blogger, and media commentator who blogs at The Green Skeptic. More »
Marc Gunther is a writer, speaker and consultant, who focuses on business and the environment. More »
Christine Hertzog is a consultant, author, and a professional explainer focused on Smart Grid. More »
Jesse Jenkins is the director of energy and climate policy at the Breakthrough Institute. More »
Robert Rapier works in the energy industry and writes and speaks about energy and the environment. More »
Geoffrey Styles is Managing Director of GSW Strategy Group, LLC and an award-winning blogger. More »
Dan Yurman is a nuclear energy blogger and writes regularly for Fuel Cycle Week. More »
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3rd Annual Utility Customer Experience Management Conference
When: Wed, 2012-02-08 08:00
Outage Delivery Optimisation Forum 2012
When: Wed, 2012-02-08 08:30
CSP Today South Africa 2012
When: Wed, 2012-02-08 09:00
Africa Energy Indaba
When: Tue, 2012-02-21 08:00
NERC CIP Compliance Training
When: Thu, 2012-02-23 08:00
2012 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit
When: Mon, 2012-02-27 12:27
