Our network

smartgrid

5 Things US Congressional Representatives Need to Hear About the Smart Grid

December 28, 2011 by Christine Hertzog
with 199 views
0

As the US Congressional representatives head home to their respective districts, some of which defy all logic in terms of that contortionist geography called gerrymandering, it’s a perfect opportunity to attend their town hall meetings to offer advice in support of Smart Grid initiatives.   Support a national energy policy... [read more]

How Smartgrid Can Improve Safety For The Elderly

November 11, 2011 by Tom Raftery
with 394 views
0

    Utility companies face significant challenges in the coming years, not least of which is the the need to increase revenues while helping customers reduce their consumption. One trump card they will have is the data from their smart meter rollouts. This will enable them to offer energy services around the data which would... [read more]

The China Clock: Designing Urgency into Energy Storage Demonstration Projects

November 2, 2011 by James Greenberger
with 349 views
0

In short, we need to adopt the China clock. Smaller, more numerous, more diverse and more rapid demonstration projects are the key to developing DES technology and realizing the advantages it holds for the grid. Money for DES demonstration projects is good, and more money is better. But what is really needed is a sense of urgency. Time to completion must become a major focus for government-funded demonstration projects going forward. We must learn to push the time envelope and to push it consistently as a matter of practice, just as they do in China. [read more]

exclusive

China Thinking Big on Smartgrid, Invested $7 Billion in 2010

November 1, 2011 by Christine Hertzog
with 494 views
0

China is the most active investor in Smart Grid infrastructure today.  According to a 2010 report from Zpryme, the State Grid Corporation - the largest utility in China - was projected to spend $7.3 billion in that year alone on Smart Grid projects.  Their focus is on a concept called the Strong Smart Grid.  Like other... [read more]

Who is Responsible for Educating Consumers About Energy Data Privacy?

October 10, 2011 by Christine Hertzog
with 302 views
6

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]

Charting Smartgrid's Macro Trends

October 6, 2011 by Amelia Timbers
with 336 views
8

This is my final post from the now concluded Gridweek 2011.Anto Budiardjo, a TEC blogger, is the CEO of Clasma Events, which puts on the United States’ key trio of smartgrid events: Gridweek, Connectivity Week, Grid-Interop and next year, Gridweek Asia. Budiardjo has been in smartgrid since the dawn of the industry, moving into it... [read more]

Engaging Consumers On Smartgrid: Face-to-Face Better Than Facebook

September 15, 2011 by Jim Pierobon
with 316 views
0

From the successes, hiccups and outright failures of utilities trying to deploy smart grid applications, those worth emulating are few. As previous posts on TheEnergyFix demonstrate, Southern California Edison is widely hailed for rolling out programs that are working. So is Oklahoma Gas & Electric. This is the control device and... [read more]

GridWeek: Collaboration is the “Smart Grid” Word of the Day

September 13, 2011 by Anto Budiardjo
with 288 views
0

“Those we leave behind may drag us down.” P. Uma Shankar, India’s Secretary of Power, may have summarized the Monday of GridWeek best. And as the undercurrent of the GridWeek conference, “collaboration” was a much-repeated theme on the event’s opening day. With skyrocketing electrical demand -- potentially the fastest-growing in the... [read more]

Smart Grid: Meeting the Challenges of our Times

September 9, 2011 by Anto Budiardjo
with 305 views
0

I was inspired by an email I read today from one of our GridWeek sponsors. A Cleveland-resident, he has chosen to cancel his plane ticket to D.C. next week and instead hop on his motorcycle in a personal memorial ride for those who died on September 11.  His first stop, the 9/11 memorial in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, where... [read more]

Smart Grids Will Revolutionize Cities

September 6, 2011 by Warren Karlenzig
with 1,733 views
19

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]

Why the Smart Grid Is Taking So Long

September 6, 2011 by Marc Gunther
with 669 views
0

The smart grid is coming. It…is…just…coming…very…slowly. That’s the way I began a column published a week ago by The Network, Cisco’s technology news site. The column looked at Energy Smart Florida. one of the most aggressive efforts in the U.S. to roll out smart electricity meters and a smart grid. It’s being run by Florida Power and... [read more]

Killer Apps For The Smartgrid

September 2, 2011 by Christine Hertzog
with 775 views
0

Silicon Valley is always chasing the next killer app, and it’s an activity that is very relevant to the Smart Grid.  What are the killer apps?  It depends on your perspective.  In some cases, the answer will be a technology breakthrough in materials science rather than an innovation in software or communications –... [read more]

Demand Response: What It Is & What It Means For You

August 24, 2011 by Peter Troast
with 509 views
1

Utilities across the country are increasingly developing “demand response” programs in order to gain flexibility in reducing peak load stress on the grid. Maybe you’ve heard of these programs, and maybe you haven’t, but it’s important to gain an accurate understanding of what they are, and their possible effects, to become informed... [read more]

Will a SmartGrid and GM’s Volt Stimulate the Electric Vehicle Industry?

August 11, 2011 by Robert Rapier
with 263 views
1

I remember my first trip to Bentonville, Arkansas to visit the WalMart corporate headquarters. As I looked at the offices of all the vendors who sell to WalMart, I remember thinking “being the world’s biggest retailer has its advantages.” So it is with the development of the electric car (EV). We root for companies like Tesla but, to move the market in a substantive way, you need to be big. [read more]

Address Smart Meter Concerns with Communication On Benefits

August 8, 2011 by Christine Hertzog
with 460 views
1

Smart meters are a source of contention in some areas of the USA, slowing down Smart Grid progress. What is it about a communicating meter – one that uses radio frequencies to transmit consumption information – that is causing opposition? Reasons fall in three categories. The first category is meter accuracy – smart meters are believed to be inaccurate devices that create bills that do not reflect actual use. A second category focuses on environmental health concerns about radio frequencies (RF). A final area of opposition focuses on control – who decides what technology should be in communities and how energy consumption data is used. [read more]