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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...
“Made in America” Energy – An Important Smart Grid Benefit
A couple of statistics recently caught my attention. The first was that in the month of May, Americans purchased more SUVs than any other type of vehicle. Gas guzzlers, not hybrids or gas-sipping vehicles. This happens while we...
Electric Vehicles and the End of Big Oil
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill now polluting fragile wetlands of several states is an environmental and economic disaster. This is the downside of an addiction to oil, and it should serve as a potent reminder of the strategic value that...
Silicon Valley and the Smart Grid
There is welcome evidence that the intellectual and financial resources in Silicon Valley are starting to seriously engage in Smart Grid activities. Take a look at where Smart Grid investment funds are based. Of course, the Federal...
Consumer Participation in the Smart Grid
The Department of Energy lists active consumer participation as one of the most important characteristics of a Smart Grid. This takes shape in two forms – electricity production and electricity consumption. One of the many benefits of...
Demand Response – Getting Ready for its Close-up in Residential Markets?
Proxy Demand Response (DR) is a creative program that can be used to offset the need to build expensive peaker plants and help with the management of renewable sources of energy that are intermittent in nature, like wind and solar. While the...
Virtual Power – Market Rewards for Smart Energy Practices
The entire electricity grid is undergoing innovations, and one interesting change is occurring in electricity markets and the way we value electricity consumption. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) is the not-for-profit...
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...
Electric Vehicles – Making a Connection with Consumers
Electric vehicles (EVs) are important pieces in the Smart Grid puzzle. EVs will play an increasingly important dual role in transport and energy storage. This role change has consequences that impact consumer lifestyles, wallets, and...
The Strategic Value of Smart Grid Investments
I recently presented a global overview of the Smart Grid for the Smart ICT Sustainability Virtual Summit. You can listen to the presentation “The Smart Grid value chain – myths and realities” by clicking here to register – it’s free. ...
The Smart Grid Industry – Connecting with Consumers
The Smart Grid industry took an important first step in addressing a major disconnect in consumer communications strategies. Last week at a major utility industry show, Distributech, the launch of a non-profit organization to understand...
California Smart Grid: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The State of California mandated that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) work with the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) and California Energy Commission (CEC) to create requirements for a Smart Grid deployment plan by...
