The California Institute of Technology has identified the control limit and target date for world emissions. They note that we used 13 Trillion watts of electricity in 2000 and that usage will double to 26 Trillion watts by 2050! We will be doubling our use of our dumb grid but we can NOT afford to allow the doubling of the total amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. We badly need a Smart Grid! We can help by turning our Dumb commute into a Smart commute.
Archive for November, 2009
Despite economic uncertainty, the biggest global corporations are investing 3-5 percent of annual revenues in clean tech solutions, and they are poised to invest more, according to an Ernst & Young survey.
With such private investment increasing and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA) infusion of over $80 billion into the clean tech sector, the road ahead is looking green.
So, where does the clean tech job market stand today?
via Clean Tech Jobs Spring Up as Investment Pours in and Factories are Transformed | SolveClimate.com.
Maine faces two starkly different choices about the future of its electrical system. On one hand is a plan by Central Maine Power to spend $1.5 billion on massive upgrades to the electric grid. This would make CMP’s current “dumb grid” even bigger and dumber; …On the other hand is an alternative proposal by GridSolar to build a smarter grid; one that is based on energy efficiency and clean, renewable power generated right here in Maine.
via www.windaction.org | GridSolar plan still a good alternative.
Zack Kaldveer, Communications Director, Consumer Federation of California and author of the blog Privacy Revolt, has a commentary on the California Progress Report that provides an overview of the smart grid system and its privacy implications that could be a good overview for those first trying to understand the issue.
via Privacy Challenges and Implications of an Electric “Smart Grid” System | PogoWasRight.org.
The utility meter has stood the test of time as a virtually unchanging fixture in households – until now.
As part of American Electric Power-Ohio’s GridSmart demonstration project, 110,000 residential and commercial customers in Central Ohio soon will be hooked to advanced electric meters that allow for communication between the utility and consumers, plus energy use data that consumers can monitor.
via AEP’s SmartGrid aims to change how consumers use electricity – Business First of Columbus:.
The New York Power Authority has scored $720,000 in federal stimulus money to test out new smart-grid technology on transmission lines in the Massena and Chateaugay areas.
The funds will pay for half of a $1.5 million demonstration project that could help the state authority better understand how adding wind power to the electric grid affects existing transmission infrastructure, according to NYPA officials.
via Watertown Daily Times | NYPA to receive $720,000 for smart-grid tests.
A critically important debate has emerged regarding the privacy implications and challenges that a transition to a smart grid system for electricity poses and how such concerns can be addressed.
In California, as in states across the country, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is currently considering how to implement a smart grid electrical system. In response to this rulemaking, and the lack of attention being paid to consumer privacy to date, the Consumer Federation of California (CFC) recently joined The Utilities Reform Network(TURN) in urging the Commission to allow for a more comprehensive review and debate regarding such concerns.
via Privacy Challenges and Implications of an Electric “Smart Grid” System | California Progress Report.
Indianapolis-based battery maker EnerDel is tied closely to the Th!nk electric car company – which has yet to bring the car to the U.S. market – but they're also looking beyond the next generation of plug-in electric vehicles. EnerDel has announced a new partnership with Smart Grid Leader and the U.S. Department of Energy to use EnerDel batteries in five separate one-megawatt power system out in Portland, Oregon that can supply energy to up to 400 homes for an hour during peak load times. The batteries in the system will use the same core chemistry that is used the EnerDel's batteries “designed for the emerging new generation of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.”
via EnerDel gets ready for the smart grid with one-megawatt systems in Oregon — Autoblog Green.
The U.S. government is grappling with one of the first big snags in the wake of awarding $4 billion in grants to build a smart electric grid. It could take years before there are any low cost appliances for Joe Consumer to plug into an intelligent power network.
The vision of a smart grid includes smart appliances that automatically turn on or off in response to fluctuating energy prices as electric demand peaks and troughs. Intelligent fridges, dryers and other energy hogs could help utilities reduce their needs for new power plants, help consumers save money and ease stress on the environment.
via EETimes.com – Smart grid hits snag over powerline standard.
A push by California’s electricity provider to modernize its power grid is turning into a public relations disaster, as allegations mount that it’s responsible for stratospheric overcharges.
At issue are the 10 million smart meters Pacific Gas & Electric, or PG&E, is rolling out to customers throughout the state. The digital meters, unlike the analog devices they’re replacing, provide two-way communications between electricity users and the power stations that serve them. That eliminates the need for meter readers to visit each customer to know how much power has been consumed. …
via The Energy Collective | Pitchfork-wielding mobs encircle smart meters.
Energy conservation seems to be a new obsession among today’s students — and with good reason. With more and more evidence supporting global warming, the need to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency is becoming an ever more important aspect of life, especially in a community as large and diverse as the University of Washington.
While we already see many initiatives on campus to make the community more sustainable and environmentally friendly — composting stations, for example — projects like WashPIRG’s recent light-bulb swap help the campus to become more energy efficient and reduce its carbon footprint.
via New smart-grid initiative puts UW on sustainability map – The Daily of the University of Washington.
How energy consumers will use smart meters was the main topic at the M2M Business Exchange held in Brussels last week. Other topics included the integration of supporting technologies into the smart grid, the reduction of carbon emissions worldwide, the role of the telecommunications industry and regulatory and technical barriers facing a successful smart grid rollout.
IBM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating — IBM (NYSE: IBM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) singed an agreement with the Chinese clean energy producer ENN Group lately about a package of strategic cooperation plans, as part of the IT giant's efforts to boost its Smart City project, citing a report.
In detail, IBM is set to invest in ENN Group's energy service business that is oriented to energy saving and emission cutting, cooperate with the Chinese company to build a IT joint venture for the Smart City and Smart Energy plans, as well as facilitate the partner's development and transformation with its IT services.
via IBM IBM Partners Chinese New Energy Company for Smart Cities.
OSIsoft (www.osisoft.com), provider of the PI System, the industry standard enterprise infrastructure for management of time-series data and events, announced today that the recently published Microsoft Smart Energy Reference Architecture (SERA) includes the PI System.
At a joint webcast on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 1:00 pm EST, OSIsoft and Microsoft will discuss Microsoft's SERA. Free registration: https://osisoft.wingatewebevents.com/attendee/pages/MSERA09/index.ww
via OSIsoft PI System Included in Microsoft Smart Energy Reference Architecture (SERA) | Business Wire.
The U.S. government is giving $620 million to 32 projects to demonstrate technologies for storing energy, managing electricity distribution and monitoring energy consumption.
The Tuesday announcement, made by Energy Secretary Steve Chu in Columbus, Ohio, is the latest wave of public funding for smart grid technologies (see list of winners). AEP Ohio is one of the winners, and the utility plans to use the $75 million from the DOE for projects involving electric cars, home energy management, smart meters and energy storage technologies.
