Plugging in an all-electric car today may blow the fuse box in your home or even black out the neighborhood — and your utility has no way to anticipate or prevent it.
Utilities, car companies, “smart meter” startups and others are struggling to make sure that tomorrow is different.
via Electric cars crash into grid – San Francisco Business Times:.
Plans for all business electricity suppliers to offer smart energy meters by the end of 2020 may be thwarted by concerns over data security.
Energy and climate change minister Lord Hunt revealed at the end of 2009 that £6 million would be invested to develop smart technology meters, designed to reduce energy bills and increase energy efficiency.
via Smart meter plans for business electricity customers may be put on hold – Make It Cheaper.
Smart Grid Anaysis, NanoMarkets’ group focused on the analyzing emerging market and technology opportunities within Smart Grids, has issued a new report on the future development of the market.
via Report: Government Regulation of Smart Grid Could Slow Market | Executive Gov.
Zpryme released a report that identifies the top ten countries by smart grid federal stimulus investment for 2010, as well as an insider’s look into China, the players, and what’s next for Asia’s fastest growing economy.
via Smart Grid: China Leads Top Ten Countries in Smart Grid Federal Stimulus Investments, Zpryme Reports.
As “SNL”’s Seth and Amy used to say: Really?! That was my reaction when I first read the findings from a report issued by NanoMarkets this morning; it claims that U.S. government’s policies and regulations are slowing down the smart grid market. Specifically the report says that the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) efforts to set standards for the smart grid is acting as a drag on the market.
via Report: Government Smart Grid Standards Process Slowing Down the Market.
Could EnerNoc’s own press releases backfire? It’s great that customers are beginning to earn real dollars by participating in demand response. But as more and more customers are realizing the value of their DR contributions, they are asking for a bigger piece of the pie. It is gradually getting harder and harder for the DR companies to renew contracts without handing over more of the money. Press releases like this one serve to remind customers to bargain even harder the next time their contract comes up for renewal — or the next time one of EnerNOCs dozens of competitors tries to get them to switch.
via Smart Grid: It’s Smart Grid Payback Time: EnerNOC DR Pays Store Chain $250,000.
There is a lot of discussion in the industry about whether utilities are doing enough to implement solar in their smart grid initiatives. Today, solar energy accounts for <1% of all energy worldwide (per DOE numbers) [1], which suggests that many utilities are not taking solar seriously. So, what is standing in the way of the industry rolling out truly utility-grade solar in smart grid deployments?
via Full potential of utility-grade solar requires ?intelligent? management – Photovoltaics World.
The U.S. is expected to put more stimulus money into the smart grid than any other nation, except for China, which is slated to spend about $7.3 billion in 2010.
Some companies are looking to tap into increased demand from governments for more sustainable and efficient energy solutions – such as having smart grids for industry and consumers.
Just this week, Indonesia announced plans to pump some US$1 billion into a green investment fund.
via channelnewsasia.com – Some firms developing smart grid technologies.
Atlantic coast offshore wind power initiatives were until recently limited to one or two, and the resource wasn’t taken seriously as part of the Smart Grid renewable energy effort. Now five of the nine East Coast states are working toward offshore wind projects. While National Grid has negotiated to buy offshore wind power from at least one proposed project, other utilities might look at this buildup in interest a wake-up call.
via Smart Grid: Smart Grid Renewables: Virginia Gets Aggressive About Wind.
It’s been a while since I’ve written much of anything smart grid related that didn’t directly deal with the successful Smart Grid Summit held in conjunction with TMC’s (News – Alert) ITEXPO East last week in Miami.
But, when I came across news that Nanomarkets reported that the stall behind the continual evolution of the smart grids market is in fact the U.S. government and its policies and regulations, I wanted to briefly discuss its effect on the space.
via Smart Grid.
Consumers are not only thinking green, but beginning to take “green” actions. President Obama has pledged to help utilities install 40 million smart energy meters so that consumers can take real-time actions to reduce unnecessary energy usage. Consumers, like you and me, will soon have “energy intelligence” (a term coined by Information Management’s Robert Farris). So how do businesses get energy intelligence?
GridPoint, Inc., an established leader in smart energy solutions, today announced that Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), a subsidiary of Constellation Energy (NYSE:CEG), has launched a multiyear plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) demonstration project using GridPoint’s smart charging software. With electric vehicles becoming commercially available later this year, BGE is eager to explore real-world charging scenarios, gaining relevant experience to inform their strategic planning and help shape smart charging options for the future.
via AUTO-MOBI.info – Baltimore Gas and Electric Company to Launch Electric Vehicle Trial.
Silver Spring Networks, a provider of smart grid systems, has been selected by Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative to provide the network infrastructure and smart grid applications and hosting services for its Sustainable Grid initiative.
via Bluebonnet Selects Silver Spring Networks For Sustainable Grid Initiative – Energy Business Review.
WIth all the stimulus money going into the smart grid, you’d better hope that it would have an impact not only on energy efficiency but on reducing carbon emissions. And fast. Well, there’s a new report out from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory exploring just what those benefits might be: overall, a 12 percent reduction in carbon emissions in 2030.
via In case you were wondering: New report quantifies smart grid benefits – SmartPlanet.
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