McAfee says it will sign an informal agreement with a major European utility company to establish a set of privacy and security standards before the wider rollout of smart meters. The strandards will aim to help protect consumer data generated by smart meters in homes. It comes ahead of a Europe-wide plan to install smart meters Continue reading →
Tollgrade Communications, Inc., a global leader in providing service assurance solutions to the world’s largest utilities and telecommunications providers, announced today that its LightHouse distribution monitoring platform received the 2012 Smart Grid Product of the Year Award from SmartGrid.TMCnet.com, a TMC and Crossfire Media sponsored technology media website. via Tollgrade » 130507 Tollgrade Receives 2012 Continue reading →
The electric car is the car of the future, and developments we see happening all around us are making this assertion increasingly more likely. For most people, of course, the fuel of choice is petroleum. It has been this way for more than 100 years. But because of advances in battery technology there are now Continue reading →
he Cisco GridBlocks Architecture continues to provide competitive value. Cisco spent a lot of time and money to construct a layered architecture that marries the communications network with the electric power network. Now they are using it not just to help clients but also to underpin their own strategy. (By the way, Microsoft has just updated Continue reading →
The outlook for renewable energy growth and smart grid integration for U.S. utilities this year is strong, expensive, and unpredictable, with a chance of regulatory and business confusion. Black & Veatch released its 2013 Strategic Directions in the U.S. Electric Industry report on Wednesday, summarizing the latest views of some 600 utility and energy industry Continue reading →
For the first time, this year the number of internet-connected devices is predicted to exceed the global population. While that growth is exciting, all of these devices in their many forms come with dramatically greater demands for connectivity and bandwidth – and will generate large amounts of data that require additional storage space and compute Continue reading →
There are many conceptions of what the smart grid is and what it should do for us, the ratepayers who will finance the necessary upgrades to California’s electrical system. I find the concept of a “smart-grid ecosystem” — with smart customers, smart utilities and smart markets — to be a helpful guidepost as we seek Continue reading →
The ZigBee Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies, creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, commercial and consumer applications, today announced it has completed development and ratified the Smart Energy Profile 2 (SEP 2) standard. SEP 2 provides IP-based information and control for energy management in Home Area Networks (HANs), for both wired and Continue reading →
Nest Labs, maker of the Nest learning thermostat, wants to shake up the residential demand response (DR) market. Nest is taking a three-pronged approach to drive adoption of residential DR services and, of course, sell more of its thermostats: via » Nest Aims to Shake Up Residential DR Navigant Research.
In apparent effort to allow the state’s utility company Enemalta to improve its cash flow position, 24,000 new smart meters will be installed in households and businesses and radically improve readings of energy consumption. The government has also reorganized ARMS Ltd. to issue electricity and water bills on a regular basis, something which seems to Continue reading →
Nivis, a leader in Smart Grid and Industrial Wireless Networks, recently released an ISA100 Wireless Application Layer Software Development Kit (SDK). Nivis also announced availability of the ISA100.11a communication stack and related code on an open source basis. The SDK and open source ISA100.11a code will improve supplier’s ROI for ISA100 Wireless products by reducing Continue reading →
Today, electric cars are too expensive for most of us, even with prices creeping downward. A Tesla Model S will run you over a grand a month, and even Ford’s electric Focus sells for nearly $40,000. Making matters even tougher on the wallet is the fact that a home charging station will set you back Continue reading →
Oracle Utilities’ Linda Jackman looks at the current progress being made towards smarter Middle East grids The smart grid has been discussed by the energy industry for almost a decade now. In that time we’ve been well educated on the benefits it will bring and the wholesale change required, yet we haven’t actually seen a Continue reading →
Now more than 100 years old, employee-owned and Chicago-based S&C Electric provides electric power equipment and services, competing with the likes of ABB, Eaton/Cooper, General Electric and Siemens. On paper, Kyle Seymour makes sense to lead S&C Electric in its next phase. First, he is already familiar with S&C from serving on its Board since Continue reading →
Up to September 2012, a total of 281 smart grid projects and around 90 smart metering pilots and rollouts have been identified across 30 countries in Europe, accounting for total investments respectively of €1.8 billion and at least €5 billion, according to the Joint Research Center’s latest review. Of these smart grid projects around 150 Continue reading →
Electric vehicle prices are coming down, but the cost of chargers has always hovered in the $1,000-$2,000 range. That’s changing with the introduction of a residential charger for a scant $450. The new charging system is produced and sold by Bosch, the behemoth automotive supplier that provides car makers with everything from window switches to Continue reading →
The U.S. electrical grid, the largest interconnected machine on the planet, has powered American economic growth for over a century, but it is fast running up against its limitations. Ever-increasing demand is putting new strains on a system that is struggling to keep up. Outages are still rare, but costly: the Department of Energy estimates Continue reading →
Tiny electric cars aren’t just for the golf course or narrow European streets anymore. The City Council voted Thursday to approve the use of supercompact neighborhood electronic vehicles, or NEVs, on city streets with posted speed limits of 35 mph or less. The ordinance takes effect immediately. via San Antonio seeks to amp up use Continue reading →
The core mission of utilities, as well as their regulatory mandate, is to provide safe and reliable power. Today, Cisco announced expanded solutions and services to help utilities enhance grid operations with greater levels of automation and security and changing regulatory requirements. Cisco’s strong security knowledge and history combines a security strategy that addresses both Continue reading →
The Sacramento Bee has penned an editorial endorsing the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s (SMUD’s) new rate proposal as a “farsighted change.” The plan would phase out the current two-tiered system over four years. By 2017, all residential customers would pay the same price per unit of electricity no matter how much they used. Beginning in Continue reading →
