Smart Grid Blog

Utility Partners of America (UPA), one of the nation’s largest utility services contractors, today announced it has been awarded a contract by Glendale Water and Power (GWP) to replace electric and water meters with smart meters in the city of Glendale, CA. The installation will give 84,500 electric and 33,400 water customers access to advanced metering technologies that generate a two-way communication network.

via Greenville-based UPA awarded major Smart Meter contract | greenvilleonline.com | The Greenville News.

Video Display Corporation (Nasdaq:VIDE) announced today that BEAR Power Supplies, www.bearpwr.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, has scored a new design win of a custom power supply for a leading provider of “smart meters” and data collection systems. The custom 30-Watt AC/DC converter will power energy monitoring systems to be mounted on utility poles worldwide, providing a key link in the “smart grid” advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).

via VDC’s BEAR Scores Design Win for Custom Power Supply for “Smart Grid” Monitoring System.

With the push for more efficient energy distribution, the Smart Grid has quickly transformed from the hottest buzzword to a global reality. While the Smart Grid promises to deliver many benefits, it is essential to secure this critical infrastructure now, before it’s too late.

So what exactly is the Smart Grid?

via ICT Review: Securing the Smart Grid: The Road Ahead.

The report Smart Grid Cyber Security analyses smart grid cyber security market trends in terms of business drivers, technologies, standards, objectives, and business requirements. The report segments the cyber security market by five major smart grid application areas: transmission upgrades, substation automation, distribution automation, electric vehicle management systems, and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).

via Security News – Smart Grid Cyber Security Market to Reach $3.7 billion by 2015 Says New Report.

Central Maine Power Co.'s controversial smart grid proposal has gotten the OK from state utilities regulators.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission yesterday approved CMP’s plan to invest in “smart meters,” which transmit electricity consumption information directly to the utility, as part of an advanced metering infrastructure, according to a press release.

via CMP smart grid project OK’ed | Mainebiz.

Instrumental in helping secure the funding, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen had a first-hand look Friday at how the N.H. Electric Cooperative will integrate “smart grid” technology to improve the way it does business, giving its members a better understanding of, and control over, the energy they use.

via Sen. Shaheen visits N.H. Electric Cooperative’s ’smart grid’ – Fosters.

The market for residential energy management is poised to grow dramatically due to increased consumer demand and new government and industry initiatives. Frequently, and for good reason, the discussions about this emerging market focus on the expansion of Smart Grids as these solutions enable electricity distribution systems to manage alternative energy sources (e.g., solar and wind), improve reliability, facilitate faster response rates to outages, and manage peak-load demands.

via Smart Grid: Bringing the Smart Grid to the Smart Home: It’s Not Only About the Meter.

A variety of wireless systems and topologies are being deployed for smart grid applications. Most notably are the Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) projects that, generally, deploy meshing to reach smart meters in neighborhoods. Meshing is a network topology where data “hops” from node (meter) to node until it reaches a gateway or repeater. From the gateway, data is typically backhauled to the utility via a cellular network, allowing the collection of billing data and — hopefully in the future — energy usage and pricing data.

via A better way to go smart (grid): Wireless communications | Featured.

The primary purpose for the deployment of your end-to-end communications network/infrastructure (connecting your head-end utility systems to your residential, industrial and commercial customers) is which of the following?

via Greentech Media: Moving Smart Grid Beyond AMI: Now We’re Talking.

Echelon, www.echelon.com, San Jose, Calif., and Green Energy Options (GEO), www.greenenergyoptions.co.uk, Cambridge, U.K., will collaborate in order to develop energy displays for Echelon’s metering infrastructure solution. The U.K. government recently confirmed plans that require all households to have smart meters by 2020, and that each home must be supplied with a realtime energy display to show consumers how much energy is being used throughout the day. Analysts estimate the European smart meter market will reach $11 billion by 2015.

via M2M magazine | Info on Realtime Energy Usage.

BuLogics, Inc., a leading designer of innovative, energy-saving technology products, announced today that it has developed the world’s first Smart Grid compatible Z- Wave wireless controller. The device, named the Smart Grid Home Controller(TM), allows connectivity to future Smart Grid meters by bridging the wireless technology of Z-Wave Home Area Networks (HANs) to Advanced Metering Infrastructures (AMIs) that utilize the ZigBee Smart Energy (SE) Profile.

via BuLogics Introduces World’s First Wireless Controller for Smart Grid Metering — PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ –.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, www.frost.com, Mountain View, Calif., estimates the smart grid/smart meter market to reach $11 billion by 2015. The study covers AMI (automated meter infrastructure), IT (information technology) systems, and communication technologies.

According to Frost & Sullivan, Europe is a front-runner, with Italy leading the way since 2005. Denmark currently generates close to 20% of its electricity from wind power and it has developed the most intelligent grid to manage this clean power load.

via M2M magazine | Europe Front-Runner in Smart Grid Space.

The first of 20 routes in the city of Ocala’s new automatic meter reading system is up, and running and a second route is expected to be activated next week.

The city is replacing all its old electric and water meters in its service area, part of which lies outside the city limits, with the AMR system.

“It will allow us to retire all the staff that were employed to read meters,” said Matt Brower, assistant city manager for utilities. “We gain significant efficiency.”

via First of 20 automatic meter routes is installed in Ocala | Ocala.com | Star-Banner | Ocala, FL.

IBM has been all supportive of a Western Australian project that will be giving the area an extensive and intelligent network, which will provide smart energy deliveries. Western Power is the mastermind behind the Smart Grid-Advanced Meter Infrastructure project, which is itself a part of the Federal Government's Perth Solar City project worth A$73.5 Million.

via Smart Grid-Advanced Meter Infrastructure Pilot Gains Considerable IBM Backing | TopNews New Zealand.

IBM today announced it has been selected by Australian energy provider Western Power as the systems integration and project management partner for its SmartGrid-Advanced Meter Infrastructure pilot program.

Under the agreement, IBM will build a roadmap for the design and implementation of an intelligent network, comprising smart meters and a communications backbone that will enable Western Power to deliver more reliable, sustainable and cost effective energy solutions to homes and businesses in the south-west of Western Australia.

via IBM and Western Power Connect To Design Smart Grid Future.