Smart Grid Blog

Accenture, a consulting company at the forefront of many IT and infrastructure projects, outlined some of its smart grid efforts at its analyst meeting last week and CEO Bill Green shed some light on the state of the U.S. stimulus funding. In an odd twist, the U.S. government’s effort to prime the economic pump may Continue reading →

A recent new market special issue of The Zweig Letter, the flagship publication of ZweigWhite, outlines the reasons why more firms are getting involved in smart grid work and the myriad opportunities that should be available in this arena. “With regards to smart grid, we’re on the brink of a flood of smart grid projects,” Continue reading →

The lack of federal legislation for energy-related reform in 2004 left the electrical transmission system, known as the grid, in dismal shape as electrical use continued to climb very rapidly. According to an article in the November 2009 issue of Baseline magazine entitled, “Is the Smart Grid a dumb idea” by Dave Greenfield: “The American Continue reading →

Black Hills Corp.’s electric utilities will receive $20.7 million in stimulus grants from the U.S. Department of Energy for “smart grid” projects in Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota. Rapid City, S.D.-based Black Hills (NYSE: BKH) has a corporate office in Golden. Its utility arm serves 759,000 power customers in southern Colorado as well as neighboring Continue reading →

Black Hills Corp. (NYSE: BKH) announced today that it has successfully reached agreement with the Department of Energy for smart grid funding through grants totaling $20.7 million for its electric utility subsidiaries, Black Hills Energy – Colorado Electric, Black Hills Power and Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power. The funds are made available under the American Continue reading →

NRG Energy Inc’s (NRG – Snapshot Report) retail electricity business, Reliant Energy, has received a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop and deliver innovative energy solutions for Texas electricity customers. As a part of the contract, Reliant Energy plans to expand the rollout of smart energy solutions, using the Continue reading →

The primary subject at this year’s DistribuTECH Conference and Exhibition in Tampa, Florida was Smart Grid. Smart Grid is a new architecture for enabling the two-way flow of electricity and information. With a federal investment of $10.5 billion under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, it is no wonder this subject dominated the conference and Continue reading →

Reliant Energy has finalized its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for approximately $20 million in funding to develop and deliver innovative energy solutions for Texas electricity customers. Reliant is the only competitive electricity provider in Texas to have been selected to receive a grant through American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. via Reliant Continue reading →

Westar Energy, Inc. (NYSE: WR) today announced that it has reached agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for funding under the Smart Grid Investment Grant program. Westar will now move forward with its SmartStar Lawrence project, bringing advanced smart grid technology to the Lawrence, Kan. area. via U.S. Department of Energy Approves Westar Continue reading →

Governor David A. Paterson today announced that $24 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding has been awarded to 206 energy conservation projects. These energy efficiency and renewable energy projects will help 137 municipalities throughout the State reduce energy and operating costs by $3.3 million annually and fully return the initial investment in Continue reading →

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) announced that its electric transmission and distribution subsidiary, CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC, has signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to receive a $200 million stimulus grant for its advanced metering system and intelligent grid projects. The agreement is the culmination of negotiations that began in Continue reading →

With the Obama Administration having earmarked $3.4 billion in Recovery Act funds to spur the energy industry’s transition to a smart energy grid, the impetus is clearly there for utilities to start making progress on this important modernization of the nation’s energy delivery system. Oracle polled C-level executives from its substantial roster of energy industry Continue reading →

Utilities, tech vendors and trade groups like the Grid Wise Alliance have openly been complaining that it’s taking too long for the billions of dollars in smart grid grants, which the Department of Energy promised back in October, to reach the projects, and ultimately create jobs. Well, it looks like the dam has been broken, Continue reading →

Liberty Lake, Washington-based Itron, a maker of smart utility meters, appears to be a major beneficiary of the first, smart grid grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. According to the City of Glendale, California’s utility, Glendale Water & Power, it was granted a $20M Smart Grid Investment Grant under the American Recovery and Continue reading →

Onvia, Inc. (Nasdaq: ONVI) is tracking 2,700 energy efficiency, renewable energy, and transmission upgrade projects kicking off in 2010 as a result of funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law a year ago.  Worth billions, these projects will lay the foundation for a green economy that will fuel job and business Continue reading →

The ins and outs of tomorrow’s energy grid will be tested on an unprecedented scale in Chicago. Local utility ComEd, a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, will use $5 million in Recovery Act funding to institute the program, which will initially outfit 8,000 homes with advanced smart meters in order to test how well consumers manage Continue reading →

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has placed an unprecedented focus on state and local energy issues. With half of the approximately $580 billion in ARRA funding having been pegged for states and localities, those efforts that, over time, best pool and manage regional resources will charge ahead of the pack to fruition. That Continue reading →

A competitive America is also America that finally has a smart energy policy. We know there’s no silver bullet here.  We understand that to reduce our dependence on oil and the damage caused by climate change, we're going to need more production in the short term, we're going to need more efficiency, and we need Continue reading →

You may already know this, but our power grid system has been largely left alone for half a century. We’re using inefficient grid technology to try to thread power across our country and in the process are losing precious energy and a lot of cash. As part of the infamous American Reinvestment and Recovery Act–or Continue reading →

Bids are out for construction of the second phase of St. George’s SunSmart solar facility, which could more than double the output of the 100-kilowatt facility. Using $190,000 allocated to the city as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the plan is to build up to another 150 kilowatts of capacity at SunSmart, Continue reading →