On November 2-3 2011, leading utilities will gather in Raleigh, NC, to discuss the latest developments in smart grid distribution automation. The growth in distribution automation projects is nothing short of astonishing. The reason? Optimizing distribution promises utilities of all sizes and markets a significant positive return on their smart grid investments, with real gains Continue reading →
distribution automation
For many market observers, the term “smart grid” is often synonymous with “smart meters.” While advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) has indeed captured most of the smart grid limelight over the past few years, this emphasis is changing as distribution automation (DA), spurred by the threats and the opportunities of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and distributed Continue reading →
General Electric said it will buy a FMC Tech, a smart grid start-up company that surfaced in “GE’s 2010 ecomagination Challenge,” a $200 million open innovation challenge that searches far and wide for the best and brightest bulbs in the smart-grid chandelier. By taking the plunge on FMC Tech, GE is expanding its offerings in Continue reading →
Now that U.S. utilities have taken federal stimulus funds and seamlessly built out two-way advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) connecting utility control centers and end users (OK, not completely, but let’s assume that the “stall-ulus” becomes a true stimulus in the near future), the question becomes, what’s next? At the moment, this new “comm layer” or Continue reading →
Alliant Energy Corporation’s (NYSE: LNT) Wisconsin Power and Light Company (Alliant Energy) subsidiary will file four American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant applications with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Investment Grant Program. The grants all involve projects connected to Alliant Energy’s implementation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology. If awarded, the four Continue reading →
