Think back to the age of telecom before the breakup of AT&T, before the Internet, before Facebook or Twitter. That’s about how antiquated America’s system for delivering electricity—the electrical grid—is today. In many parts of the country, the grid is so “dumb” that workers still have to walk from house to house to read the Continue reading →
electric grid
The race to build a cleaner, more efficient electrical grid has sparked a diverse, rapidly-growing industry, including traditional utilities, titans of the internet boom like Cisco Systems and Intel, and a crop of startups hoping to hit it big. Now a new report from research firm Zpryme says that if this market stays on track, Continue reading →
Maine faces two starkly different choices about the future of its electrical system. On one hand is a plan by Central Maine Power to spend $1.5 billion on massive upgrades to the electric grid. This would make CMP’s current “dumb grid” even bigger and dumber; …On the other hand is an alternative proposal by GridSolar Continue reading →
Less than a month after it handed out $3.4 billion in stimulus grants to utilities working toward a cleaner, more efficient electrical grid, the U.S. Department of Energy says it is doling out another $620 million to projects working on demonstration-scale Smart Grid technologies. Today, it named 32 recipients working on every aspect of the Continue reading →
Energy Secretary Chu announced today that the Department of Energy is awarding more than $7 million for 2 Pennsylvania projects to demonstrate advanced Smart Grid technologies and integrated systems that will help build a smarter, more efficient, more resilient electrical grid. This announcement is part of $620 million in funding from the American Recovery and Continue reading →
President Barack Obama announced $3.4 billion in spending for the nation’s power transmission system Tuesday. White House economic adviser Jared Bernstein talks to The Associated Press about the new ‘smart’ electric grid. (Oct. 27)
Tammy Yeakel is an admitted scold about turning off the lights and TV when her family leaves a room in their home near Allentown, Pa. When it’s hot, she closes the blinds. “When it’s chilly — suck it up and use sweaters and slippers. I am a bit of a miser when it comes to Continue reading →
Renewable energy sources like solar and wind have the potential to strongly contribute to our electricity mix in years to come. To get a better grasp on how solar and our electrical grid work together, I sat down with Gary Paul and Andy Roehr, both Vice Presidents of Capgemini’s Smart Energy Practice in North America. Continue reading →
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that it will hand out $72 million in stimulus funds to states and territories working to establish energy efficiency initiatives. Recipient states must implement programs that slash energy consumption across the board, decarbonize their electrical grids and spur the creation of more green jobs, energy secretary Steven Chu Continue reading →
The Galvin Electricity Initiative will initiate a dialogue among industry leaders at GridWeek 2009 to identify strategies for building smart microgrids — small, local, modernized versions of the bulk power grid that optimize the local distribution system and maximize benefits for both consumers and utilities. The Initiative will lead an expert panel on Wednesday, September Continue reading →
We Energies is seeking $4 million in “smart grid” funding in a federal grant proposal forwarded this month to the U.S. Department of Energy. The proposal envisions an $8 million project, half of which would be borne by the company and half an allocation from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Under a “smart grid,” Continue reading →
Progress Energy announced that it applied for $200 million in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) federal infrastructure funds for the development of an electric Smart Grid in the Carolinas and Florida. The DOE grant would be shared equally between the two states. A “Smart Grid” is a modernized digital electric transmission and distribution system that Continue reading →
DOE Modern Grid Strategy leader takes a look at what the smart grid needs to have to succeed and who some of the players might be to make it happen. The United States is a decade behind Europe and two behind the Danish in terms of a smarter grid system and deriving energy from renewables Continue reading →
The state of Vermont is pushing ahead with plans to use federal economic stimulus money to upgrade the statewide electric grid. State officials call it an investment in technology that promises a payback for consumers and Vermont’s future economic well-being. The advantage of a smart grid becomes apparent inside the control room at Green Mountain Continue reading →
Another video from Stanford University – February 5, 2009 lecture by Nicholas Jenkins for the Woods Energy Seminar (ENERGY301). In his talk “Smart Grids and De-Carbonising the Power Sector,” Jenkins discusses the progress and implementation of smart power grids using cost-effective analysis. The Woods Energy Seminar is an interdisciplinary series of talks primarily by Stanford Continue reading →
The Energy Department is making up to $30 billion in loan guarantee authority available for renewable energy and electric grid modernization projects. DOE announced yesterday it was ready to accept applications for about $8.5 billion in loan guarantee authority for advanced renewable energy projects made available in the department’s 2009 spending bill and $3.25 billion Continue reading →
After years of talk about smart electric grids, engineers and marketers are rolling up their sleeves and putting pen to paper. A broad group of companies including giants Cisco Systems and Intel Corp. are working with utilities to draft proposals competing for $3.9 billion in grants recently announced by the Department of Energy. In addition, Continue reading →
Last summer, Shirley Norlem of Annapolis joined 1,000 other Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers in testing new “smart grid” technology that promises to transform the way Marylanders consume – and conserve – energy in our increasingly carbon-constrained world. In exchange for significant rebates on her bill, Ms. Norlem shut down her plasma television, computer Continue reading →
The American electric grid is an engineering marvel, arguably the single largest and most complex machine in the world. It’s also 40 years old and so rickety that power interruptions and blackouts cost the economy some $150 billion a year. The idea of building a connected “smart” grid that can route power intelligently is beyond Continue reading →
