Due to the rapidly increasing global demand for electrical energy, managing power transmission and distribution has become one of today’s most complex challenges. Most power grids, however, designed and built decades ago are struggling to cope with these new requirements. A smart transformation is required. via www.esi-africa.com | Dawn of transparent and versatile power grids.
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 →
A newly formed alliance, the International Battery and Energy Storage Alliance (IBESA), has been created to help facilitate collaboration between solar, electrical energy storage, and smart grid technologies companies. via International Battery & Energy Storage Alliance Established | CleanTechnica.
NEWCASTLE University is already recognised internationally for its work in power generation and electrical systems. Professor Phil Taylor, the newly appointed director of the University’s Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability (NIReS), explains why it could soon be setting a smart example to the world. We have a long and proud heritage of electrical expertise Continue reading →
An alliance has been established to support and facilitate collaboration between solar, electrical energy storage and smart grid technologies companies. Under the leadership of Markus A.W. Hoehner, CEO of EuPD Research and Bryan D. Ekus, managing director of IPVEA (International PV Equipment Association), the first alliance for battery and storage solution providers in the PV Continue reading →
Today’s leading security experts believe the next catastrophic electrical failure may have more to do with Father Time than Mother Nature. Why? During recent decades, the focus of energy innovation has been to modernize energy distribution and make it safer, cleaner, more efficient, less costly, and open to more alternative forms of production—all viable goals. Continue reading →
A couple of realities have hit the electrical industry hard. First, the megastorm Hurricane Sandy hammered coastal towns and cities, such as New York and Boston, exposing the vulnerabilities of their aging infrastructure, from passive, dumb grid and fragile power lines, to transformers and power stations. Couple the degradation of power distribution with a nor’easter Continue reading →
As Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp noted in an earlier post, the United States is long overdue for an upgrade to our antiquated electrical grid. A “smart” electric grid allows homes and businesses to use, as well as produce and sell, electricity in a more technologically advanced way; wireless meters are used to transmit Continue reading →
FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company (CEI) will spend approximately $152 million in 2013 to further enhance the electrical system and reliability in northeast Ohio. via $20 million for smart grid part of CEI reliability plan – FierceSmartGrid.
FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company (CEI) will spend approximately $152 million in 2013 to further enhance the electrical system and reliability in northeast Ohio. via $20 million for smart grid part of CEI reliability plan – FierceSmartGrid.
Smart meters may seem like a big move for small districts. The average smart meter costs a customer $2 – $4 per per month during implementation and deployment, which can seem (initially) like a costly venture, requiring a lot of public persuasion. But more and more small and mid-size utilities are finding that upgrading their Continue reading →
In the basement of the L.C. Smith College of Engineering, $400,000 of equipment is currently working to provide students training for the future of power grid technology. The Smart Grid lab simulates the upgraded form of the power grid that supplies electricity to homes and businesses across the country. The lab was made possible through Continue reading →
The U.S. Army has tested a proof of concept for a smart electrical grid that would support tactical operations in the field. The concept, which was tested last summer, could save potentially billions of dollars in fuel use at remote forward positions. By eliminating the need to transport fuel for generators at such encampments, the Continue reading →
Call it a smarter way to get ‘powerful.’ The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is taking its first tentative steps into the futuristic world of the ‘Smart Grid’ by rolling out a pilot scheme among its Low Tension (Industrial) category consumers. Testing the waters, the KSEB is looking at how it can improve metering electricity Continue reading →
First, it was Smart Meters. Now, it’s Advanced Meters coming to your home soon. Southern California Gas company is rolling out its new advanced meters with the schedule having them installed in Tulare County in early 2014. Gas company spokesperson Javier Mendoza said the Advanced Meter should not be confused with the electrical utility Smart Continue reading →
GE Energy Financial Services is auctioning 15 megawatts of bi-directional electricity transfer capacity across its Linden, NJ, variable frequency transformer (VFT) smart grid project that enables a controlled transmission path between electrical grids. The auction will take place in April. According to GE, the scheduling rights “will become available on July 1, 2013, and last Continue reading →
Many years ago, I used to work for one of the largest Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs) in the country. The employees understood that our main job was to keep the lights on, safely and affordably. There was also an understanding that most end-consumers don’t think about their electrical infrastructures until the lights are out. This Continue reading →
In the 1950s and 60s, the Soviet Union used a centrally planned economy. Although it worked for a while, it eventually broke down and the country shifted to a market-based model. Our electric power system is undergoing a similar transition. For reasons I’ll explain, we must shift from central planning to a “transactive” system for Continue reading →
ComEd has opened its new training facility in Rockford. Built as part of the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act (EIMA), commonly known as the Smart Grid Bill, the facility features indoor and outdoor training space that houses a mock electrical substation that can be energized for instruction purposes. The facility was designed to instruct more than Continue reading →
A donation from Overland Park-based FishNet Security will enable researchers in Kansas State University’s Smart Grid Laboratory to study ways to improve electrical systems. FishNet Security, North America’s largest information security provider, will donate, integrate and manage software-defined networking equipment at the university’s Burns & McDonnell Smart Grid Laboratory. As a result of the gift, Continue reading →
