When we discussed our home solar panel project in mid-2011 with friends, one of the first questions everyone asked was, “What’s the payback period before you break-even?” The second question was unsurprisingly, “How much is it costing you?” but the focus always ended up on the payback. After all, if you’re going to invest in Continue reading →
Grants and Smart Grid Demonstration Programs is more than paying off. As of March 2012, the $2.9 billion spent on projects has yielded a total economic output of $6.8 billion. Also, the analysis indicated that high tech, industrial and service businesses usually involved in smart grid projects record higher than average labor income and boost Continue reading →
The pressure is mounting to determine how well the smart grid — and particularly the communications system, the central nervous system of the smart grid — has performed under stress and whether increasing investment in the communications system is the answer. via Smart Grid: It’s All About Communications | Smart Energy Portal.
“Double your pleasure, double your fun,” went the old advertising jingle for Doublemint gum. How does double your return on investment sound? We all know families containing “doubles”… fraternal twin siblings — the daughters of George and Laura Bush, for example. Each of the two can differ markedly from the other in looks, personalities and Continue reading →
Silicon Valley’s cleantech sector, which includes companies in biofuels, electric vehicles, lighting, solar and the smart grid, had a rocky 2012. The industry faced what’s known as the “cleantech cliff,” as one-time federal stimulus funding wound down and venture investment pulled back. There was significant drop-off in venture investment in the sector: Global clean-technology venture Continue reading →
Energy efficiency can be a great investment, but a lack of capital is often a barrier. Energy-efficiency financing programs designed to help energy users overcome this barrier have been around for at least 30 years. But in the residential sector, few of these programs have been successful. via Rural co-ops hold the secret to energy-efficiency Continue reading →
There was an interesting article in Time Magazine last week about all the work being done to make our power grid more efficient. The “Enernet” as they call it – the combination of energy technology and the internet – has spurred multiple startups and heavy investment in software that can read and react to power Continue reading →
While there are some nagging questions, Texas is spending $6.8 billion on new transmission lines to deliver electricity from wind farms in West Texas to its major metro areas such as Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. And while it’s certainly a plus for the state, its economy and jobs, that transmission investment also is Continue reading →
At the recent Energy Innovation Summit of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E), Deputy Director Cheryl Martin asserted that in the four years since the United Stated government agency started catalyzing energy breakthrough technologies, ARPA-E projects have achieved major technical successes and produced significant market engagement. The projects fostered by Continue reading →
ARPA-E, the Department of Energy’s $770-million-and-counting investment into cutting-edge energy technologies, has mainly focused its funding on renewable energy (the SunShot initiative is an outgrowth of ARPA-E), biofuels, energy storage and power electronics. But there’s also a fair share of smart-grid-specific technologies under the ARPA-E umbrella. In October 2011, the agency formed its Green Electricity Continue reading →
One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increasing investment in smart grid construction. The Global Flywheel Energy Storage market has also been witnessing increasing investment in energy storage technology. However, the lack of familiarity with flywheel technologies could pose a challenge to the growth of this market. via Research and Continue reading →
Big data analytics has sparked a reinvention of the smart grid. GTM Research forecasts cumulative global spending on smart-grid-related analytics to top $20.6 billion between the years 2012 and 2020. Globally, it predicts an annual spending of $3.8 billion in 2020. The firm estimates that “for utilities deploying these technologies, the achieved return on this Continue reading →
The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the Guam Power Authority a $16.7 million smart grid ARRA grant in 2009. GPA issued bonds for its 50 percent funding match. Over 400 utilities across the U.S. applied. DOE awarded 100 grants ranking GPA’s proposal the fourth highest. GPA has until Dec. 31, 2013 to complete the project. Continue reading →
The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the Guam Power Authority a $16.7 million smart grid ARRA grant in 2009. GPA issued bonds for its 50 percent funding match. Over 400 utilities across the U.S. applied. DOE awarded 100 grants ranking GPA’s proposal the fourth highest. GPA has until Dec. 31, 2013 to complete the project. Continue reading →
The municipal and cooperative power companies that make up the country’s public power utilities have a completely different set of concerns and priorities than their IOU cousins. A Users Conference Survey conducted with utility customers of smart grid communications company Tantalus found that their focus and investment priorities for 2013 are the new technologies that Continue reading →
Lionel Chocron, general manager for Connected Energy Networks Business Unit at Cisco, sees in the years to come a recognition by regulators and policymakers (and utilities) that “intelligent, secure and connected energy networks are key to enabling the lower-carbon, energy independent economy we envision for ourselves.” And because of that optimism, he expects those stakeholders to Continue reading →
Smart grid technology investment has given rise to the need for true system engineering skills similar to those fostered by U.S. investment in the space program. The investment being made in intelligent infrastructure should be the nation’s man on the moon for the next decade. A system engineering approach to the smart grid, along with Continue reading →
As renewable energy and clean technology grows in global importance, the winners of the Global Cleantech Cluster Association (GCCA) Later Stage Award reflect the increasing success of this $163.1 billion global market. The GCCA’s Global Top 10 Winners represent the best of the association’s over 4000 member companies and were recognized on November 12 in Savannah, Continue reading →
In July, we reported on the first real test of EPB Chattanooga’s smart grid investment that occurred when a powerful windstorm roared through the city in Tennessee. The utility, which serves 170,000 customers, found that it cut its power outages by at least half, according to Jim Glass, manager of smart grid development at EPB Continue reading →
While relatively new, the smart water market is growing as a “similar and parallel market” to the smart grid segment of the electric utility industry – and significant investments in smart water solutions are expected over the next five years. A new report from IDC Energy Insights predicts worldwide utility industry spending on smart water Continue reading →
