Global smart grid firms S&C Electric Co. and Alstom Grid announced an integrated solution combining S&C’s IntelliTeam SG Automatic Restoration System and Alstom Grid’s e-terradistribution Integrated Distribution Management System. This new solution, announced at DistribuTECH 2012 in San Antonio, is the outcome of joint research and development to support smart distribution through layered intelligence. The Continue reading →
smart grid
Maxim Integrated Products (NASDAQ: MXIM) announces that its G3-PLC™ protocol has been approved by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a new low-frequency, OFDM-based narrowband powerline communications (NB-PLC) standard. In partnership with Electricite Reseau Distribution France (ERDF) and Sagemcom, Maxim developed the G3-PLC specification to promote open-endedness and interoperability among smart grid implementations. Currently, the Continue reading →
Have you heard the term smart grid? If you answered yes, you are among the 49 percent of American consumers who are at least a little bit familiar with the term. Now comes a bit harder question: Can you explain what the term means? If you said no, you are hardly alone. According to findings Continue reading →
Korean and US researchers are collaborating on smart grid solutions that use wireless sensing and control systems. The engineering department of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) has entered into a 10-year partnership with the government-supported Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) in South Korea to develop new technologies with the aim of creating Continue reading →
Many people working in smart grid argue that the smart meter, which got so much attention (and stimulus funds) in recent years, is just an endpoint. Real smart grid is on the grid itself, providing two-way communication and more efficient power flow across the distribution system. But what if the meter can help with some Continue reading →
Ambient has announced that its Smart Grid communications nodes now include Qualcomm’s MDM6600 chipset. This mobile broadband solution adds communications flexibility to the platform and is certified by Verizon Wireless for use in its wireless network. Ambient currently connects over 500,000 smart grid application end points to utility network operation centers. via Ambient Integrates Qualcomm Continue reading →
Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS) and Green Mountain Power (GMP) has selected CamAmp to supply its Fusion-LTE router for their mid-tier networks to enable broadband communication for Smart Grid advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and Distribution Automation applications. Fusion-LTE was chosen as the communications link between the electric utilities’ AMI concentrators and their core communications infrastructures Continue reading →
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment system, is playing a key role in the national push for a robust, reliable, and interoperable smart grid for the United States. Ranking among the administration’s top priorities for the nation, the smart grid is a planned nationwide network that integrates Continue reading →
The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) accelerated approach for approving funding of smart grid projects led to inadequate review of cybersecurity plans, warned the DOE’s Inspector General (IG). In the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, DOE received $3.5 billion to fund smart grid projects, which the department awarded to 99 recipients. via Infosecurity – Continue reading →
Honeywell International recently announced an agreement with the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) to implement China’s first smart grid demand response project. State Grid Electric Power Research Institute (SGEPRI) selected Honeywell to develop the project in February. The agreement represents the official launch of the demand response system pilot, jointly sponsored by the U.S. and Continue reading →
One of the year’s largest smart grid conferences — DistribuTECH — closes today in San Antonio, Texas. The event is relatively unknown in IT and web circles, but it’s like the CES for utilities, power companies and the vendors that are trying to sell them stuff. However, what interests me is that there seems to Continue reading →
When lay people talk about delays in implementing smart grid, there’s a tendency to blame the energy industry for “dragging its feet” regarding technologies that update the old grid. Ask industry insiders, though, and you get a different perspective. To utility leaders and experts, the single greatest roadblock to smart grid in the United States Continue reading →
As I’ve been walking the floor at DistribuTECH in San Antonio, Texas — one of the largest smart grid focused conferences of the year — I’ve been snapping pics of the grid connected devices that will deliver a more efficient system and create the Energy Internet. via Photos: The smart grid devices at DistribuTECH — Continue reading →
Taking a step closer to ensuring that new electrical devices will be ready to plug into the nation’s next-generation power grid, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)’s Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) recently outlined the process by which test laboratories and certifying organizations are accredited for evaluation of Smart Grid products. via Updated Continue reading →
Vladimir Lenin, who needs no introduction, famously or perhaps notoriously said that communism equaled Soviet power plus the complete electrification of Russia. A Russian joke had it, QED, that Soviet power equaled communism minus electrification. But we digress. What brings all this to mind was the assertion this week by Damir Novosel, at a meeting Continue reading →
ETSI has recently published two specifications for Smart Grid that will help drive the development and deployment of open, interoperable smart grid technologies internationally. As the smart grid evolves, it will become commonplace for utilities to cooperate with grid-aware systems and devices to reduce power usage intelligently, giving commercial, industrial and municipal users reduced rates Continue reading →
CSC (NYSE: CSC) announced today that it is collaborating with leading wireless network and performance management software provider Proximetry to leverage its AirSync™ platform as the foundation of a first-of-its-kind smart grid network management cloud service. For utility operators seeking to proactively and efficiently manage their smart grid communication networks, CSC’s AirSync Cloud offering provides Continue reading →
The early 8AM presentation by LG Electronics had press cramped like sardines with standing room only in the large auditorium. With so many products in their stable, we heard brief introductions to their HD 3D televisions, smartphones, the Smart Grid, smart home appliances and connectivity. via CES 2012: LG Press Conference Featuring Smart Fridges! – Continue reading →
Not all cellular network traffic comes from our cell phones and gadgets; a growing amount will come from machines using these networks to communicate (Internet of Things), including the utilities that provide you with power and water. On Thursday, Sprint announced that a variety of smart grid vendors will be using its wireless networks to Continue reading →
Those of you who prefer just simple on-off features for your everyday household appliances be forewarned: you may have fewer options for dumb appliances in the near future. Appliance maker Whirlpool is embracing the notion of the smart grid with four appliances that will be introduced over the next 18 months — a refrigerator, dishwasher, Continue reading →
