Smart Grid Blog

Utilities around the world are still struggling to understand and implement new technology needed to make electrical grids cleaner and more efficient. Only 8 percent of them worldwide have finished rolling out smart meters and other equipment under the banner of “Smart Grid,” according to new survey data collected by Microsoft.

Completed Smart Grid deployments might not be the best metric, but data showing that only 37 percent of utilities are working on relevant projects, and that more than half have done nothing to transition their operations, indicates that we here in the U.S. think the Smart Grid is being adopted much faster than it actually is.

via Microsoft survey: Utilities still slow to buy into the Smart Grid | VentureBeat.

Echelon announced on March 10 that it had shipped two million of its Networked Energy Services (NES) smart meters.  Danish utility SEAS-NVE pushed Echelon over the milestone with its order for 390,000 smart meters as part of the biggest smart grid project in Denmark.

The NES smart grid solution allows for a feature rich and highly scalable system of smart meters that are accessible over the Internet.  Utilities around the world are using Echelon’s solutions.  Installations exist in more than 10 countries worldwide.

via Echelon ships two million smart meters.

The concept of storing electricity generated in a utility grid has been tried since the beginning of the power industry. In the U.S., large-scale storage projects flourished in the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s as utilities added 18 GWs of pumped hydro facilities to support the rapid build out of the fleet of nuclear power plants across the nation. Nuclear plants run best at higher power ratings, so pumping water in these hydro plants presented ideal off-peak loads during nights and weekends when customer demands are lowest. This method of grid storage has been improved during the past two decades, and today these plants provide more than 2 percent of the total capacity of the national grid.

via Taking Grid Energy Storage to the Edge – Utility Automation/Electric Light & Power.

Learning how smart grid technology works is important but even more significant is figuring out what the technology will do for people. As a way to monitor power demands and reallocate resources there are many companies adopting smart grid technology. The recent buzz around this technology is not only about preventing blackouts and blowouts but also about the human benefits that comes from smart grid. With the evolution of the smart grid, companies have been creating a channel of communication, clearly highlighting the positive aspects of smart grid. Considering the current influx of interactive microsites, YouTube videos and pricey commercials, companies have become highly invested in communicating to the consumer that the smart grid, is a good thing.

via Are There Human Benefits in Smart Grid? | BuildIntel.

Alcatel-Lucent has joined forces with German internet and communications technology specialist Webolution to set up an energy information network. By integrating a Webolution intelligent gateway, the different interfaces and communications protocols of heating, water, electricity and gas meters can be connected to the internet. This will provide energy utilities with new billing and consumption calculation possibilities. The aim of the alliance is to develop a range of systems for automatic data collection for energy and consumption measurements in Germany. They will also develop a complete portfolio of services covering the multi-utility, smart metering, smart grid, smart home and smart care markets.

via ‘Alcatel, Webolution team for smart energy systems’ | TradingMarkets.com.

Most communications service providers (CSPs) are currently focused on offering backhaul communication solutions to utilities looking to delve into the smart grid, but that doesn’t mean they’re not equipped to offer more. According to Bill Ablondi, Parks Associates’ director of home systems, there’s room for telcos – amongst the IT companies and home-area network vendors – to carve a niche in remote energy management (REM), with or without the help of a utility.

via Defining telcos role in remote energy management.

The Project Grey Goose Report on Critical Infrastructure says attacks against the power grid are expected to increase over the next year. GreyLogic CEO Jeffrey Carr, who authored the report, says since 2001 there has been “at least 120 instances” where utilities have already been the target of cyber hackers. The report warns that number may increase as the transition from isolated, closed energy-generation and transmission networks to IP-based and wireless ones increases as more smart grid projects are undertaken.

via New Reports Suggests Smart Grid Attack Likely.

aving demonstrated its potential in the transport sector, Tessella has outlined plans to launch a predictive analytics tool for the utilities industry. While Ovum believes this to be a sensible move based on the opportunities that smart grid initiatives will offer predictive analytics vendors, it remains to be seen whether Tessella has the marketing muscle to compete with major firms such as SAS.

via Tessella seeks opportunities for smart grid predictive analytics.

Despite all the talk about the Smart Grid, spending on electric power infrastructure has dropped for two straight years for the first time since the Great Depression. According to a new survey by Black & Veatch, many utilities are pulling in their horns to focus on keeping the lights on while keeping their books in the black.

Other interesting findings: Utilities are bullish on nuclear; they expect carbon legislation soon; and they believe a cap and trade plan would add $500-$1,000 to the average homeowner’s electric bill.

via 10* Smart Grid: Survey: Mini-Depression in Grid Spending, and Utilities are Bullish on Nuclear.

Utilities have learned a lot about how smart meters can compel consumers to save electricity. Unfortunately, too often they aren’t putting the knowledge to good use.

Smart meters are more precise than traditional meters in that they send readings on electricity usage to utility billing departments throughout the day. Not only do smart meters provide customers with a clearer picture of how they use electricity on a daily basis, they also make it possible for utilities to charge more for power when demand is highest—in the afternoon—and less when usage falls off—at night.

via Utilities Are Slow to Make the Most of Smart Meters – WSJ.com.

Microgrids are natural innovation zones for the Smart Grid because they have experimentation scalability and flexibility.  Smart utilities could create partnerships with academic and business campuses in their territories to deploy microgrids and study the most effective solutions for management of distributed generation.  Why distributed generation?  Because smart utilities should leverage the abilities of microgrids to contribute energy to the utility grid and disconnect from the grid during times of peak electricity use.

via Microgrids – Fast Tracking Distributed Generation in the Smart Grid | Smart Grid Library.

There has been discussion about privacy questions raised by the “smart grid,” where utilities would be able to collect granular data about consumers’ energy consumption — down to the daily electricity use by the fridge in your kitchen or the TV in your bedroom. The benefits could include more consumer control over usage, more efficient energy usage, a more reliable energy grid, and faster response by utilities to power outages. But there are questions about this intelligent meter system. Who would have access to this data — law enforcement, advertisers or others? What could they do with this data? What kind of security and privacy controls are there? The data could be highly personal: Do you have an alarm system and when is it activated; when do you usually shower or bathe; if a friend plugs her electric car into your recharging station in your garage, would her data be gathered or transferred?

via Privacy Lives » Blog Archive » Privacy and the Smart Grid.

Smart meter maker Itron reported better than expected fourth quarter and annual 2009 earnings late Wednesday. That wasn’t too shocking given Itron has been expected to turn around this year as it has started shipping significant volumes of smart meters to utilities. But what was surprising in the company’s conference call was this nugget that CEO Malcolm Unsworth let out about how some utilities might potentially be thinking about rejecting the smart grid stimulus funds because of certain tax restrictions.

via Some Utilities Considering Rejecting Smart Grid Stimulus Funds?.

The term “microgrid” may conjure up images of self-sufficient military bases and remote outposts, generating and consuming power without any connections to the larger electricity grid. After all, backup generators that support multiple buildings — the bare-bones definition of a microgrid —  are already a mainstay of hospitals, refineries, data centers, semiconductor plants and other institutions that can’t afford to let the power go down, even for a second. Such stand-alone microgrids now add up to about 450 megawatts of commercial and industrial capacity, and another 322 megawatts in the campus and institutional sector, in the U.S., according to Pike Research.

via Microgrids: Building Blocks of the Smart Grid.

For Dennis Arfmann, the smart grid worked as it should.

In 2008, as part of a pilot project with his utility, Xcel Energy, his home was equipped with technology to let him check via the Internet how much electricity he used.

via Utilities’ transition to smart grid has promise, but potholes, too – USATODAY.com.