Last Chance to Register for Autovation at the Early Rate
Utilimetrics
Autovation early registration closes tomorrow. Get the best rate for the premier utility automation conference in North America when you register by July 20.

For the first time, educational session descriptions have been posted online in advance. Click here for brief descriptions on each of the educational sessions and panel discussions. The document will be updated regularly, so bookmark this very important page.More

Sponsorship Opportunity of the Week
Utilimetrics
Mobile App

The Mobile App will allow attendees to access conference materials and stay up-to-date on any changes or events taking place throughout the event. Your company's logo will appear on the app as the official sponsor.

Affordable sponsorship opportunities begin at $1,500. Enhance your Autovation presence before, during and after the conference. Contact Mary Michalik at Corcoran Expositions, 312.265.9650 to learn more about the sponsorship opportunity of the week or to design your sponsorship package.

Click here to view the Sponsorship Brochure. (It may take a moment to load, thanks for your patience.)More

Reserve Your Exhibit Space
Utilimetrics
If your company is an industry supplier, you need to have a booth in the Autovation exhibit hall. Decision-makers from electric, gas and water utilities will visit the hall to learn about solutions that will help them improve operations. Make sure your company is represented.

To view the floor plan and reserve your space, click here. For assistance in selecting your booth, contact Ralph Mateer. Utilimetrics members receive significant discounts on exhibit space. Join now. More

Utilimetrics LinkedIn Group Welcomes 700th Member
Utilimetrics
When Karen Noe from PSE&G joined the Utilimetrics LinkedIn Group, the roster reached 700 members. Utilimetrics LinkedIn Group members share industry information and ideas for improving operations. Click here to join the Utilimetrics LinkedIn Group.

Utilimetrics has nearly 900 Twitter followers. Click here to follow Utilimetrics on Twitter. More

Mehrdod Mohseni to Lead International Systems Integration Services at UISOL
Utility Integration Solutions Inc.
Utility Integration Solutions Inc., the utility industry systems integration specialist, has hired smart energy expert Mehrdod Mohseni as senior vice president of system integration services, international. Mohseni will develop business to provide smart grid integration services to utilities beyond North America, starting in Europe and South America.More

Iowa Municipality Selects Tantalus to Power Smart Grid Project
Tantalus
Tantalus, a leading provider of smart grid communications, announced that Cedar Falls Utilities in Iowa has selected Tantalus as the technology platform for a fiber-based smart grid solution. Tantalus' communications technology will support the utility's existing fiber-to-the-home and wireless broadband networks, which provide an order of magnitude more bandwidth capacity to their customers than is commonly available. This is the company's second Midwest win leveraging its joint offering for public power with Itron.More

PPL Electric Utilities Receives J.D. Power and Associates Award for Highest Residential Customer Satisfaction
PPL Corporation
PPL Electric Utilities has ranked highest among large electric utilities in the eastern United States for residential customer satisfaction in a study by J.D. Power and Associates. The award is the company's 18th overall since J.D. Power and Associates began studying customer satisfaction among electric utilities. The company now has received nine top awards for residential customer satisfaction and nine for business customer satisfaction.More

CoServ Electric Selects Ecologic MDM Solution for Distribution Technology Initiative
Ecologic Analytics
Ecologic Analytics, the leading provider of meter data management systems based on international standards, announces that CoServ Electric has selected the Ecologic MDM solution for its advanced metering and electric distribution technology initiative, CoServ eCoGrid. CoServ, provider of electric and natural gas service to more than 140,000-plus members across North Texas, chose Ecologic Analytics for its proven MDM solution containing the necessary processing and analytic capabilities to prepare advanced meter data for use in distribution and customer operations; its existing integration with Landis+Gyr Gridstream™ technology and its use of standards to integrate with many adjacent back office systems.More

Achieving Compliance in the Smart Grid
Dark Reading
Every industry poses a unique set of challenges for security pros, but of all the industry verticals that we interact with on a daily basis, can you think of one more important or vital to our national security interests than the energy sector? An abrupt, large-scale power outage would be devastating, causing significant loss of life and billions of dollars in damages. That's why compliance in this arena is so important. More

Co-ops Get USDA Loans for Smart Grid
ECT.coop
An assortment of electric cooperative smart grid initiatives is among the latest round of Agriculture Department loan guarantees for transmission and distribution improvements. The department's Rural Utilities Service is providing $10 million for smart grid projects as part of $287 million that 15 co-ops will use to upgrade and expand their infrastructure.More

Navigant Expands Energy Research and Market Intelligence Offerings with Addition of Pike Research
Pike Research
Navigant announced that it has expanded its energy-sector market intelligence and industry report capabilities by adding the expertise of the professionals from Pike Research. Through the development and publication of more than 100 research reports annually, many of which are delivered via subscription, the Pike Research team develops market sizing, forecasting and segmentation for new clean technology markets; analyzes the structure of emerging value chains; provides competitive intelligence and benchmarking services; and assesses demand for new products.More

Poor Score for US in Energy Efficiency Report
TG Daily
The U.S. is lagging way behind in terms of energy efficiency, according to a new report from the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The U.K. comes in first, followed closely by Germany, Italy and Japan. But the U.S. is ninth on the list, trailing the EU as a whole, Australia and even China, having made "limited or little progress toward greater efficiency at the national level," the report concludes.More

NIST Releases Test Framework for Upgrading Smart Electrical Meters
NIST
Next-generation smart electrical meters for residential and commercial buildings will have computerized operating systems just as laptops or mobile devices do. On July 10, the National Institute of Standards and Technology published its first draft guidelines* to help utility companies test their procedures for upgrading meters securely from a remote location.More