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Is the smart grid putting the UK at risk?

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

The world is becoming increasingly connected, and this now extends beyond traditional IT, such as laptops and mobiles, to previously offline devices, such as printers, ATMs and shop tills. Networking specialist Cisco claims this is a growing trend, and has predicted that the number of network-connected devices will be more than 15bn — twice the world's population — by 2015.

National Grid makes sustainability hub part of its smart grid pilot

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

National Grid is one of the U.S. utilities working hard to do it right. It has tied its 15,000-meter smart grid pilot in Worcester, Mass., to sustainability and a "green economy." It identified that theme as important to the community during town hall gatherings and other meetings it conducted in advance.

Processing and modeling techniques moving wind energy forward

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

Wind intercepted by the turbine is proportional to the square of its blade length. However, the maximum blade length of a turbine is limited by both the strength and stiffness of its material. The industry is looking to material advances in resin and fiber as well as processing technologies to enable development of longer, lighter turbine blades. Turbine blade manufacturing automation is a key wind-energy processing trend.

US utilities leading in customer service

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

Energy utilities in the U.S. are making significant strides in educating and engaging their customers about how to better control the amount of energy they use, the resulting costs they incur and the benefits to shifting their consumption. New installations and activations of smart meters combined with the deployment of smart grid infrastructure and an ever-growing array of smart energy applications, or apps, are heralding a new era of energy management by utilities and consumers alike.

Water utilities to spend $2 billion on smart meters through 2020

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

U.S. water utilities will spend $2 billion on smart meters in infrastructure upgrades this year through 2020, almost matching all previous investment in the leak-finding devices, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Water utilities until this year had spent $2.4 billion on smart meters, according to data compiled by the London-based research firm. Investment peaked at $395 million in 2010 as companies took advantage of stimulus funding allocated for clean-energy and water projects, said Maxime Serrano Bardisa of BNEF.

Senate greenlights Ernest Moniz nomination 97-0

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

Even in a bitterly divided Capitol, Democrats and Republicans joined together in a sweeping vote to confirm Ernest Moniz as Energy secretary. The vote was 97-0. The vote installs Moniz, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor and seasoned veteran of Washington, D.C., as the second key member of Obama's second-term energy and environment team. The Senate last month approved outdoor retailer and conservationist Sally Jewell as Interior secretary.

US electric car sales hit 100,000

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

Somewhere today — probably in Portland, San Francisco or Seattle or some place like that — the 100,000th plug-in electric vehicle was sold in the United States. That's the estimate from the EV advocacy group Plug In America, which as of early this afternoon put the number at 100,115 and counting. The group says it bases its number on monthly sales data provided by carmakers.

Michigan commission rules DTE Energy can charge opt out fees to customers in smart meter program

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

The Michigan Public Service Commission has ruled that DTE Energy can charge its customers who opt out of its smart meter program, according to media reports. The Commission ruled that DTE can charge an initial $67.20 to opt out, as well as a monthly surcharge of $9.80, MLive reported.

Solar trade fight between China and the EU heats up

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

A Chinese-European dispute over solar-panel imports threatens to escalate into a global trade war, and Washington is scrambling to help negotiate a settlement. The Obama administration has begun talks on the issue with the European Union and China, Bloomberg News reported recently, citing people familiar with the discussions.

The military microgrid as smart grid asset

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

Never-fail military microgrids are breaking new ground in distributed energy management. Now one of them is getting connected to the grid at large. That's the news from Fort Bliss, Texas, where the U.S. Army and Lockheed Martin cut the symbolic ribbon on the first Department of Defense grid-tied microgrid.

Senate greenlights Ernest Moniz nomination 97-0

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

Even in a bitterly divided Capitol, Democrats and Republicans joined together in a sweeping vote to confirm Ernest Moniz as Energy secretary. The vote was 97-0.

False start for UK smart meter roll out

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

The U.K.'s ambitious plan to roll out as many as 50 million residential smart meters was set to launch in summer 2014. Instead it will launch no sooner than fall 2015.

New Mexico utility honored for smart water initiative

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

The Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority was honored for the Best Smart Infrastructure during the Expanding Excellence Awards.

Powering Times Square via Shanghai: How a global smart grid can fuel our insatiable data appetite

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

At our current pace of consumption, the world’s demands for compute power will quickly outpace the energy provided by our data centers. The solution is a global smart grid, and Europe provides a model for what that might look like.

Utilities stymied in finding smart way to finance the smart grid

23 May 2013 07:36:52 CDT

The U.S. electricity industry is struggling to figure out how to finance smart grid investments, a survey by the engineering firm Black & Veatch finds. The problem is that investment in the so-called smart grid — where communications and computer technology more tightly tie and manage energy from the power plant to the home — aren't easily captured in the rate structures most investor-owned utilities rely upon.