| Today's Top Stories
1. California will lead EV adoption into next decade
2. GE DR enables dynamic pricing, direct load control
3. Smart grid shift driving FANs
4. Silver Spring load control tech needs no AMI
5. SAP infrastructure analytics solution maximizes transformer life Editor's Corner: Know thy (low income) customer Also Noted: Spotlight On... USDA "smart grid" funding
China's smart grid security; powerline communications' smart grid niche and much more... Obama eyes cybersecurity order
In the aftermath of the failed attempt to pass federal cyber security legislation through Congress last month, the White House is preparing to issue an Executive Order to help protect the country's critical infrastructure from dangerous attacks. Feature Retailers harness renewable energy
Harnessing renewable energy sources is a huge part of energy efficiency, and as energy costs constantly rising, the importance of sustainability is going to remain dominant in the industry. Many utilities are embracing these sources and doing their part to invest in renewable energy and offer it to their customers. But utilities aren't the only ones who can make a difference, as large national retailers across the U.S. have started committing themselves to renewable energy and establishing "green" business practices.Slideshow
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Know thy (low income) customer
Utilities are struggling to understand their customers -- transitioning from a perception of customers as "ratepayers" to that of customers as "consumers" of energy services.
"Know thy customer" takes on a whole new meaning in today's utility climate from consumer smart grid awareness, perceptions and education to segmentation through marketing, programs and communication. New research findings can help utilities know their "low-income customer" just a bit better. Read the entire Editor's Corner online at FierceSmartGrid. Read more about: Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative low-income consumer research
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Today's Top News 1. California will lead EV adoption into next decade
Geography is a huge factor when it comes to the likelihood of purchasing an electric vehicle, and it's no surprise that California is a standout when it comes to electric vehicle adoption rates. New research from Pike Research projects that California will be the state with the highest plug-in electric vehicle sales over the remainder of the decade. "PEV sales roughly correspond to population, but other factors, including demographics, socioeconomics, and public policy, have a strong influence as well," said Pike Senior Research Analyst Dave Hurst. "Florida, for example, the third largest market for PEVs, has 60 percent of the population of California, but by 2020 Florida will have only 25 percent the number of PEVs found in California." The state with the highest penetration rate of PEVs, as a percentage of total light-duty vehicle sales, will be Hawaii, where fuel costs are high and average distances driven are relatively short, according to the research. California, the focus of both strong green vehicle policies and accelerated manufacturer rollouts, will have four of the top 10 metropolitan areas for PEV sales: Los Angeles/Long Beach, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose/Santa Clara, and the Sacramento area, according to the research. For more:
- see this article Related Articles:
EVs even more compelling with launch of GM/OnStar smart grid pilot
OnStar, GM part of EV smart grid research Read more about: Dave Hurst, Pike Research
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2. GE DR enables dynamic pricing, direct load control
GE has launched PowerOn Precision demand optimization technology to help utilities reduce peak demands and costs while ensuring a more energy-efficient, reliable grid. PowerOn Precision is a demand response management system using GE software and continuous-learning algorithms to deliver dynamic pricing incentives and direct load control capabilities. These rate programs encourage customers to adjust their energy usage and make other behavioral changes related to energy consumption while qualifying for energy discounts and bonuses that lower their electric bills. PowerOn Precision enables several forms of communication—via home energy portals and smart appliances to building management systems, electric vehicle charging stations and other energy management systems, customers receiving critical communications allowing them to tune in to their energy usage and make the necessary changes to conserve. This is especially critical during energy-intensive events such as heat waves to allow load shedding on the grid. For more:
- see this article Related Articles:
Pike Research: Automated demand response market to grow 500% over 10 years
DR demand increases competition
SCE first utility DRPP partner Read more about: GE PowerOn Precision demand response management system
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3. Smart grid shift driving FANs
Utilities are increasingly creating common platforms to connect field area networks (FAN) -- the systems used to connect the various devices within a utility's field of operations, which can include smart meters, concentrators, distribution assets, control and protection equipment, and substation equipment all working together to enable simpler, more unified visibility, management and control. "The development of field area networks is being driven largely by a shift in the way smart grid-based products and services are being positioned and marketed," said Pike Research's Chief Research Director Bob Gohn. "Vendors are making a concerted effort to reposition themselves as platform vendors and integrators, rather than as simply suppliers of a specific piece of equipment, such as smart meters or radios. At the same time, utilities have recognized the value of creating interconnected communications networks that will allow them to better manage the distribution grid." Smart grid solutions for field area networks are now available using technology integrating Cisco's Connected Grid Endpoint reference design with Elster's EnergyAxis System. The combined solution will integrate the Elster EnergyAxis architecture within the Cisco IPv6 RF Mesh reference design, enabling smart meters to act as sensors for advanced distribution automation and asset management applications such as outage notification, voltage monitoring, asset monitoring, and loss detection. For more:
- see this article Related Article:
Microgrids: Transforming the global smart grid Read more about: field area networks, Cisco-Elster smart grid solutions for field area networks
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4. Silver Spring load control tech needs no AMI
Silver Spring Networks has a new load control solution that provides utilities with fast demand response (DR) resources to help them reduce peak load and maintain grid reliability without the need for existing AMI infrastructure. Managing electrical load and ensuring grid reliability are crucial elements of utilities' smart grid strategies. The Direct-to-Grid technology allows utilities to directly monitor and manage energy intensive assets such as air conditioners, electric heaters, water heaters, and pool pumps. With two-way communications capability, these new load control devices can be used to update legacy DR technology ahead of, or together with, advanced meter rollouts, delivering utilities real-time load shed verification data for better management of load control resources. For more:
- see this article
- see this article Related Articles:
Silver Spring Networks chosen for Brazilian smart grid
Silver Spring to provide price-based DR for OGE Read more about: Silver Spring Networks Direct-to-Grid load control technology
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5. SAP infrastructure analytics solution maximizes transformer life
SAP AG has released its Grid Infrastructure Analytics rapid-deployment solution, which analyzes overload data to help utility grid operators improve operational efficiency and maximize the lifetime of transformers, which undergo a continuous loss of life during operations and overload. Grid Infrastructure Analytics enables operators to quickly deploy a scalable technology foundation, offering insight into transformer health, transformer overload and sensor monitoring in order to provide more streamlined maintenance plans and extend the life of transformers. Field maintenance workers can analyze sensor health on secure mobile devices. The solutions combine pre-configured content, best practices and pre-defined services to deploy a wide gamut of enterprise technology in under 60 days, helping customers lower the cost of implementation and speed time to value on premise, cloud and mobile. For more:
- see this article Read more about: utility infrastructure analytics, SAP AG
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Also Noted SPOTLIGHT ON... USDA "smart grid" funding The USDA recently reached its goal of financing $250 million to rural America for smart grid projects. In fact, the goal was surpassed by $19 million…but how many millions will actually impact smart grid? Article Quick news from around the Web >Los Alamos National Laboratory unveils a new smart grid. Video
>Australian utilities could pay for the right to turn off customers' air conditioning. Article
>China's smart grid driving huge security investments. Article
>Powerline communications will continue to serve niche markets like smart grid. Article > GridWeek 2012 - October 2,4 - Washington, DC Globally recognized as the must-attend gathering dedicated to the modernization of our global Smart Grid. For more information and to register, click here! > RETECH 2012 - October 16-19, 2012 - Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC RETECH 2012 is the only event dedicated to delivering coverage on every discipline of renewable energy technology. RETECH is the renewable energy industry's meeting place for over 3,000 Government, Utility, Finance and Technology professionals from 60 countries. Register today! > GridComms - October 22, 2012 - London, UK GridComms is the global Smart Grid event focused on Smart Grid Communications infrastructure. From deploying and securing advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) to building smart cities, this show is aimed at bringing communications professionals together to discuss innovation, application, and management of smart grid networks. This event will showcase technology innovation, network and data management, customer engagement technologies, and industry collaboration. For more information and to register, visit www.gridcomms.com.
| > White paper: Smart Planning for Smart Grid AMI Mesh Networks Mesh networks must be properly designed to operate within the constraints of mesh routing protocols and capacity limits This white paper shows how planning/analysis techniques can deliver reliable and scalable networks and outlines best RF design practices to optimize for performance and cost. Download today! > White paper: Cellular Communications and the Future of Smart Metering This paper focuses on Smart Metering as one of the cornerstones of the Smart Grid vision. It explores the drivers and benefits of Smart Metering in an intelligent energy grid and examines the role that cellular technology is playing in these projects. The paper also discusses the critical success factors for Smart Metering communications infrastructures and best practices when designing wireless Smart Metering solutions. Download now. > Whitepaper: Creating Your Smart Grid: A How-to Guide The smart grid promises to bring unprecedented opportunities for both utilities and consumers, improving safety, reliability, efficiency and security. But how do we create the smart grid? What are the technologies to consider? How do the various technologies interoperate? How do we get the traditional applications to work well with the new ones? Download this How-to Guide today! > University Clean Tech Directory and Database More than 400 technologies and startups - mined, vetted and indexed from 200+ U.S. universities - plus continuous database updates Use discount code "FIERCE2012" for $100 off. See www.universitycleantech.com | |
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