| This week's sponsor is OpenText. |  | eBook: Smart Customer Communications for the New Energy Era This eBook from FierceMarkets Custom Publishing provides an overview of the convergence of regulatory, environmental and business needs leading to the smart grid becoming not just necessary, but also inevitable. To read more click here to download today.
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Today's Top Stories
1. Green Button's early leaps and bounds
2. ComEd stands to lose 1.2M more customers
3. Con Edison rebate offsets rooftop solar lighting retrofit
4. Maryland may ax Bill Stabilization Adjustment fee
5. Google helps make Shepherds Flat Wind Farm a reality Also Noted: Spotlight On... Next-gen wind turbines on the horizon
Georgia utility shake-up; green utilities in MN and much more... Stepping into smart grid analytics
With smart grid infrastructure increasingly becoming the rule rather than the exception in the energy industry, utilities are scrambling to stay ahead of the technology curve. But despite its widely accepted potential benefits, building out the smart grid remains a relatively new process, and many utilities still face questions about how to optimize this infrastructure to maximize profits and grid operation. Feature
FERC defending utilities against market manipulation
After much prodding by California utilities, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday launched a formal investigation into accusations that investment bank JP Morgan presented the California Independent System Operator with misleading or incomplete information about the state's energy market. Feature 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 News From Across the Energy Industry:
1. Pike: MDM in a "complex stew" of utility perceptions
2. SDG&E plans smart grid community
3. Report: PEVs could reduce gas consumption by a third
| This week's sponsor is University TechWatch. |  | 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 |
Today's Top News 1. Green Button's early leaps and bounds
The Green Button initiative is doing well, with 20 utilities representing almost 30 percent of the nation's residential customers already involved after only a year, according to a new report from IEE, an institute of the Edison Foundation. "To make this idea work…technology companies would need to develop apps that would make consumers want to put their energy information to work to save energy," said Lisa Wood, IEE Executive Director. In addition to the utilities, 36 technology companies publicly support the Green Button initiative. In just two months, the Department of Energy's Apps for Energy Challenge helped facilitate the development of 56 Green Button enabled applications. "Green Button has made some impressive early steps," said Wood. "With so many utilities and technology companies already committed to the initiative, the crucial link now becomes the customer." Wood says there are three critical elements to engaging customers: automating the data transfer to third parties, establishing a framework for authorizing third parties, and a go-to marketplace for Green Button applications. For more:
- see the report Related Articles:
Aclara, Green Button get energy use data to millions
Conservation "App"-titude -- Optimizing energy use data Read more about: Green Button initative
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| This week's sponsor is RETECH 2012. |  | RETECH 2012,October 16-19, Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC
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!
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2. ComEd stands to lose 1.2M more customers
More than 1.5 million residential ComEd customers are expected to switch to an alternative retail electric supplier by the end of 2012, driven by municipal aggregation programs whereby municipalities select a supplier on behalf of residents. Each resident then has the option to opt out of the program and either select their own supplier or remain with ComEd. So far, more than 930,000 customers have switched with 60 more municipalities, including the City of Chicago, having municipal aggregation referendums on the November ballots. With these referendums comes the potential for another 1.2 million customers to switch in 2013 alone. "The emergence of competition in the residential market is exactly what supporters of the law envisioned, and municipal aggregation is just one of many ways in which the competitive market continues to evolve," said Anne Pramaggiore, President and Chief Executive Officer, ComEd. Due to industry restructuring, ComEd's role has evolved into that of an electric distribution utility. For more:
- see this article
- see this article
- see this article Related Articles:
Accenture research finds customer loyalty hurting energy companies
Constellation lures ComEd customers with 15% discount
Direct Energy provides 16% off energy in Ameren territory Read more about: ComEd customers
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3. Con Edison rebate offsets rooftop solar lighting retrofit
A New York facility achieving net-zero lighting costs has become the first in the country due to a rooftop solar array fitted with LED tubes. Prior to the 2010 conversion of the distribution center, lighting equaled nearly 65 percent of the structure's total power usage, costing almost $50,000 per year. Now consumption is less than 50 percent and costs less than $20,000. The project cost more than $250,000 and was offset by $63,704 from Con Edison. "The amount represented rebates we earned for the lighting conversion based on annual kWh saved," said David Finkel, President of Davis & Warshow, the facility's retrofitter. In five years, the investment will have paid for itself with the rebates and overall energy savings." "Con Edison's incentives and rebates help businesses like Davis & Warshow make smart investments to improve the energy and environmental performance of their buildings," said David Pospisil, Program Manager of Con Edison's Commercial & Industrial Energy Efficiency Programs. For more:
- see this article Related Articles:
Con Ed rebates promote energy-efficient lighting
Con Edison expands C&I energy-efficiency program Read more about: Con Edison
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4. Maryland may ax Bill Stabilization Adjustment fee
Maryland regulators may undo a provision that allows state utilities to bill customers for the first 24 hours of an electricity outage. The Maryland Public Service Commission conducted a hearing Monday to consider the merits of its Bill Stabilization Adjustment mechanism, which was introduced in 2007 as a method to allow utilities to charge customers a nominal fee to recoup revenue losses caused by outages. The regulation covers Maryland's utilities, including Baltimore Gas & Electric, Pepco, Delmarva Power & Light Co., and the Southern Maryland Electric Co-op. Its impact was reduced in January, with the Commission deeming it applicable only for the first 24 hours of an outage. The fee kicks in for any storm with more than 100,000 outages, or 10 percent of a utility's Maryland service territory, whichever is less, according to the PSC. The fee came under further scrutiny this past June, after a severe storm stuck numerous Maryland electric customers with long-lasting outages. Paying a supplemental fee while going without power is tough to explain to customers -- even if it rings in at around $0.50 a head -- but utilities counter that, since they cannot control the weather, they deserve to be protected against unexpected revenue losses. Following the hearing, the PSC did not give any indication of whether or not it would further restrict the provision, saying only that it would rule as soon as possible, according to a Baltimore Sun report. For more:
-see this article Related Articles:
Utilities feel the wrath of hurricane season
Maryland regulators revisit Bill Stabilization Adjustment Read more about: outages, bill stabilization adjustment
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5. Google helps make Shepherds Flat Wind Farm a reality
Oregon's Shepherds Flat Wind Farm is up and running. The 845 MW wind farm is not only the second largest on-shore wind farm in the country, but one of the biggest in the world. The wind farm will produce an estimated 2 billion kWh each year and have an annual economic impact of $37 million for the state. Further, it will eliminate nearly 1.5 million metric tons of CO2 annually or the equivalent of taking approximately 260,000 cars off the road. Southern California Edison will purchase the power through a 20-year PPA. The project was made possible by public and private stakeholders, including Caithness Energy, GE Energy Financial Services, Google, Tyr Energy, and Sumitomo Corporation of America, as well as federal, state and local officials. The project was also a recipient of the U.S. Department of Energy's loan guarantee program. "The opening of Caithness Shepherds Flat, one of the world's largest wind farms, demonstrates that we can deploy renewable energy at scale with the help of private capital," said Rick Needham, Director of Energy & Sustainability at Google. For more:
- see this article Related Article:
NRDC: Wind farms generate tens of millions in revenue Read more about: Google
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Also Noted SPOTLIGHT ON... Next-gen wind turbines on the horizon Researchers from UMass Lowell and Wichita State University have received almost $2 for the development of the next-generation of wind turbines. With the help of the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, the researchers will create new sustainable, bio-derived materials for manufacturing wind turbine blades. Article Quick news from around the Web >A proposed solar company could shake up Georgia's utility structure. Article
>Minneapolis is looking at ways to make utilities greener. Article
>Ameren is ordered to give $48 million back to customers. Article
>Rising utility prices cause protests in Russia. 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. > OilComm 2012 Conference & Exposition - November 6?8 - Houston, TX OilComm features content focused on communications solutions to remote drill sites as well as viable options for offshore platforms. Join oil and gas professionals to learn from experts, discuss challenges faced, and explore the latest solutions from top companies. Register HERE!
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