| This week's sponsor is ABB. |  | Webinar: The IT/OT Integration Imperative
April 23, 2 pm ET/ 11 am PT
Traditionally, IT and OT systems worked as separate entities; however, the smart grid requires a convergence of both. Join FierceEnergy and a panel of experts as they examine the effects on utilities that do not take steps to converge/integration their IT/OT systems. Register Today. |
Also Noted: Spotlight On... Moniz gets Senate thumbs up
Legislators approve two federal cybersecurity bills; The wireline industry's top earners and much more... Smart Water Grid Outlook
The smart water technology market is still in the early stages of development. Several completed projects show the enormous potential of the smart water market. Currently, deployments are occurring in all major markets worldwide. Feature
Oil and Gas outlook: Energy challenge or world domination?
Unprecedented amounts of domestic oil and natural gas resources, energy security concerns, and efforts to improve the environment and boost the economy are turning the nation's attention toward the oil and gas industry. Feature Pacific Gas and Electric reaches $390k settlement in spying case
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) will pay $390,000 to settle a regulatory investigation into its 2012 smart meter "spying" scandal.
The agreement with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) was reached earlier this month. CPUC had been investigating the actions of former PG&E employee William Devereaux, who was accused of monitoring anti-smart meter groups online between 2009 and 2010 using fabricated credentials. The CPUC issued an Order Instituting Investigation (OII) in April 2012, and it has only now been resolved. Feature News From Across the Energy Industry:
1. EV infrastructure business booming
2. San Diego Gas and Electric ahead of smart grid pack again
3. Blurring the lines between batteries and supercapacitors
Today's Top News 1. Oncor, EFH targeted for collecting excessive customer funds
The Texas Coalition for Affordable Power (TCAP) has issued a report slamming North Texas electric utility Oncor on the basis that Oncor collects more than $200 million annually from its customers for federal income taxes -- even though neither Oncor nor its majority owner Energy Future Holdings (EFH) currently pay income taxes to the federal government. The report contends that EFH has pocketed more than $500 million in "phantom taxes" paid by Oncor's customers since 2008 and can access and use the money to stave off creditors. Although the practice is legal, TCAP concludes that it should be reformed. Unfortunately, legislation pending at the state Capitol could increase the payment of phantom taxes by other utility customers in the future, TCAP reports. "EFH's financial problems already are placing a multi-million dollar burden on north Texas electricity customers -- in the form of phantom taxes," said Randy Moravec, executive director of TCAP. "Money that utilities collect for federal taxes should be used for taxes. Otherwise, ratepayers are twice burdened -- once by paying taxes that are not paid to the treasury, and second by a growing national debt for which taxpayers are ultimately responsible." For more:
- see this article
- see this article Read more about: Oncor, EFH
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| This week's sponsor is Equifax. |  | Webinar: The Equifax Big Picture Outlook on the US Economy
Monday, April 15th, 2pm ET / 11am PT
Attend this webinar, and you'll gain a clearer understanding of current and future economic indicators along with a high-level analysis of the big issues facing markets today. Register today! |
2. Strong government policy needed to advance EVs
Electric vehicle (EV) sales have not met the expectations of governments and automakers, but still continue to steadily expand. Both plug-in electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles have become widely available in Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe, and are being introduced in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, according to Navigant Research, and will reach a total of 21.9 million sold globally from 2012 to 2020. "The average price of fuel for conventional vehicles will likely continue to rise through the remainder of this decade, driving demand for electric vehicles," Dave Hurst, principal research analyst, Navigant Research. "Government policy, in terms of purchase incentives, emissions regulations, fuel taxes, and fuel economy rules, will also play a strong role in the expansion of the EV market." EV sales will grow at a more rapid pace than the overall automotive market, according to the research. While the overall auto market will expand only 2 percent a year through 2020, sales of plug-in EVs will grow at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 40 percent over the same time period. Regardless, by 2020, PEVs will still make up only a small fraction of vehicle sales at less than 2 percent, Navigant predicts. For more:
- see this article Related Articles:
Utilities called upon to promote EV adoption
EV sales down, interest up
A step ahead: NSTAR launches consumer EV hotline Read more about: electric vehicles, fuel economy
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3. Shale gas, renewables and the smart grid
The U.S. shale gas revolution is having a major impact on the energy market, with new energy production expected to bring the country closer to energy independence. This development is also having an impact in a more surprising area: the smart grid. The shale gas boom in the U.S. will play a key role in the development of the smart electricity grid, affecting almost every part of utility infrastructure decision making in the coming decade, according to research from IMS Research, part of IHS. "Natural gas is optimal for use in smaller distributed-generation operations, which can form the basis of microgrids," said Donald Henschel, senior analyst, metering and energy management, IHS. "The rising attractiveness of flexible, adaptive microgrids will help the smart grid grow to overcome the serious challenges faced by this region's utility sector, and will drive growth in sales of required equipment in the coming years." In the late 2000s, the availability of natural gas in North America increased dramatically with the refinement of shale gas extraction techniques and the discovery of further tight gas resources converging to allow for the rapid increase in domestically available natural gas. Subsequent discoveries and field developments have made natural gas extremely affordable, with low prices driven by a lack of short-term export potential, as the infrastructure to compress or liquefy and ship natural gas to markets overseas is still being built. Natural gas affects the utility grid in several ways. Its increasing role in centralized generation is critical, but the opportunity for natural gas also extends to more affordable and environmentally sound microgrid development, providing energy security on distribution networks. The proliferation of shale gas has caused industry concern over the effect on renewable energy sources, suggesting that the shale gas boom will defer investments in wind and solar and cause the renewable to compete with each other. A recent Citigroup report, however, says this just isn't so. The Citi report contends that rather than push away renewable energy, the shale gas industry will, in reality, depend on its deployment. The reason: Over the short term, gas will be priced out of the conventional market but will need to fill in the gaps over the long term as wind and solar are deployed more widely, and coal generation is retired. The co-dependence will stem from a move away from the decades-old utility base load model, according to Citi. For more:
- see this article Read more about: Smart Grid, natural gas
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4. Pilot leads to multi-utility water, electric meter replacement
The City of Georgetown, Texas is getting a system-wide multi-utility water and electricity meter replacement. The replacement comes after a successful pilot using Elster meters and will be expanded to work with partners Hometown Connections, the utility services subsidiary of the American Public Power Association, Texas Meter and Device, and Wesco Distribution to develop a tailor-made solution for the City of Georgetown. For the last 10 years, the City of Georgetown has operated a one-way fixed network system. Now, the city will have a comprehensive multi-utility metering and communications infrastructure capable of improving customer service through usage monitoring, which allows customers to efficiently understand how much energy consumption is being used. Communication between the meters and the system software will enable the City of Georgetown to reduce operational costs and minimize outage management response time. "The relationship between Elster and Hometown Connections really solidified our decision that this was the right deployment for Georgetown," Glenn Dishong, utility director, Georgetown, said in a statement. "With improved metering services and communications solutions, we will be able to drive the savings we need while improving our customers' utility experience." The project is expected to be completed by May 2013. For more:
- see this article Related Articles:
Smart meter installs nearly 1B by 2020, despite lower shipments
Despite ARRA funding, smart meter deployments far from over Read more about: Elster, Electricity Meter
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5. NY regulators approve $2B hydropower transmission line
New York State energy regulators on Thursday approved the construction of a major new transmission line, which will stretch from the Canadian border to the borough of Queens and run largely underwater through Lake Champlain and the Hudson River. The New York State Public Service Commission's granting of a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need paves the way for the 330-mile, 1,000 MW Champlain Hudson Power Express project. Its southern end will connect to ConEd's Asotria annex substation in Queens, New York. The state approval process was more than three years in the making. The $2 billion transmission line is designed to take advantage of low-cost Canadian hydropower. Regulators touted various merits of the project, such as the potential to reduce strain on the existing power supply and enhance fuel diversity in heavily-congested New York City. "It is gratifying to know that this project, having been studied thoroughly and openly, has received this important Certificate from the State of New York," said Donald Jessome, President and CEO of Transmission Developers, the company building the project. "We look forward to completing the permitting process so we can begin delivering clean, reliable, low cost power to the residents and businesses of New York," he said in a statement following the ruling. With the state approval in the books, project developers must still obtain Federal approval and secure private financing before beginning construction. For more:
-see the ruling Related Articles:
HVDC sparks transmission growth in Eastern U.S.
Read more about: transmission line
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Also Noted SPOTLIGHT ON... Moniz gets Senate thumbs up Ernest Moniz, President Barack Obama's nominee to head the Department of Energy, has received a nearly unanimous recommendation for confirmation from the Senate Energy and Resources Committee. Of the 22 senators, only South Carolina Senator Tim Scott opposed Moniz's confirmation. Article Quick news from around the Web: >The U.S. House has approved two federal cybersecurity bills. Article
>Who were the wireline industry's top earners in Q1 2013? Article
>Wi-Fi and mobile networks account for the majority of cloud energy consumption. Article
>New York lawmakers, AARP and other consumer groups are targeting utilities to lower utility bills in the Empire State. Article
>Less than 5 percent of the country's 6,500 banks and lenders are actively involved in financing solar projects. Article
>Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology are tracking and measuring the movement of radioisotopes. Article > The Equifax Big Picture Outlook on the US Economy- April 15th, 2pm ET / 11am PT Attend this webinar, and you'll gain a clearer understanding of current and future economic indicators along with a high-level analysis of the big issues facing markets today. Register today! > The IT/OT Integration Imperative - April 23, 2 pm ET/ 11 am PT Traditionally, IT and OT systems worked as separate entities; however, the smart grid requires a convergence of both. Join FierceEnergy and a panel of experts as they examine the effects on utilities that do not take steps to converge/integration their IT/OT systems. Register Today.
| > UTC TELECOM 2013 - May 15-17 - Houston, TX Gain critical knowledge through education, networking, and access to cutting-edge information and communication technologies and services from the industry’s leading technology experts. UTC TELECOM is the vehicle to deliver your future. Register online today. > The Smart Grid Customer Education Symposium - June 17 - Nashville, TN This year’s Symposium moves from meter awareness to communications strategies around pricing programs and in-home energy management technologies. Learn from smart grid experts how to build the most comprehensive, integrated communications programs. Register at www.smartgridcustomereducation.com.
| > eBook: Smarter Service: The Contract Center of the Future This eBook explores the challenges facing traditional contact centers and the benefits of deploying the contact center of the future. You'll find links to further resources on the final page. Download today. > Research: How to Unlock Knowledge from Big, Unstructured Data to Improve Customer Service Learn how to unlock knowledge trapped in silos and systems and read how advanced enterprise search technology can put your organization's collective knowledge in the hands of your service reps. Watch your service performance improve and customer satisfaction soar. Download Now! | |
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