| Also Noted: Meru Networks
Smart grid interoperability progress and much more... Building the security ecosystem for critical infrastructure
In this article, we will discuss a possible beginning for a positive control ecosystem to be the base foundation for unmanned networks. As we move forward into this next phase of computing systems growth (the Internet of Things), security of unmanned devices will be of utmost importance. Article
Senators give go-ahead to Shaheen-Portman bill
Senators have given the green light to the Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency bill with a bipartisan vote of 79-20, moving the bill on to the Senate floor after a long, painstaking three years. The bill's original introduction date was May 16, 2011. Article
Georgia Power Resource Center a one-stop customer shop
Georgia Power has opened its new Customer Resource Center -- a state-of-the-art, LEED-certified, experiential facility that offers business and commercial customers a hands-on learning experience about the many benefits of electric end-use products. Article
Smart grid VC funding on an uptick
Funding into smart grid companies has been trending up the past couple quarters, and Q1 2014 is no different. Venture capital (VC) funding into smart grid technology companies in Q1 2014 totaled $101 million as the result of 21 deals compared to $148 million in 31 deals in Q4 2013, according to Mercom Capital Group. Article
News From Across the Energy Industry:
1. Alabama Power an example of responsive social media service
2. Latest Cape Wind lawsuit unconstitutional
3. The Social Cost of Carbon: Trillions of dollars
More headlines...
| This week's sponsor is Oracle. |  | Making the Most of Your CRM: How Best-in-Class Sales Teams Maximize Revenue and Customer Experience
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Today's Top News 1. Sustainable energy takes a 50-year view
The Resnick Sustainability Institute at Caltech will help scientists and engineers advance research aimed at meeting the nation's need for a sustainable energy future, thanks to a $15 million donation by the Institute's namesake (Lynda and Stewart Resnick), bringing total funding to nearly $60 million.  | | Robert A. Millikan Memorial Library at Caltech. Credit: Canon.vs.nikon/Wikimedia Commons | Since the institute's founding, researchers have pursued wide-ranging investigations in energy science and technology, enabling advances in distributed wind energy systems, batteries and fuel cells, smart grid systems, record-breaking solar photovoltaics, pioneering technologies for deriving fuels from sunlight, and chemical catalysts that convert waste materials to biofuels. "The Resnick Sustainability Institute has helped to transform the landscape for energy research and education at Caltech," said Edward Stolper, interim president. "Creating a central hub to connect all our faculty who work on energy has accelerated the pace of discovery." The pace is continually ratcheting up. Part of the donation ($3 million) will go toward establishing the Resnick Institute Innovation Fund, which will support new ideas in clean energy and sustainability science that have the potential for rapid impact and honor creative breakthroughs in energy and sustainability science. A postdoctoral scholar program will bring outstanding young leaders in energy and sustainability research to Caltech to create a corps of top innovators who will be able to focus exclusively on research through distinguished fellowships. "The toughest issues in sustainability are not short-term, two- or three-year problems," said Harry A. Atwater, Howard Hughes professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science and director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute. "They require a 50-year view and need to be approached with creativity and a transformative perspective." For more:
- see this report
- see this report Related Articles:
UC Davis setting the standard for a sustainable energy future
California's clean energy roadmap Read more about: Edward Stolper, Harry A. Atwater
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2. Tennessee Dominion's latest solar site
Dominion has acquired two stand-alone solar energy developments in southwest Tennessee both in late stage development -- two of the largest solar developments in Tennessee.  | | Credit: Cuchulain/Wikimedia Commons | Each of the two stand-alone, fixed-tilt photovoltaic solar projects, Mulberry Farm and Selmer Farm, will produce approximately 16 MW. All the power and environmental attributes from both projects will be purchased by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) under its renewable standard offer program. Interconnection to the electric grid will take place through facilities owned and operated by Pickwick Electric Cooperative. Land has already been acquired and no additional permits are needed to start construction. Commercial operations are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2014. The acquisitions bring Dominion's total solar generating portfolio to 212 MW. Along with the Tennessee projects, the company has 41 MW of solar energy facilities operating at sites in Georgia, Connecticut and Indiana, and an additional 139 MW under construction in California. Various projects are also under development in Virginia as part of its Solar Partnership Program. "This is another important addition to Dominion's growing portfolio of solar energy," said David A. Christian, chief executive officer for Dominion Generation. "We believe it is necessary to develop and maintain a diverse generation mix, ranging from traditional sources to renewable energy. These two projects strategically align with our regulated and unregulated generation portfolio." For more:
- see this report Related Articles:
Dominion expands solar footprint
Dominion adds to Connecticut's renewable energy Read more about: Solar Partnership Program, David A. Christian
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3. DOE driving offshore wind deployments
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is selecting three offshore wind demonstrations to receive up to $47 million each over the next four years in an effort to deploy innovative, grid-connected systems in federal and state waters by 2017. These projects -- located off the coast of New Jersey, Oregon and Virginia -- will help speed the deployment of more efficient offshore wind power technologies and drive lower costs, drive greater performance, and clear any challenges to installing more utility-scale turbines in U.S. waters.  | | Credit: Mat Fascione | In December 2012, the DOE announced seven offshore wind demonstration projects focused on design, engineering, and permitting work. These three projects are aimed at deploying offshore wind installations in U.S. waters by 2017 and include: • The installation of five 5 MW direct-drive wind turbines approximately three miles off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey. This project will utilize an innovative twisted jacket foundation that is simpler and less expensive to manufacture and install than traditional offshore wind foundations. This project will act as a laboratory for researchers to learn about offshore wind and investigate interactions between turbines. • The installation of five 6 MW direct-drive wind turbines approximately 18 miles off the coast of Coos Bay, Oregon. The semi-submersible floating foundation will be installed in water more than 1,000 feet deep, demonstrating an innovative solution for deep water wind turbine projects and lowering costs by simplifying installation and eliminating the need for highly specialized ships. Deploying offshore wind technologies for deeper water can help capture resources that are found in waters too deep for traditional bottom-mounted foundations. • The installation by Dominion Power of two 6 MW direct-drive wind turbines 26 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, utilizing a twisted jacket foundation to demonstrate installation, operation and maintenance methods for wind turbines located far from shore. The Dominion project will also install and test a hurricane-resilient design to ensure that offshore wind facilities placed in hurricane-prone waters are reliable, safe, and cost-effective. For more:
- see this report Related Articles:
Can HVDC match AC's popularity?
Offshore renewable energy driving high-voltage transmission
Dominion bidding on more offshore wind Read more about: Dominion Power, U.S. Department of Energy
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4. DWEA, AWEA joining forces
The Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA) has entered into a partnership with the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) that will enable the organizations to strengthen their representation of the small and community wind industries in the United States. The two associations will collaborate on building the distributed and community wind markets nationally, as well as coordinating on federal and state policy initiatives.  | | Credit: Leaflet/Wikimedia Commons | By joining forces, AWEA and DWEA will be able to more effectively secure and allocate resources to support the growing community wind energy market. Community wind is characterized by local participation, usually in the form of ownership and control. Individual landowners have a personal stake in the success of this industry and are looking for ways to maximize the value of wind for their communities. Local communities, including agricultural and rural economic development interests, can help build the industry's success in their backyards. A variety of business models and applications have emerged in this growing form of wind energy development. Applications can be behind the meter, providing electricity directly to the home /business/school, or mini-wind farms selling power to the local utility. Community wind projects range in size from less than 1 MW to 20 MW, and sometimes larger. Wind projects owned by public power entities (cooperatives and municipalities) are considered community wind and owned by local electricity customers. "All sizes and models of development are important if the US wind industry is to grow to at least 20 percent of our nation's electricity portfolio. AWEA encourages all business models so that more people have a stake in the future of this technology," said Tom Kiernan, AWEA CEO. For more:
- see this report Related Articles:
Wind industry could see renewed energy
Wind ends 2013 on high Read more about: wind power
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5. Energy subsidy reform in oil export countries
Reform of energy subsidies in oil-exporting countries can reduce carbon emissions and add years to oil exports, according to report from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. The report argues that big exporters should reduce energy demand by raising prices, and that this can be done without undermining legitimacy of governments that depend on subsidies for political support.  | | Credit: Rice University | "Removing state subsidies on energy is one of the most politically dangerous acts there is. No government in the world wants to antagonize motorists or raise electricity prices," Jim Krane, author of the report and Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute said. "But previous experience shows that with proper preparation, subsidies can be rolled back without undermining government legitimacy, even in autocracies that use these discounts to preserve popular support." Whether sold as bulk crude oil and natural gas or as retail electricity, gasoline or diesel, the major exporters of OPEC, Russia and others, have some of the lowest domestic energy prices in the world -- fossil fuel subsidies which have allowed these countries to distribute resource revenue, bolstering legitimacy for governments, many of which are not democratically elected, Krane said. "However, subsidy benefits are dwarfed by the harmful consequences of encouraging uneconomic use of energy," Krane said. "These effects include wasted resources, foregone revenue and outsized emissions of carbon dioxide as well as local pollutants such as sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides. Now, with consumption posing a threat to long-term exports, governments face a heightened need to raise prices that have come to be viewed as entitlements." The most encouraging example of reform efforts, according to Krane, is Iran, the first country in the world to replace major subsidies with a universal cash transfer program for households. Done properly, ending subsidies can add years to the longevity of exports, while keeping global markets supplied and reducing both local pollution and carbon dioxide emissions, Krane contends -- while mismanaged, eliminating "entitlements" can undermine government legitimacy and trigger unrest. "Policymakers in exporting states understand that reforming subsidies is their best strategy for preserving political power, since export revenues are a key resource for political stability," Krane said. "Thus, constructive external criticism can provide regimes with persuasive tools for swaying public opinion of the need for higher prices and reduced demand." For more:
- see this report Read more about: carbon emissions
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Also Noted | This week's sponsor is Meru. |  | Download the White Paper "802.11ac in the Enterprise: Technologies and Strategies" to learn from industry expert Craig Mathias about the technologies behind 802.11ac, deployment misconceptions and review steps that every organization should take in getting ready for 802.11ac.
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News From Across the Energy Industry:
> PHI recognized for energy efficiency programs Post
> Fracking implications for utilities Post
> Wind future positive for Africa, Russia Post
> Oneok natural gas pipeline project scrapped Post
> Coal alliance urges alternative to proposed emission standards Post
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