In this week's Industry Perspectives, Gary Rackliffe, Vice President of Smart Grids for ABB provides insights on state of grid transformation in the United States. Since 2003, the GridWise Alliance’s vital voice has represented the diverse stakeholders that design, build and operate the electric grid, and has been at the forefront of … [Read more...]
The Role that Lighting Controls Play in Microgrids
October 21, 2014 By
By Andy Wakefield, Lutron Electronics The Challenge The smart grid, a reference to the modernization of the national electricity supply system, is an automated electric power system that monitors and controls grid activities, ensuring the two-way flow of electricity and information between power plants and consumers—and all points in … [Read more...]
We Want Access to Homeowners’ Data: Smart Grid Companies
September 23, 2014 By
In response to requests from smart grid companies and homeowners who want to save energy, the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association wants to make homeowner data available from utilities. Listen to the podcast with Betsy McCorkle, director of government affairs, to learn how the organization is working to make this happen. … [Read more...]
Utility Execs See Big Smart Grid Benefits, Need More Smart Grid Workers
November 19, 2013 By
A new report from Accenture yields some interesting surprises from utility executives about their view of smart grid technologies and deployments—and their smart grid needs. First of all, two-thirds of utility executives surveyed believe that the benefits of smart grid and smart meter deployments will exceed forecasts. “It’s not very often that … [Read more...]
Integrating Data & Engineering for Up to 20 Percent Savings: Siemens, Accenture
November 9, 2013 By
Accenture and Siemens have launched a joint venture, Omnetric Group, in the smart-grid field that will work with utilities to improve energy efficiency, grid operations and reliability. Jack Azagury, global managing director for Accenture Smart Grid Services, explains in this podcast that the effort will help utilities solve the problem of … [Read more...]
What We Heard You Say…This Week’s Best and Worst Quotes about Energy Efficiency
November 4, 2013 By
Interesting quotes about energy efficiency we picked up this week. Best Straight Talk Why EE needs business model innovation “The first thing to recognize is that energy efficiency on a retrofit basis has been a colossal failure since 1975. To suggest that energy efficiency, even though it pays for itself, has really caught on is simply not … [Read more...]
Are We Overhyping Smart Energy – Again?
November 1, 2013 By
Sometimes we’re spot-on when we predict the future. Other times we blow it horribly. Take smart homes, the forerunner of today’s smart grid. Back in the 1980s, prognosticators thought we'd have millions of smart homes by now and that they would achieve remarkable feats. For example, a United Press International article from 1986 said that a child … [Read more...]
Not So Dynamic Future for Utility Dynamic Pricing Rate Plans
October 10, 2013 By
Behavioral psychologists say that we are more apt to show concern about energy – and use it prudently – if we receive regular visual clues about its cost. Think about how Americans latch on to news about oil markets. This isn't surprising, given the proliferation of road-side signs that constantly remind us what gasoline costs. With … [Read more...]
