NTS Smart Grid Blog

Asia smart-grid revenues to grow threefold by 2018

Derek — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Asia’s burgeoning smart-grid market is expected to generate $15.83 billion in revenue in 2018, up from just $5.4 billion in 2012, as demand response and energy management systems grow in popularity. The forecast comes from Frost & Sullivan, which also believes that “Southeast Asia’s desire to switch to smart grids” will fuel smart-grid sales over Continue reading →

Smart grid success tactics: 70% of Americans favor infrastructure investments for security

Derek — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Few Americans worry about emergency situations occurring in their community; only one in three have an emergency plan; 70% support infrastructure ‘investment’ for national security One in four Americans and less are concerned that an emergency situation like a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or health pandemic will affect their community, according to a new SUNYIT/Zogby Continue reading →

Green Button GROWS

Derek — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Jane and Robert Brown sat down side by side, gazing at the computer screen. “We spent more money on electricity last month than we did on car payments, and I want to find out why and what we can do about it,” Jane said. “This portal is handy, but I went on and put our Continue reading →

Grid2Home Certified ZigBee IP Implementation Available for Product Integration

Derek — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Grid2Home, a leader in Smart Energy Profile 2.0 (SEP 2.0) communication technologies, today announced that they have achieved ZigBee IP certification, a new standard that will enable the Internet of Things on low powered mesh wireless networks. “The availability of the ZigBee IP standard is a major milestone in development of the Internet of Things Continue reading →

4.3% of Americans Monitor Electricity on a Smartphone

Derek — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Zpryme’s May 2013 U.S. Electricity Monitoring survey found that that 7.0% of adults use a mobile device (smartphone and/or tablet) to monitor their electricity usage. This is the same percentage that used a mobile device in the April survey. Among for those who do monitor their electricity, 9.0% use a mobile device. The May survey Continue reading →

Smart energy sector will transition to more diverse energy mix

Derek — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:00:00 +0000

The smart energy sector is evolving rapidly, expanding from a collection of niche markets into a standardized part of the global energy portfolio. In the same fashion that the Internet has produced a democratization of information and knowledge, the availability of small, distributed generation technologies, such as solar panels, small wind turbines and residential combined Continue reading →

Germany takes distributed power seriously

Derek — Thu, 23 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

One of the main tasks in delivering a smart grid will be to install and bring together smart grid systems such as AMI and automated demand response with distributed energy and smart buildings to win negawatts. This will go a long way to achieving the main aim of smart grid, which has to be to Continue reading →

Expect millions of electric car charging stations by 2020

Derek — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Tesla Motors might have scored its first-ever profit during the first quarter, but sales of plug-in vehicles are lagging below expectations, which analysts blame on the high price of battery-based vehicles as well as their limited range. But the nascent electric vehicle market may get a big boost if a new study from IMS Research Continue reading →

Itron Expands Smart Grid Capabilities with Choice Collaboration

Derek — Thu, 23 May 2013 02:00:00 +0000

Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI) announced today a strategic alliance with Choice, a Brazilian technology company, to integrate and jointly market a non-technical loss (NTL) solution to utilities around the world, with a strong focus in Brazil. The joint solution will help utilities quickly identify areas of non-technical loss in their service territory, delivering a high return Continue reading →

Why Scotland may be the smart grid’s next center of gravity

Derek — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

A new 12.5 million euro research center in Cumbernauld Scotland will investigate smart grid enhancements to help carry renewable power more efficiently. Among other things, the Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC) will seek to reduce transmission losses. Today, up to a tenth of electricity can be lost as it is transmitted along the network. The Continue reading →

Open energy data isn’t sexy, but it’s very important

Derek — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:00:00 +0000

The supply chain is not the sexiest subject when it comes to important technologies, but like many industries the less sexy the business the more important its relevance. Speaking of less sexy, David Cameron alluded to the supply chain when he revealed at Davos that the UK presidency of G8 will focus on greater business Continue reading →

China’s smart grid revenue to hit $127bn by 2020

Derek — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Smart grid development in China will generate $127bn in cumulative revenue from now to 2020, according to a new report. The Chinese government’s current energy strategy calls for “strengthening the construction of the smart grid” and this is resulting in considerable investment and development in the country’s power infrastructure. via China’s smart grid revenue to Continue reading →

Public Charging Stations For Electric Cars: Who Leads The Way?

Derek — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:00:00 +0000

For the majority of the general public to consider purchasing a fully electric car, they first want accessible public charge points located at or near places they frequent in their daily life. It’s also clear that most people won’t end up using them nearly as much as they think they will. However, having them in Continue reading →

Wind and Gas Giant NextEra Goes Solar, Buys Smart Energy Capital

Derek — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000

NextEra Energy Resources has acquired Smart Energy Capital, a commercial solar project developer with more than 75 megawatts of PV deployed across a number of states, according to sources close to the deal. Smart Energy Capital and NextEra have confirmed the transaction. Financial details were not disclosed. via Wind and Gas Giant NextEra Goes Solar, Continue reading →

PJM Has Gigawatts Of Demand Response To Lean On This Summer

Derek — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

In order to meet high electricity demand this summer, PJM Interconnection says it will rely on nearly 185 GW of available installed generation capacity and 11.2 GW of demand response and energy efficiency resources. via Renew Grid: Content / New & Noteworthy / PJM Has Gigawatts Of Demand Response To Lean On This Summer.

Army Lab engineers want ‘smart energy’ for warfighters

Derek — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Troops in a tactical environment have unique challenges with efficient energy use that are uncommon to the rest of the fighting forces. One is that a Soldier positioned to stand guard at an outpost, or forward operating base, should not have to think about energy — a distraction from the strategy and Soldier protection. In Continue reading →

Smart Metering: The customer experience

Derek — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

At the heart of every utility is the customer — not regulators, not governments and not even shareholders. Without a happy customer, shareholder value is hard to sustain. And yet with so much change on the agenda at most utility companies, it is easy to lose sight of the ultimate impact on the customer. We Continue reading →

Cisco’s IP-Everywhere, Substation-Plus-Security Smart Grid Suite

Derek — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:00:00 +0000

Cisco has long said that it wants to network the world’s electricity grids much like it has networked the internet at large. But connecting computers, smartphones and other Internet Protocol (IP)-capable devices is a bit simpler than connecting power grid equipment that’s built around decades-old technology, as Cisco and other smart grid networking contenders have Continue reading →

An overview of ZigBee’s Smart Energy Profile 2.0 standard

Derek — Wed, 22 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

The number of devices defined as part of the “Internet of Things” continues to grow quickly as individuals and industries alike find innovative ways to utilize connected devices and networks. Enabling machine-to-machine (M2M) communication has endless possibilities, and is one of the more prominent technology areas in the emergence of smart energy. As home meters, Continue reading →

Brilliant design: intelligent lighting and sensors in Smart Cities

Derek — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

New research is indicating the advantages that intelligent lighting and ubiquitous wireless sensors could bring to Smart Cities The idea of ‘Smart Cities’ is one that’s becoming familiar to engineers. Partly an adaptation to more diverse sources of electricity, including small-scale renewables, partly a development of the so-called ‘Internet of Things’, allowing household appliances to Continue reading →