Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
DUKe Energy pushes NORTH CAROLINA smart-grid plan for 2017 completion
Friday, January 29, 2010
Duke Energy pushes smart-grid plan for 2017 completion
Utilities tout benefits of smart-grid technology, are sketchy about job creation
Charlotte Business Journal - by John Downey Senior staff writer
Duke Energy Carolinas plans to roll out its smart-grid technology years ahead of other major utilities operating in North Carolina, according to presentations made to regulators this week.
Utility representatives jumped at the chance to tell theN.C. Utilities Commission the advantages they expect in power transmission, outage detection and repair, and new services to customers.
They were less eager to speculate on what the new technology might mean for jobs across the state.
Commissioners Lorinzo Joyner and ToNola Brown-Bland questioned Don Denton, Duke’s point person on its smart-grid programs, on the impact the initiatives will have on employment.
Cincinnati among the first to experience DUKE ENERGY smart grid !!!
Saturday, 30 January 2010 02:51
More than 700,000 energy consumers living in the Cincinnati, Ohio area will soon witness the transformation of their power system into a modern smart grid first hand. Eventually, Duke Energy will install smart meters for its more than 1.5 million customers in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana in a project worth $1 billion.
Supporters of the smart grid initiative in the United States say the transformation will be the most dramatic since Thomas Edison first started generating electricity in New York City back in 1882. Once a smart grid is deployed nationwide, energy will be used much more efficiently and cleanly as renewable power is integrated into the system. Fewer power plants will be needed as a result.
“The electric grid we have today is a marvelous thing,” said Todd Arnold, senior vice president at Duke Energy. “It was the engineering marvel of the 20th century and led to the electrification of America.” Arnold made his remarks in an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer.
A new system is needed now that consumers are demanding more and more energy. The old system was never designed to handle the current level of demand, nor can it handle the intermittent supply of renewable resources.
Duke began installing smart meters in a pilot project last year. The effort was successful and the power provider was able to win a Department of Energy grant worth $200 million. Duke officials say the grant could help speed up deployment of the new system by a couple of years.
Much of the focus in smart grid technology has been on electrical transmission but Duke has also rolled out smart gas meters that are also able to share information bi-directionally with customers. “The technology is a little different, but it’s a common place to gather information and bring it back to the company,” Arnold explained.
Right away the smart meters will trim operational costs for Duke Energy because human meter readers won’t have to be dispatched. Even with the meter readers Duke still had to send out a million estimated bills because the company couldn’t gain access to customers’ conventional meters. Estimated bills are often inaccurate and confuse customers when it comes time to reconcile the estimate with actual usage.
Duke says another big advantage is how substations and breakers can instantly communicate. Equipment that is about to break down can be identified so it can be replaced before there is a problem. If an outage does happen Duke’s smart grid technology can pinpoint precisely and instantly which customers are without power and service can be promptly rerouted.
This rerouting capability has already been put to the test. In September, Duke’s smart grid pilot installation at Price Hill experienced a momentary outage when a lightning arrestor failed and service was interrupted for 3,369 customers. Power was only out for an instant for 2,160 customers as the smart grid re-routed itself. Another 1,000 customers gained service in just over an hour and the remaining 200 or so had power back on within three hours.
The real benefit for customers is gaining access to real-time consumption data. At first this information will be available on a two-day lag but the goal is to provide real-time access. Customers can then choose to use energy based upon how much it costs.
“Over time, over a number of years, you’re in effect building an energy Internet over our grid of wires and poles,” said Arnold. “Then you have the ability to connect devices, connect to customers; and that gives you opportunities to improve reliability, give customers more options and more control.”
Duke has asked the Ohio Public Utilities Commission to approve a new pilot pricing program based upon the time of day. “We’d like to see about 1,000 customers, give or take, in the pilot,” said Janine Midgen-Ostrander, of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel. “People have to get familiar with the technology.”
The Obama administration says that smart grid technology can reduce energy consumption in the United States by more than 4 percent by 2030 – savings that would amount to $20 billion a year. The DOE says that 40 million smart meters will be in place over the next few years but that is still less than a third of all household.
“The electric grid we have today is a marvelous thing,” said Todd Arnold, senior vice president at Duke Energy. “It was the engineering marvel of the 20th century and led to the electrification of America.” Arnold made his remarks in an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer.
A new system is needed now that consumers are demanding more and more energy. The old system was never designed to handle the current level of demand, nor can it handle the intermittent supply of renewable resources.
Duke began installing smart meters in a pilot project last year. The effort was successful and the power provider was able to win a Department of Energy grant worth $200 million. Duke officials say the grant could help speed up deployment of the new system by a couple of years.
Much of the focus in smart grid technology has been on electrical transmission but Duke has also rolled out smart gas meters that are also able to share information bi-directionally with customers. “The technology is a little different, but it’s a common place to gather information and bring it back to the company,” Arnold explained.
Right away the smart meters will trim operational costs for Duke Energy because human meter readers won’t have to be dispatched. Even with the meter readers Duke still had to send out a million estimated bills because the company couldn’t gain access to customers’ conventional meters. Estimated bills are often inaccurate and confuse customers when it comes time to reconcile the estimate with actual usage.
Duke says another big advantage is how substations and breakers can instantly communicate. Equipment that is about to break down can be identified so it can be replaced before there is a problem. If an outage does happen Duke’s smart grid technology can pinpoint precisely and instantly which customers are without power and service can be promptly rerouted.
This rerouting capability has already been put to the test. In September, Duke’s smart grid pilot installation at Price Hill experienced a momentary outage when a lightning arrestor failed and service was interrupted for 3,369 customers. Power was only out for an instant for 2,160 customers as the smart grid re-routed itself. Another 1,000 customers gained service in just over an hour and the remaining 200 or so had power back on within three hours.
The real benefit for customers is gaining access to real-time consumption data. At first this information will be available on a two-day lag but the goal is to provide real-time access. Customers can then choose to use energy based upon how much it costs.
“Over time, over a number of years, you’re in effect building an energy Internet over our grid of wires and poles,” said Arnold. “Then you have the ability to connect devices, connect to customers; and that gives you opportunities to improve reliability, give customers more options and more control.”
Duke has asked the Ohio Public Utilities Commission to approve a new pilot pricing program based upon the time of day. “We’d like to see about 1,000 customers, give or take, in the pilot,” said Janine Midgen-Ostrander, of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel. “People have to get familiar with the technology.”
The Obama administration says that smart grid technology can reduce energy consumption in the United States by more than 4 percent by 2030 – savings that would amount to $20 billion a year. The DOE says that 40 million smart meters will be in place over the next few years but that is still less than a third of all household.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Ambient Announces Substantial Increase in Revenue Opportunity X-3100 - Strong Start to 2010
BOSTON, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ambient Corporation(OTC Bulletin Board: ABTG) today announced the receipt of purchase orders of approximately $9.9 million for the supply of its fourth generation smart grid node, the Ambient® X-3100, and related technology. The Company anticipates delivery of product to substantially be completed during the first six months of 2010.
John J. Joyce, President and CEO of Ambient Corporation stated, "We have spent more than 10 years collaborating with the innovative and early adopters of the smart grid space. To have our team's vision of a platform based on incorporating multiple communication technologies within one enclosure culminate in this latest product offering is gratifying. The initial success of the X-3100 positions the Ambient Smart Grid® platform as a market leading solution, unifying best-in-class products to the utility industry."
Ambient's X-3100 has the networking ability to act as a bridge, router or gateway on the electrical grid and is the Company's third generation of smart grid nodes to be certified for deployment on Verizon Wireless' network.
Utilities can now ramp up their smart grid programs by deploying smart grid assets at strategic locations, connecting current and future smart grid devices without an upfront investment in a full build-out. The X-3100's open standards and IP-based technology provides a communications platform, via both wired and wireless technologies, and can integrate with other smart grid devices, regardless of manufacturer or communication protocol.
For more information on the commercial introduction of the Ambient X-3100 smart grid node, see the Company's press release of January 13, 2010.
Monday, January 25, 2010
News: Smart Grid company AMBIENT Corp has eliminated all of its long-term debt
Ambient Positions for Future Growth
Liquidity Position Strengthened
BOSTON, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ambient Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: ABTG) today announced steps it has taken to position itself for future growth. The Company issued 666,666,667 restricted shares of its Common Stock to its largest shareholder upon its conversion of the remaining balance of $10,000,000 of outstanding debentures. Following the conversion, the Company has eliminated all of its long-term debt.
The fund has also increased its equity-based credit line for the Company by an additional $5 million to a total of$8 million, the proceeds of which were deposited in an escrow account. With $8 million now available for working capital, the Company can draw down on the escrow account as needed if the Company's available operating funds drop below $1.5 million.
"The equity conversions have enabled us to extinguish debt from our balance sheet and strengthen our financial position, allowing us greater flexibility to capitalize on strategic and financial opportunities. Combined with the increase in the funding commitment, Ambient is well positioned to capture the opportunities of today while we continue to develop next generation, environmentally responsible products and incorporate additional applications in our smart grid platform," stated John J. Joyce, President and CEO of Ambient Corporation.
Mr. Joyce continued, "We look forward to the opportunities and challenges of collaborating with our partners to bring to the utility market a true smart grid solution enabling not only smart metering but the robust platform utilities need to more efficiently and economically offer consumers real choices."
Additional information relating to the transactions described above is included in Ambient's Current Report on Form 8-K, which Ambient filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 22, 2010.
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