More Ways to slash your home energy bill !!!

Ways to slash your home energy bill !!!

If the appliance is more than a decade old, it's probably time to consider a money-saving upgrade

By Stephanie Barton

updated 1/20/2011 7:42:45 AM ET

Buying energy-saving appliances and electronics can keep more money in your bank account over the long term, but if you're on a budget, a few lifestyle changes could be a better way to save cash. Here we'll consider which appliances you should think about replacing and which are reliable enough to bank on for years to come.

Read More to save more money: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40951061/ns/business-oil_and_energy/

Verizon Smart Grid Expert to Present at DistribuTECH Conference on Feb. 2

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Jan. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading smart grid expert Jimmy Lewis, managing industry partner for the Verizon Business Energy and Utilities practice, will be a featured speaker at the 2011 DistribuTECH Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, Feb. 1-3. Verizon will also be exhibiting at booth #2319.

WHAT:

Jimmy Lewis will participate in the DistribuTECH panel, "Information Moves into the Home," discussing how energy management controls will look inside the home in the coming years, and how these networked controls will interact with the smart grid.

http://opennetwork.verizonwireless.com/pdfs/VWR60521_Ambient_V3c_chi.pdf

Ten States Smartly Planning Their Smart Grid Execution

"Nonetheless, continued state belief and involvement in smart grid energy will lay the groundwork for market development. Below are the 10 states involved and growing in the smart grid market.

1. California
2. Colorado
3. Florida
4. Massachusetts
5. New Jersey
6. New York
7. North Carolina
8. Ohio
9. Pennsylvania
10. Texas

As smart grid analyst, Stephen Munro, commented in a statement, “These 10 states are the laboratories for U.S. smart grid policy, and their influence on the pace and scope of deployment is durable and growing. Smart grid technology players will look to current state regulations for near-term activity, as well as to anticipate how smart grid initiatives will adapt on a broader scale.”

All of the above 10 states are influential in the growth and adoption of smart grid, but not all are equal. California is leading with a metering goal of 21 million, while Texas is looking for a metering goal of 7 million. California’s metering infrastructure is long past start, allowing utilities to start thinking about electric vehicles, energy efficiency, etc. Texas has a smart grid portal for residents and a regulatory implementation team for charging electric vehicles."

Full story:  http://smart-grid.tmcnet.com/topics/smart-grid/articles/137700-ten-states-smartly-planning-their-smart-grid-execution.htm

Read: Empower Your Appliances with the Smart Grid

Duke Energy, ENN Group to build green cities in China and US

The Total Value Of China’s Smart Grid Market Is Expected To Rise From $22.3 Billion In 2011 To $61.4 Billion In 2015, According To A New Market Report.

19 January 2011
 NYSE-listed power company Duke Energy and China-based ENN Group are set to develop so-called green cities in China and the US in another show of bilateral collaboration between companies in the two countries.

Through the agreement, the companies will create a future energy technology demonstration platform to pave the way to exchange knowledge on advanced energy, building and transportation technologies.

‘This represents not only a collaboration between two companies, but also two countries, China and the US,’ said ENN Chairman Wang Yusuo.

‘ENN and Duke Energy will complement one another’s strengths as we seek to accelerate the commercialisation of low-carbon technologies.’

ENN is constructing China’s first smart energy eco-city in collaboration with Duke Energy in Langfang, China, a stone’s throw from Beijing.

The company’s vision for a green city will encompass energy storage, energy efficiency, energy recovery and electric vehicle infrastructure.

‘This collaboration is not only a stepping stone for cleaner energy in China and the US,’ said Yusuo.

‘ENN Group and Duke Energy’s cooperation will lead to the development of new, cleaner ways to produce, store, distribute and use energy.’

White House reports on Duke Energy/ENN China deal

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
January 19, 2011 

FACT SHEET: U.S.-China Commercial Relations

Duke Energy Corporation--ENN Group Co. Ltd. Eco-City MOU: ENN Group Co. Ltd. and Duke Energy Corporation have concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining the terms and scope of cooperation in the development and utilization of clean energy solutions for the Eco-City, a demonstration project intended to showcase clean coal, electric vehicles and energy efficient building technologies in Langfang, China. 


http://smartgrid1.blogspot.com/2011/01/duke-energy-to-merge-with-progress.html

Smart Grid VC, M&A Activity Reach Highest Levels Ever In 2010

by Renew Grid on Thursday 20 January 2011

Smart grid venture-capital (VC) funding and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity reached new heights in 2010, according to data released by Mercom Capital Group LLC. VC funding in the smart grid sector was at its highest, with $769 million in 51 deals, representing an 88% increase over 2009. Top smart grid VC transactions included the $165 million raise by Landis+Gyr, the $106 million raise by Trilliant and the $52 million raise by OpenPeak. M&A activity was also robust for the smart grid sector, with 40 transactions, including the acquisition of Ventyx by ABB for $1 billion. "It was a banner year for smart grid in terms of VC funding and M&A activity, with VC funding almost doubling compared to 2009," says Raj Prabhu, managing partner at Mercom Capital Group. “Eighty-seven different investors participated in VC rounds in 2010.” The solar and wind sectors also saw VC and M&A growth in 2010. Activity increased in large-scale solar project funding, debt and other funding types, pointing to an ease in the availability of credit after a challenging 2009. Solar M&A transactions in 2010 totaled $2 billion in 44 deals. The wind sector saw a 40% increase in VC and PE activity in 2010, with $277 million invested, compared to $198 million in 2009. Large offshore wind projects boosted project funding activity to over $9 billion in 2010. M&A transactions in the wind sector came to $1.3 billion in 23 deals, with the $860 million acquisition of John Deere Renewables by Exelon constituting the bulk of it. SOURCE: Mercom Capital Group LLC

China's smart grid market worth could reach US$61bn by 2015

Duke Energy To Merge with Progress Energy

from:  http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/21695
"The combined company, to be called Duke Energy, will be the country’s largest utility, with approximately $65 billion in enterprise value and $37 billion in market capitalization.

It will also have the country’s largest regulated customer base, providing service to approximately 7.1 million electric customers in six regulated service territories North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

Duke Energy is aggressively pursuing smart grid deployments with commercial partners Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), Echelon (Nasdaq: ELON) and Ambient (ABTG.OB). "

Your nominations are in – smart grid companies to watch in 2011

Ambient has Duke Energy and Con Edison as customers. These two are just the beginning. Ambient's order file is expanding. They saw orders almost double from around 40,000 to over 80,000 units in about four months. Ambient's margins are respectable; their debt is negligible. Management is networked within most of the important trade and government agencies addressing the smart grid industry.

[Note from Jesse: There are several reasons to keep an eye on this company. First, it's one of the smart grid's best comeback stories. After starting as a BPL player and nearly going under, it has slowly and gradually remade itself as a purveyor of grid applications and grid communications. Second, it is rumored to be on the shortlist for some large projects in the U.S. and China.]

Duke Energy Corp. will buy Progress Energy Inc. for $13.7 billion, creating a company that will surpass Southern Co. as the largest U.S. utility.

"Duke, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, will assume about $12.2 billion in Progress Energy’s debt. A deal for Progress would add units that operate near Duke’s service territories inNorth Carolina and South Carolina, as well as an electric distribution unit in Florida. Progress also owns more than 22,000 megawatts of power generation capacity, according to its website."

Duke Energy paying nearly $14 billion stock for Progress Merger of North Carolina power generators would create huge utility

Jan. 10, 2011, 9:51 a.m. EST

By Steve Gelsi, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Duke Energy Corp. agreed to buy Progress Energy Inc. for nearly $14 billion in stock, the company said Monday, bidding to become the largest U.S. utility at a time of steep costs to build nuclear generating plants as well as sluggish growth in the economy.

Ambient Corp. Secures $5 Million in Investment Through Stock Conversion

Ambient Corp. Secures $5 Million in Investment Through Stock Conversion Added liquidity stregthens Ambient's balance sheet and positions the company for anticipated smart grid opportunties in 2011

Boston, Mass., January 5, 2011 – Ambient Corporation (OTCBB: ABTG), a leader in smart grid communications infrastructure, today announced the conversion of the $5 million “Holdback Account,” previously established by its majority stockholder, to company securities. The deal provides Ambient with an immediate $5 million in funding, which the company will use to improve stockholder equity and strengthen its balance sheet in anticipation of new strategic and market opportunities in 2011.

The original Holdback Account was created in 2009 as a financial protection against the continued downturn of the economy. Despite challenging economic times, however, Ambient demonstrated an ability to continually grow a market leading position throughout 2010 and finished the year with a very strong backlog of orders for its smart grid communications technology.

“The immediate injection of funding will increase shareholder equity while strengthening Ambient’s financial profile for the next phase of the strategic initiatives we began in early 2010,” stated John J. Joyce, President and CEO of Ambient Corporation. “Over the past two years we have grown into a leadership position in the emerging smart grid infrastructure market, and as a leader, our balance sheet needs to reflect the stability and strength we have developed.”

Continued Joyce, “The investment will also allow us to continue to roll out new product lines, for which we have already received orders, and to maintain our strong position from a product perspective in the rapidly evolving smart grid market.”

A recognized innovator in the migration to “smart,” two-way communicating electric grids, Ambient designs and develops core infrastructure and network management platforms for forward-thinking utilities worldwide.

LG to Launch Complete Range of Smart Appliances

LG Electronics (LG) will today launch its full range of smart appliances, just a few days ahead of the CES. The appliances are enabled by LG THINQ(TM) Technology which allows consumers to manage their homes in a more convenient and centralized manner. Key features of the technology include: Smart Grid, Smart Diagnosis(TM), Smart Access, Smart Adapt and Food Management. More ....

Smart Grid Makes Appearance at Consumer Electronics Show

Join industry experts at the Smart Grid Homes Summit as they explore the Smart Grid's impact on the consumer electronics industry

DALLAS, Jan. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Clasma Events announced today that it will bring together experts from the consumer electronics, electric utility, government and research sectors to discuss Smart Grid opportunities for the home during a half-day summit on January 8, 2011 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV.

The "Smart Grid Homes" (SGH) Summit will address everything from Smart Grid basics, to the nitty-gritty details on how the Smart Grid will enable the connected home of the future and provide a platform for business growth similar in magnitude to that of the Internet. More....