Partners With City of New York, The Boeing Company, Columbia University & Others to Make Metro Region a Smart Grid Leader
By: Marketwire .
Aug. 31, 2009 10:03 AM
NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 08/31/09 -- Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE: ED) (Con Edison) has joined with energy experts and researchers from the public and private sectors in filing for smart grid stimulus funds from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The applications request approximately $46 million to help fund smart grid demonstration projects for customers served by Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc. and Orange & Rockland Utilities Inc.
Earlier this month, the company applied for $172 million in federal funding for smart grid projects. The stimulus money would help fund an overall $435 million smart grid program.
A smart grid integrates information and communication technology into electricity generation, delivery, and consumption, making systems cleaner, safer, and more reliable and efficient. The stimulus funds would broaden the scope of Con Edison's existing smart grid efforts to modernize the electric grid.
With one of the highest load densities in the world, New York City, its suburbs, and New Jersey represent the most complex and diverse test bed for urban and suburban smart grid performance. Smart grid technologies would help Con Edison's 3 million customers use energy more efficiently, support alternative energy sources, enable wide spread adoption of electric vehicle charging, and enhance reliability to all customers including major medical facilities, transportation systems, financial institutions, and media centers.
To help make important aspects of a local smart grid a reality, Con Edison will work with several parties in this latest filing that calls for testing various types of innovative smart grid technologies in a large-scale demonstration project.
Numerous elements make up the demonstration project. Some parts include:
Working with the New York City Economic Development Corporation and Viridity Energy to optimize advanced building technologies and solar generation from City owned properties, such as the Brooklyn Army Terminal, into clean, virtual power generation.
Working with The Boeing Company to create a comprehensive middleware communications and cyber security network that will serve as the common operating environment and command and control network of an enhanced Con Edison smart grid, the same technology in use by the United States Department of Defense.
Working with Columbia University, The Prosser Group and CALM Energy on technology that allows a smart grid to increase use of renewable energy, provides intelligent energy storage, incorporates preventive maintenance and self healing capabilities to avoid system failures.
Working with Rudin Management Company Inc. customers to demonstrate emergency response and energy efficiency improvements.
The objective is to build a smart grid prototype that would enable Con Edison to demonstrate many high-tech and intelligent components, including two-way communication between the company and the customer. The pilot will also enable new technologies that can increase reliability, adaptability and efficiency in grid operation.
This comprehensive demonstration project is intended to also show how new technologies can lower costs for consumers in the most complex energy market in America, while lowering carbon dioxide and other greenhouse emissions. Con Edison and its team will work toward delivering a smart grid expandable to every electric system throughout the country.
The DOE plans to distribute $3.9 billion in Recovery Act funds for smart grid projects through two funding opportunities. The first provides $3.3 billion to deploy and implement smart grid technologies across the country. The second provides $615 million for smart grid demonstration projects.
For more information about Con Edison's smart grid efforts, visit www.conEd.com.
Con Edison, O&R and Rockland are subsidiaries of Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE: ED), one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $14 billion in annual revenues and $34 billion in assets. The utility provides electric, gas and steam service to more than 3 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, New York. For additional financial, operations and customer service information, visit Con Edison's Web site at conEd.com.
Contact:
Media Relations
212-460-4111
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Environmental Impact: Is a Smarter Grid a Greener Grid?
September 22 at 3:30pm to 5:00pm
Anna E. Croop - Session Leader
As our society tackles the issue of climate change in a world where electricity usage and dependence increase daily, one of the key benefits of a smarter grid will be the decarbonization of the grid. This panel looks at the results of smart grid demonstration projects that have been deployed to assess their environmental impact both from the distribution as well as the transmission side. It explores issues related to system optimization, energy efficiency, the integration of renewables, and energy storage from the perspective of different stakeholders.
Anna E. Croop - Session Leader
As our society tackles the issue of climate change in a world where electricity usage and dependence increase daily, one of the key benefits of a smarter grid will be the decarbonization of the grid. This panel looks at the results of smart grid demonstration projects that have been deployed to assess their environmental impact both from the distribution as well as the transmission side. It explores issues related to system optimization, energy efficiency, the integration of renewables, and energy storage from the perspective of different stakeholders.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Utilities call for wireless spectrum for the Smart Grid
August 26, 2009 | Camille Ricketts
Spearheaded by American Electric Power, the massive utility covering the Midwest, Appalachia and parts of Texas, appealed to the Federal Communications Commission yesterday for the government to dedicate licensed radio spectrum to Smart Grid operations, reports Earth2Tech. To do so, the commission would have to ban other types of users from using selected airwaves.
In order for major smart metering initiatives (and there are a lot of them in the works) to be effective, utilities will need to tap into wireless networks to beam energy consumption information between them and their customers. The scarcity of these wireless networks is a major hurdle for smart metering efforts. And that’s the argument AEP presented during a workshop on Smart Grid technology.
Utilities can’t just use any wireless spectrum either. While some are willing to rely on unlicensed, unexclusive spectrum, others are wary that these airwaves — used by countless other companies for varied purposes — could be plagued by interference. And energy delivery is one business where that’s unacceptable. So far, there’s no hard proof that this is the case, though the Electric Power Research Institute says it will do some testing in this area.
In its request, AEP is echoing arguments made by the Utilities Telecom Council, a consortium of utilities that has long been asking the government to dedicate about 30 MHz radio spectrum for grid upgrades. Mostly, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. But now, with applications flowing in for $4.2 billion in stimulus funds, Smart Grid has been thrust into the spotlight. Maybe these arguments will be taken more seriously once utilities have solid financing behind their smart metering strategies.
This is the second time in a week that the FCC has heard from concerned utilities. Recently, AEP, Duke Energy, Southern Company and Xcel Energy filed a petition with the commission to charge cable operators providing VoIP services the regular telecom rate rather than the lower cable rate. They claim that, as is, their customers that only consume electricity are being forced to subsidize VoIP services for a minority of users from vendors like Comcast and Time Wartner Cable. These cable companies and their peers have shot back that the utilities will be fairly compensated under the current rate structure.
fyi
Verizon Wireless and Ambient Corporation Join Forces to Offer Utilities Smart Grid Communications Solution
Smart Grid Projects to Use the Networks to Read Residential and Commercial Meters and Transmit Data
This is great news !!!
Spearheaded by American Electric Power, the massive utility covering the Midwest, Appalachia and parts of Texas, appealed to the Federal Communications Commission yesterday for the government to dedicate licensed radio spectrum to Smart Grid operations, reports Earth2Tech. To do so, the commission would have to ban other types of users from using selected airwaves.
In order for major smart metering initiatives (and there are a lot of them in the works) to be effective, utilities will need to tap into wireless networks to beam energy consumption information between them and their customers. The scarcity of these wireless networks is a major hurdle for smart metering efforts. And that’s the argument AEP presented during a workshop on Smart Grid technology.
Utilities can’t just use any wireless spectrum either. While some are willing to rely on unlicensed, unexclusive spectrum, others are wary that these airwaves — used by countless other companies for varied purposes — could be plagued by interference. And energy delivery is one business where that’s unacceptable. So far, there’s no hard proof that this is the case, though the Electric Power Research Institute says it will do some testing in this area.
In its request, AEP is echoing arguments made by the Utilities Telecom Council, a consortium of utilities that has long been asking the government to dedicate about 30 MHz radio spectrum for grid upgrades. Mostly, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. But now, with applications flowing in for $4.2 billion in stimulus funds, Smart Grid has been thrust into the spotlight. Maybe these arguments will be taken more seriously once utilities have solid financing behind their smart metering strategies.
This is the second time in a week that the FCC has heard from concerned utilities. Recently, AEP, Duke Energy, Southern Company and Xcel Energy filed a petition with the commission to charge cable operators providing VoIP services the regular telecom rate rather than the lower cable rate. They claim that, as is, their customers that only consume electricity are being forced to subsidize VoIP services for a minority of users from vendors like Comcast and Time Wartner Cable. These cable companies and their peers have shot back that the utilities will be fairly compensated under the current rate structure.
fyi
Verizon Wireless and Ambient Corporation Join Forces to Offer Utilities Smart Grid Communications Solution
Smart Grid Projects to Use the Networks to Read Residential and Commercial Meters and Transmit Data
This is great news !!!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Smart Grid Standards: Road Map a Month Away; Vint Cerf Weighs in
Smart Grid Standards: Road Map a Month Away; Vint Cerf Weighs in
Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:58am EDT
By Katie Fehrenbacher - Earth2Tech
The smart grid standards-making process has been one of the most condensed, complex standards work to date, given the rush to quickly deliver a road map before the billions of dollars are allocated from the stimulus package. And it looks like we have just about a month left to wait: The producers of the GridWeek conference, which will take place Sept. 21-24 in Washington, D.C., tell us that the smart grid standards road map will be announced at the show.
That puts the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), which has been spearheading the standards efforts, on track to meet its goal to get the road map out in September. NIST has its eye on the ball — this weekend the group said it has awarded consulting and engineering firm EnerNex Corp. an $8.5 million, 2-year contract to help keep the accelerated pace of the smart grid standards going. EnerNex will be creating panels around key smart grid issues that will be identified in the September road map.
Clearly, NIST and others involved in the smart grid standards process need a lot of help in building a consensus, and many diverse voices need to be heard. That’s why I’m also heartened to hear one of the most important voices that went into the building of the Internet — Vint Cerf, father of the Internet and now the chief Internet evangelist at Google — weighing in on top priorities for the new standards. Cerf wrote in a post on Google’s Public Policy blog on Friday that the smart grid is fundamentally about delivering and managing energy information, and thus should take a cue from how the Internet was created: with open standards, open processes and free access.
The smart grid is essentially a nascent energy Internet. Thanks to the open protocols and standards on which it was built, the Internet has grown into a thriving ecosystem, delivering innovative products and services to billions of users worldwide. Applying the same principles of openness to the development of standards for our nation’s electric grid would create a smarter platform for products and services, helping consumers conserve energy and save money.
Amen to that. And we’d like to commend NIST for keeping the standards-making process so open and transparent up to this point. We’re looking forward to seeing the road map — and the industry’s reaction — coming soon!
Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:58am EDT
By Katie Fehrenbacher - Earth2Tech
The smart grid standards-making process has been one of the most condensed, complex standards work to date, given the rush to quickly deliver a road map before the billions of dollars are allocated from the stimulus package. And it looks like we have just about a month left to wait: The producers of the GridWeek conference, which will take place Sept. 21-24 in Washington, D.C., tell us that the smart grid standards road map will be announced at the show.
That puts the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), which has been spearheading the standards efforts, on track to meet its goal to get the road map out in September. NIST has its eye on the ball — this weekend the group said it has awarded consulting and engineering firm EnerNex Corp. an $8.5 million, 2-year contract to help keep the accelerated pace of the smart grid standards going. EnerNex will be creating panels around key smart grid issues that will be identified in the September road map.
Clearly, NIST and others involved in the smart grid standards process need a lot of help in building a consensus, and many diverse voices need to be heard. That’s why I’m also heartened to hear one of the most important voices that went into the building of the Internet — Vint Cerf, father of the Internet and now the chief Internet evangelist at Google — weighing in on top priorities for the new standards. Cerf wrote in a post on Google’s Public Policy blog on Friday that the smart grid is fundamentally about delivering and managing energy information, and thus should take a cue from how the Internet was created: with open standards, open processes and free access.
The smart grid is essentially a nascent energy Internet. Thanks to the open protocols and standards on which it was built, the Internet has grown into a thriving ecosystem, delivering innovative products and services to billions of users worldwide. Applying the same principles of openness to the development of standards for our nation’s electric grid would create a smarter platform for products and services, helping consumers conserve energy and save money.
Amen to that. And we’d like to commend NIST for keeping the standards-making process so open and transparent up to this point. We’re looking forward to seeing the road map — and the industry’s reaction — coming soon!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Jobs, Jobs, Green Jobs: New Tax Credits for Green Energy Manufacturing
8/17/2009
Last Thursday, the Treasury and Energy departments announced launch of the ARRA-authorized $2.3 billion tax credit for manufacturers of “advanced energy equipment.” The manufacturing tax credit (“MTC”) is equal to 30% of the investment in a “qualifying advanced energy project.”
The MTC, also referred to as Section 48C of the Internal Revenue Code, defines “qualifying advanced energy project” as a project which re-equips, expands, or establishes a manufacturing facility producing:
Property designed to be used to produce energy from the sun, wind, geothermal deposits (within the meaning of § 613(e)(2)), or other renewable resources
Fuel cells, microturbines, or an energy storage system for use with electric or hybrid-electric motor vehicles
Electric grids to support the transmission of intermittent sources of renewable energy, including storage of such energy
Property designed to capture and sequester carbon dioxide emissions
Property designed to refine or blend renewable fuels or to produce energy conservation technologies (including energy-conserving lighting technologies and smart grid technologies)
New qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles (as defined by section 30D), qualified plug-in electric vehicles (as defined by section 30(d)), or components which are designed specifically for use with such vehicles, including electric motors, generators, and power control units
Other advanced energy property designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as may be determined by the Secretary
The program funding is capped at $2.3 billion. DOE and Treasury have established a protocol to sort among the applications expected to compete for the limited funds. Pay careful attention to this text from DOE:
The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will review and make determinations on the eligibility and merit of MTC applications. Applicants will receive tax credits based on the expected commercial viability of their project and the ranking of their project relative to other projects. Rankings will be based on: expected job creation, reduction of air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, technological innovation, and ability to have the project up and running quickly. Technology, geographic & project size diversity, and regional economic development will also be considered when rating projects.
And this text from the IRS:
The Service will consider a project under the qualifying advanced energy project program only if the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provides a recommendation and ranking for the project (DOE recommendation). DOE will provide a recommendation and ranking only if it determines that the project has a reasonable expectation of commercial viability and merits a recommendation based on the criteria in § 48C(d)(3)(B).
*****
The DOE recommendations will include a ranking of projects in descending order (that is, first, second, third, etc.). The project receiving the highest ranking (that is, first) will be allocated the full amount of credit requested before any credit is allocated to a lower-ranked project. The amount of credit allocated to a project reduces the amount of credit available to lower-ranked projects. The same process will apply to the second and lower-ranked projects until the amount available for allocation is exhausted. DOE will recommend and rank projects only to the extent necessary to exhaust the amount available for allocation.
To a degree not matched by most other DOE ARRA programs, the MTC program seems to demand from applicants the ability to prepare a very sophisticated, credible forecast of jobs and other economic benefits to be created by the project for which the MTC is sought. And the time available to frame that assertion is limited. The application period opened last Friday, August 14th. Preliminary applications are due to DOE on September 16, 2009, and final applications are due a month later, on October 16th. Guidance from DOE indicates that by January 15, 2010, the IRS will certify or reject applications, and certified projects will be notified of the approved amount of their tax credit. Awardees will receive acceptance agreements from the IRS by April 16, 2010. The application form is here.
Last Thursday, the Treasury and Energy departments announced launch of the ARRA-authorized $2.3 billion tax credit for manufacturers of “advanced energy equipment.” The manufacturing tax credit (“MTC”) is equal to 30% of the investment in a “qualifying advanced energy project.”
The MTC, also referred to as Section 48C of the Internal Revenue Code, defines “qualifying advanced energy project” as a project which re-equips, expands, or establishes a manufacturing facility producing:
Property designed to be used to produce energy from the sun, wind, geothermal deposits (within the meaning of § 613(e)(2)), or other renewable resources
Fuel cells, microturbines, or an energy storage system for use with electric or hybrid-electric motor vehicles
Electric grids to support the transmission of intermittent sources of renewable energy, including storage of such energy
Property designed to capture and sequester carbon dioxide emissions
Property designed to refine or blend renewable fuels or to produce energy conservation technologies (including energy-conserving lighting technologies and smart grid technologies)
New qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles (as defined by section 30D), qualified plug-in electric vehicles (as defined by section 30(d)), or components which are designed specifically for use with such vehicles, including electric motors, generators, and power control units
Other advanced energy property designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as may be determined by the Secretary
The program funding is capped at $2.3 billion. DOE and Treasury have established a protocol to sort among the applications expected to compete for the limited funds. Pay careful attention to this text from DOE:
The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will review and make determinations on the eligibility and merit of MTC applications. Applicants will receive tax credits based on the expected commercial viability of their project and the ranking of their project relative to other projects. Rankings will be based on: expected job creation, reduction of air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, technological innovation, and ability to have the project up and running quickly. Technology, geographic & project size diversity, and regional economic development will also be considered when rating projects.
And this text from the IRS:
The Service will consider a project under the qualifying advanced energy project program only if the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provides a recommendation and ranking for the project (DOE recommendation). DOE will provide a recommendation and ranking only if it determines that the project has a reasonable expectation of commercial viability and merits a recommendation based on the criteria in § 48C(d)(3)(B).
*****
The DOE recommendations will include a ranking of projects in descending order (that is, first, second, third, etc.). The project receiving the highest ranking (that is, first) will be allocated the full amount of credit requested before any credit is allocated to a lower-ranked project. The amount of credit allocated to a project reduces the amount of credit available to lower-ranked projects. The same process will apply to the second and lower-ranked projects until the amount available for allocation is exhausted. DOE will recommend and rank projects only to the extent necessary to exhaust the amount available for allocation.
To a degree not matched by most other DOE ARRA programs, the MTC program seems to demand from applicants the ability to prepare a very sophisticated, credible forecast of jobs and other economic benefits to be created by the project for which the MTC is sought. And the time available to frame that assertion is limited. The application period opened last Friday, August 14th. Preliminary applications are due to DOE on September 16, 2009, and final applications are due a month later, on October 16th. Guidance from DOE indicates that by January 15, 2010, the IRS will certify or reject applications, and certified projects will be notified of the approved amount of their tax credit. Awardees will receive acceptance agreements from the IRS by April 16, 2010. The application form is here.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Smart Grids May Help U.S. Boost Power Capacity by 13% !!!!
Smart Grids May Help U.S. Boost Power Capacity by 13%
By Dinakar Sethuraman
Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. may be able to increase power capacity by about 13 percent without adding plants by adopting “smart grids,” or energy networks that manage demand more efficiently, an engineering academic said.
The U.S. may need to build 250 power plants of 1,000 megawatts each, about 25 percent of the current capacity, to meet electricity demand by 2030, Saifur Rahman, a professor at Virginia Tech College of Engineering, said in an interview today. Electricity networks equipped with so-called intelligent meters may help to cut energy use and halve that need, he said.
“Power plants need water, land and access and the target cannot be achieved, and there’s pressure on utilities to keep capacity flat,” Rahman said. “Half of the new capacity can be achieved with energy efficiencies and managing demand.”
The $787 billion U.S. stimulus legislation signed into law in February includes $4.5 billion for “smart-grid” technology, which aims to lower energy costs and prevent disruptions with systems that allow energy providers to communicate. General Electric Co., IBM Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. are investing in the grid communications market, which is estimated to reach $20 billion annually over five years.
It will cost $697 billion from 2010 to 2030 to add 214 gigawatts of generation capacity, according to the Brattle Group, a consultant. Based on that report, adding 250 gigawatts may cost $800 billion. The U.S. has more than 1,000 gigawatts of capacity.
Italian Grid
In Italy, the installation of 30 million so-called intelligent meters last year cost about 2.2 billion euros ($3.1 billion), the first time an entire country has been populated with such meters, said Rahman, who spent a year at Tokyo Electric Power Co.
The project may be viable because Enel SpA, Italy’s biggest utility, could save on employing people to read meters, he said.
Developing Asian nations including India and China may be slow to adopt intelligent metering compared with developed nations because the system requires broadband access in every home, appliances embedded with sensors that monitor usage and citizens receptive to such technology, Rahman said.
New Technology
South Korea agreed with the U.S. in June to develop technology for a smart grid network. China, the world’s second- largest energy user, may spend as much as 680 billion yuan ($100 billion) on such intelligent networks from 2011 to 2020, Huang Shouhong, an analyst at Essence Securities Ltd., said in May.
China State Grid Corp., the nation’s biggest power distributor, plans to build a smart grid by 2020, company President Liu Zhenya said in May.
The cost of installing smart meters may be a deterrent to some individual consumers as the savings accrue over a longer duration, Rahman said.
GE, the world’s biggest maker of power-plant turbines, Cisco and FPL Group Inc.’s Florida Power & Light Co. are creating a “smart” metering system in Miami, costing $200 million, with possible help from the U.S. federal stimulus funding, they said in April.
Miami marks the first comprehensive “smart grid” project in the U.S., Rahman said. The project will deploy more than 1 million advanced wireless meters to every home and most businesses in Miami-Dade County.
New-generation power grid systems will monitor meters and substations to manage demand for power and help identify outages. It can move intermittent power sources such as wind energy from remote locations to where it’s needed.
Customers can go online and check how much energy they have used by the month, day or hour and make decisions on consumption.
By Dinakar Sethuraman
Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. may be able to increase power capacity by about 13 percent without adding plants by adopting “smart grids,” or energy networks that manage demand more efficiently, an engineering academic said.
The U.S. may need to build 250 power plants of 1,000 megawatts each, about 25 percent of the current capacity, to meet electricity demand by 2030, Saifur Rahman, a professor at Virginia Tech College of Engineering, said in an interview today. Electricity networks equipped with so-called intelligent meters may help to cut energy use and halve that need, he said.
“Power plants need water, land and access and the target cannot be achieved, and there’s pressure on utilities to keep capacity flat,” Rahman said. “Half of the new capacity can be achieved with energy efficiencies and managing demand.”
The $787 billion U.S. stimulus legislation signed into law in February includes $4.5 billion for “smart-grid” technology, which aims to lower energy costs and prevent disruptions with systems that allow energy providers to communicate. General Electric Co., IBM Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. are investing in the grid communications market, which is estimated to reach $20 billion annually over five years.
It will cost $697 billion from 2010 to 2030 to add 214 gigawatts of generation capacity, according to the Brattle Group, a consultant. Based on that report, adding 250 gigawatts may cost $800 billion. The U.S. has more than 1,000 gigawatts of capacity.
Italian Grid
In Italy, the installation of 30 million so-called intelligent meters last year cost about 2.2 billion euros ($3.1 billion), the first time an entire country has been populated with such meters, said Rahman, who spent a year at Tokyo Electric Power Co.
The project may be viable because Enel SpA, Italy’s biggest utility, could save on employing people to read meters, he said.
Developing Asian nations including India and China may be slow to adopt intelligent metering compared with developed nations because the system requires broadband access in every home, appliances embedded with sensors that monitor usage and citizens receptive to such technology, Rahman said.
New Technology
South Korea agreed with the U.S. in June to develop technology for a smart grid network. China, the world’s second- largest energy user, may spend as much as 680 billion yuan ($100 billion) on such intelligent networks from 2011 to 2020, Huang Shouhong, an analyst at Essence Securities Ltd., said in May.
China State Grid Corp., the nation’s biggest power distributor, plans to build a smart grid by 2020, company President Liu Zhenya said in May.
The cost of installing smart meters may be a deterrent to some individual consumers as the savings accrue over a longer duration, Rahman said.
GE, the world’s biggest maker of power-plant turbines, Cisco and FPL Group Inc.’s Florida Power & Light Co. are creating a “smart” metering system in Miami, costing $200 million, with possible help from the U.S. federal stimulus funding, they said in April.
Miami marks the first comprehensive “smart grid” project in the U.S., Rahman said. The project will deploy more than 1 million advanced wireless meters to every home and most businesses in Miami-Dade County.
New-generation power grid systems will monitor meters and substations to manage demand for power and help identify outages. It can move intermittent power sources such as wind energy from remote locations to where it’s needed.
Customers can go online and check how much energy they have used by the month, day or hour and make decisions on consumption.
Ford plans vehicles to interact with power grids !!!!
Ford plans vehicles to interact with power grids
By KIMBERLY S. JOHNSON (AP)
DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday its future electric cars will "talk" to power grids across the country, allowing car owners to control when they charge vehicles and for how long.
The nation's second-largest automaker released details of a two-year collaboration with 10 utility companies and the Department of Energy on the design of a system it hopes will drive greater interest in alternative energy vehicles.
Ford's first battery electric vehicle, the Transit Connect commercial van, will be available next year. A battery electric Ford Focus compact car will go on sale in 2011.
"At the end of the day this has to be easy for our customer," said Ford Chairman Bill Ford Jr., at a company round-table on electrification efforts. "This can't just be an interesting science experiment. This has to be something that makes people's lives better and easier and that is what our dialogue is all about."
Utility companies say their grids already are ready to handle electric cars, although some drivers are likely to need additional equipment installed in their garages, depending on the vehicle's voltage requirement.
"The grid is ready now but on a lower technology basis," said Mike Ligett, director of emerging technology at Progress Energy Inc., a Raleigh, N.C.-based energy company. "We are not concerned about energy consumption, but more about when it's used."
General Motors Co. is set to release its Chevrolet Volt next year, a rechargeable electric vehicle the company says will get up to 230 miles on a single gallon of gas. The Volt differs from Ford's forthcoming Transit Connect as the Volt contains an internal combustion engine, which kicks in after driving about 40 miles.
Ford's Transit Connect will not contain a combustion engine and the number of miles a user can drive will be determined by the size of the battery Ford installs in the car, company officials said. Specifics on the vehicle's driving range and price have not been released.
Ford said it is working to build connectivity between its electric vehicles and local power grids in certain areas, so owners can choose to recharge at off-peak times when electricity is cheaper, or when wind, solar or renewable energy is driving the grid, said Nancy Gioia, director of Ford's sustainable mobility technologies division.
"We're going to see an evolution of this," she said. "What we're doing is developing our capability and look at this as a core part of our product future."
Ford and the utility companies are testing the system and have logged 75,000 miles on a test fleet. The goal is to have a network in place so drivers can recharge their cars at preset times at home, work or elsewhere.
The system aims to develop technical standards so that a car purchased and used in Michigan, can "talk" to an electric grid in New York if the driver moves or travels.
Vincent Dow, Detroit Edison's vice president of distribution operations, said there are "more questions than answers" about how electric car owners will seek to recharge their vehicles.
"Will they charge at home, or work?" he asked. "What's the pattern going to be for them? We need to understand what the needs are going to be for consumers."
Mark Duvall, director of electric transportation at the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif., said that although the nation's current electric grid could handle widespread adoption of electric cars, more things can be done to use energy more efficiently. For example, drivers could recharge a car at 3 a.m. so it doesn't tax the grid and costs less.
Shares of Ford rose 27 cents, or 3.7 percent, to close at $7.64 Tuesday
By KIMBERLY S. JOHNSON (AP)
DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday its future electric cars will "talk" to power grids across the country, allowing car owners to control when they charge vehicles and for how long.
The nation's second-largest automaker released details of a two-year collaboration with 10 utility companies and the Department of Energy on the design of a system it hopes will drive greater interest in alternative energy vehicles.
Ford's first battery electric vehicle, the Transit Connect commercial van, will be available next year. A battery electric Ford Focus compact car will go on sale in 2011.
"At the end of the day this has to be easy for our customer," said Ford Chairman Bill Ford Jr., at a company round-table on electrification efforts. "This can't just be an interesting science experiment. This has to be something that makes people's lives better and easier and that is what our dialogue is all about."
Utility companies say their grids already are ready to handle electric cars, although some drivers are likely to need additional equipment installed in their garages, depending on the vehicle's voltage requirement.
"The grid is ready now but on a lower technology basis," said Mike Ligett, director of emerging technology at Progress Energy Inc., a Raleigh, N.C.-based energy company. "We are not concerned about energy consumption, but more about when it's used."
General Motors Co. is set to release its Chevrolet Volt next year, a rechargeable electric vehicle the company says will get up to 230 miles on a single gallon of gas. The Volt differs from Ford's forthcoming Transit Connect as the Volt contains an internal combustion engine, which kicks in after driving about 40 miles.
Ford's Transit Connect will not contain a combustion engine and the number of miles a user can drive will be determined by the size of the battery Ford installs in the car, company officials said. Specifics on the vehicle's driving range and price have not been released.
Ford said it is working to build connectivity between its electric vehicles and local power grids in certain areas, so owners can choose to recharge at off-peak times when electricity is cheaper, or when wind, solar or renewable energy is driving the grid, said Nancy Gioia, director of Ford's sustainable mobility technologies division.
"We're going to see an evolution of this," she said. "What we're doing is developing our capability and look at this as a core part of our product future."
Ford and the utility companies are testing the system and have logged 75,000 miles on a test fleet. The goal is to have a network in place so drivers can recharge their cars at preset times at home, work or elsewhere.
The system aims to develop technical standards so that a car purchased and used in Michigan, can "talk" to an electric grid in New York if the driver moves or travels.
Vincent Dow, Detroit Edison's vice president of distribution operations, said there are "more questions than answers" about how electric car owners will seek to recharge their vehicles.
"Will they charge at home, or work?" he asked. "What's the pattern going to be for them? We need to understand what the needs are going to be for consumers."
Mark Duvall, director of electric transportation at the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif., said that although the nation's current electric grid could handle widespread adoption of electric cars, more things can be done to use energy more efficiently. For example, drivers could recharge a car at 3 a.m. so it doesn't tax the grid and costs less.
Shares of Ford rose 27 cents, or 3.7 percent, to close at $7.64 Tuesday
Monday, August 17, 2009
AMBIENT CORPORATION: New Ways to Monitor Powerline System
Ambient Corporation
New Ways to Monitor the Powerline System
The current Con Edison preventive maintenance program employs high potential
DC testing, which potentially creates additional wear on the powerline system,
and is capable of only testing equipment on a periodic basis. Utilizing PLC
technology will allow for continuous monitoring of the system, improving system
reliability and reducing outages by enabling maintenance of suspect equipment
prior to failure. Once an incipient problem is identified by the monitoring system,
Con Edison can dispatch crews to the approximate location and repair the
equipment before a power quality event occurs.
As well as monitoring faults, the PLC technology will provide the utility with an
indication of general circuit health and enable the utility to assess the situation,
and take appropriate action if warranted prior to potential failure. The PLC
network provides a communication path which allows for added utility services
such as Automatic Meter Reading and micro-electro-mechanical-system
(MEMS) sensors to monitor powerline sag height.
Con Edison estimates that 24 jobs may be created to install the technology as
well as 50 ongoing operating and maintenance jobs in Con Edison’s territory
alone. It is estimated that savings of potentially thousand per commercial
customer, per incident, can be realized through both reduced utility costs and
customer related power quality issues.
Benefits Include:
• Improved system reliability through monitoring of incipient problems.
• Improved system information (ie. Current, line sag, etc.) for operators.
Results to Date:
• System installed on Con Edison electrical grid in Briarcliff Manor, NY
• Monitoring of powerline system underway
Contact: John Love, ext. 3317
Industrial R&D – Emerging Technologies
SBC Funded
For more information about these services, contact NYSERDA
toll free 1-866-NYSERDA, locally (518) 862-1090,
or e-mail: info@nyserda.org
www.nyserda.org
Improving Customer System Reliability Power Quality to
Locate Incipient Faults
Due to limited system monitoring technology for overhead powerlines, most
utilities are unable to continuously monitor system performance. As a result,
utilities are often unaware of distribution equipment problems until a failure
occurs. To help improve system reliability Con Edison partnered with Ambient
Corporation, a Powerline Communication (PLC) technology manufacturer, to
develop and test real-time feeder monitoring technology. The PLC technology
continuously and non-destructively monitors the powerline system in order to
identify and predict power quality problems throughout the system, that might
affect quality of service to the customer.
New Ways to Monitor the Powerline System
The current Con Edison preventive maintenance program employs high potential
DC testing, which potentially creates additional wear on the powerline system,
and is capable of only testing equipment on a periodic basis. Utilizing PLC
technology will allow for continuous monitoring of the system, improving system
reliability and reducing outages by enabling maintenance of suspect equipment
prior to failure. Once an incipient problem is identified by the monitoring system,
Con Edison can dispatch crews to the approximate location and repair the
equipment before a power quality event occurs.
As well as monitoring faults, the PLC technology will provide the utility with an
indication of general circuit health and enable the utility to assess the situation,
and take appropriate action if warranted prior to potential failure. The PLC
network provides a communication path which allows for added utility services
such as Automatic Meter Reading and micro-electro-mechanical-system
(MEMS) sensors to monitor powerline sag height.
Con Edison estimates that 24 jobs may be created to install the technology as
well as 50 ongoing operating and maintenance jobs in Con Edison’s territory
alone. It is estimated that savings of potentially thousand per commercial
customer, per incident, can be realized through both reduced utility costs and
customer related power quality issues.
Benefits Include:
• Improved system reliability through monitoring of incipient problems.
• Improved system information (ie. Current, line sag, etc.) for operators.
Results to Date:
• System installed on Con Edison electrical grid in Briarcliff Manor, NY
• Monitoring of powerline system underway
Contact: John Love, ext. 3317
Industrial R&D – Emerging Technologies
SBC Funded
For more information about these services, contact NYSERDA
toll free 1-866-NYSERDA, locally (518) 862-1090,
or e-mail: info@nyserda.org
www.nyserda.org
Improving Customer System Reliability Power Quality to
Locate Incipient Faults
Due to limited system monitoring technology for overhead powerlines, most
utilities are unable to continuously monitor system performance. As a result,
utilities are often unaware of distribution equipment problems until a failure
occurs. To help improve system reliability Con Edison partnered with Ambient
Corporation, a Powerline Communication (PLC) technology manufacturer, to
develop and test real-time feeder monitoring technology. The PLC technology
continuously and non-destructively monitors the powerline system in order to
identify and predict power quality problems throughout the system, that might
affect quality of service to the customer.
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