HomePlug Powerline Alliance and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (Panasonic) - joint proposal to the IEEE P1901 Work Group for BPL

Powerline Networking Groups Connect Standards
Proponents of two rival technologies merge their approaches and said products already in the market will work together.
Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service
Friday, September 28, 2007 2:00 PM PDT

Fast in-home networks over electrical wires got a boost on Friday as proponents of two rival technologies merged their approaches and said products already in the market will work together.

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (Panasonic) said they will present a joint proposal to the IEEE P1901 Work Group for Broadband over Powerline, which is trying to come up with a global standard. Their proposal could support both Panasonic's HD-PLC and the HomePlug AV specification, so future products would be interoperable with existing gear that uses either one, said Oleg Logvinov, chief strategy officer of HomePlug. The group's latest in-home technology, called HomePlug AV, can deliver more than 30M bps (bits per second) of throughput from most sockets in a home, he said. A HomePlug adapter about the size of a cigarette pack can plug into a socket and provide Ethernet or another type of standard connection on the other side.

Using wall sockets and home wires is one of several competing methods for connecting PCs and consumer electronics at high speeds. This is expected to be critical for sharing entertainment content around a home after many people start watching high-definition TV and downloadable movies over fiber carrier networks. Phone lines, coaxial TV cable and improved wireless LANs are also vying for dominance, and the market is still wide open, according to Parks Associates analyst Kurt Scherf.

Powerline networking is also being promoted for broadband itself, where it has gained little traction against DSL (digital subscriber line) and cable. The P1901 standard would cover both. HomePlug BPL, designed for this use, can work together with HomePlug AV, Logvinov said.

The partnership between Panasonic and HomePlug should create a consensus broad enough to reach agreement on a proposal in the P1901 working group by the end of this year, Logvinov said.

Friday's move surprised Scherf, who called it good news. Panasonic and HomePlug had been at loggerheads for some time, and their feud may well have delayed the IEEE standard, he said. They face still another entity, the Universal Powerline Association (UPA), that has won converts from some service providers and vendors, Scherf said. UPA probably doesn't have enough backing in the P1901 group to hold up agreement on a standard, HomePlug's Logvinov believes.

The alphabet soup of different standards shouldn't panic consumers at this point, Scherf said. Most products today are adapters rather than expensive, long-term investments. A single standard will matter more when network connections are built in to big-ticket items such as TVs, he said.

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance was formed in 2000 and counts some of the biggest names in IT among its members, including Cisco Systems Inc., Intel Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Motorola Inc. and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. It claims more than 10 million HomePlug products have shipped worldwide.

Copel to launch PLC pilot program in Paraná this year - Brazil

Copel to launch PLC pilot program in Paraná this year - Brazil
Published: Friday, September 28, 2007 12:19 (GMT -0400)

Brazilian power company Copel (NYSE: ELP) expects to launch a pilot program for providing broadband internet over power line (PLC) this year, IT news service Computerworld reported Copel's telecoms consultant Orlando Cesar as saying.

According to the executive, the pilot program will be for 300 clients in the southern state of Paraná that will have a broadband service with speeds of up to 100Mbps.


Cesar said the project was a natural step as the company has a fiber optic backbone covering a wide area in Paraná state.


Cesar told BNamericas he expects to have 3,000 clients on the pilot program by the end of next year. If all goes well, the company will look at expanding the service to other parts of Paraná state.


"At the end of 2008 we will develop a business plan to decide if the company will make the necessary investments to make the service more widespread," he Cesar said.


PLC enables the operator to reach a wider subscriber base as electric power cables are more widespread than telecommunications infrastructure. Modems are the only additional element required to obtain internet access.

Eight Utilities Seek To Increase Energy Efficiency Investment by $500 Million Annually

Thursday September 27, 9:21 am ET


NEW YORK, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) announced today that eight utilities -- Con Edison, Duke Energy, Edison International, Great Plains Energy, Pepco Holdings, PNM Resources, Sierra Pacific Resources and Xcel Energy -- are committed to seeking regulatory reforms and approvals to increase their investment in energy efficiency by $500 million annually to about $1.5 billion annually. This increased level of investment in energy efficiency, when fully implemented in 10 years, will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 30 million tons -- the equivalent of removing nearly 6 million cars from the road. It will also avoid the need for 50 500-megawatt peaking power plants.

The eight utilities, which represent nearly 20 million customers in 22 states, also committed to the creation of a national institute for electric efficiency to develop regulatory models and convene supporting conferences in the power sector. This institute would be formed within the Edison Electric Institute, which represents the nation's investor-owned electric utilities. The new institute is open to interested parties -- both domestic and international -- who share its commitment to energy efficiency. (See attached fact sheet.)

"Today's commitment is indicative of the power of energy efficiency in addressing climate change," said Jim Rogers, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Duke Energy, and a leader of the CGI energy efficiency commitment. "There has been a chronic underinvestment in energy efficiency in our country. We are determined to fix that, by creating the innovative regulatory frameworks that leverage technology to address climate change, reduce power demand and keep our customers' power bills as low as possible."

More: Eight Utilities Seek To Increase Energy Efficiency Investment by $500 Million Annually

ZyXEL's Powerline wireless router, the NBG318S

ZyXEL's Powerline wireless router, the NBG318S

ZyXEL Adds Three New Products to Its Homeplug AV Powerline Family
Wednesday September 26, 9:00 am ET
ZyXEL Offers the Broadest Line of Powerline Internet Access Solutions for Digital Home Consumers and Small Office/Home Office Users


NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Continuing to lead the Powerline and audio/video (AV) industry with first-to-market technologies, ZyXEL Communications today announced it has added three new products to its comprehensive HomePlug AV Powerline family. The NBG318S, PLA450 and PLA470 round out the ZyXEL product family making it the broadest and most complete line of Powerline networking solutions for digital home consumers and small office/home office (SOHO) users in the market. ZyXEL is showcasing its unparalleled product suite this week at ShowStoppers for the Digital Holidays in New York City.
Source: ZyXEL Communications, Inc.


As the Powerline market leader, ZyXEL has developed a series of industry first products that enable users to network their home or extend their existing wireless network. This is a key requirement for many consumers and SOHO users that are looking for easy-to-implement technologies for Internet access, file sharing and VoIP services throughout the home. HomePlug AV technology was designed from the ground up as a home network backbone solution with very high throughput. ZyXEL's Powerline product family was launched last year with its PLA400 and PLA401, Powerline Ethernet adapters (desktop and wall mount options) and the P660HWP, an ADLS2+ gateway with HomePlug AV and WiFi built-in. Now, ZyXEL's new products add a wireless router, wireless access point and 4-port Ethernet switch.

"As the leading provider of Powerline products we can offer everything from basic Powerline adapters to a fully integrated router that packs Powerline with WiFi for a wireless home network that can use the additional boost from HomePlug AV technology for full coverage," said Munira Brooks, ZyXEL's senior vice president of sales and marketing. "It is well-known that Wi-Fi offers great mobility but it usually cannot cover every square foot of the home, leaving dead spots in certain places, As a result, many consumers are looking to Powerline technologies as an effective alternative to or as an add-on for their Wi-Fi networks."

NBG318S Powerline Wireless Router

ZyXEL's Powerline wireless router, the NBG318S, is an all-in-one solution that packs Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Powerline technologies into one box with the latest QoS technologies designed for gaming, VoIP, video streaming and Internet access. The NBG318S features the ability to be connected directly to a modem and can also act as a broadband extended wireless gateway by connecting to a modem via Powerline. This first-of-its-kind feature gives users complete control by allowing them to position the router at the most ideal location in the home and change the operation mode to use the router as a broadband extension gateway with a simple mouse click.

The NBG318S broadband router is designed for consumers who want to access the Internet, play online games, stream videos and make VoIP calls anywhere at home with either a wired or wireless connection. With the power cable also serving as a HomePlug AV data connection, the NBG318S will stream HD video throughout the home, overcoming most dead spots and interference. The NBG318S also comes standard with ZyXEL's DOS/DDOS SPI Firewall for advanced encryption and data protection.

"Considering the popularity of digital audio, video and online gaming, today's modern home needs a total solution that can provide all of its networking needs," added Brooks. "Our newest HomePlug AV Powerline solution is the first and only broadband gateway with all three network technologies - Wi-Fi, Powerline and Ethernet - built into one router. Our new products are extremely easy to use, are optimized to transfer high definition content in a smooth manner and eliminate interference with other nearby wireless networks."

PLA450 Powerline Wireless Access Point

ZyXEL's PLA450 Powerline Wireless Access Point is an 802.11g access point with built-in HomePlug AV capability and one Ethernet port. Targeted to customers who need to extend the wireless coverage in their home, small office or in a warehouse type of environment, the PLA450 does not require the installation of additional Ethernet cabling. The PLA450 offers an extremely easy-to-use and high-performance alternative by connecting to an existing wireless network over Powerline.

PLA470 Powerline Wireless Switch

ZyXEL's PLA470 is a HomePlug AV adapter with a built-in 4-port fast Ethernet switch. Powered by HomePlug AV technology, the PLA470 Powerline switch is rated at speeds of up to 200 Mbps over existing power lines. With a built-in 10/100 Mbps fast Ethernet switch, the PLA470 enables users to share Internet, printer and central storage over the Powerline network without the need to purchase an additional Powerline adapter.

Pricing and Availability

All HomePlug AV Powerline products are available individually or as combination kits through ZyXEL's authorized channel partners and Retail/E-tail outlets. The following combination kits are available:

PLA400 Dual Pack - includes two PLA400 HomePlug Powerline Ethernet adapters (MSRP $199.99)
PLA401 Dual Pack - includes two PLA401 HomePlug Powerline wall mount Ethernet adapters (MSRP $199.99)
Powerline Home Network Kit - includes one NBG318S and one PLA401 wall mount unit (MSRP $280.00)
Pricing for standalone products are as follows: PLA400 (MSRP $95.00); PLA401 (MSRP $95.00); NBG318S (MSRP $135.00); PLA450 (MSRP $149.00); PLA470 (MSRP $108.00).

For more information about ZyXEL's HomePlug AV Powerline product family, please visit www.us.zyxel.com/homeplug or call 1-800-255-4101.

Ambient CEO Issues Letter to Stockholders

Ambient Corp. BPL Technology
September 26, 2007 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ambient Corporation (OTCBB: ABTG), a leader in Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) solutions, issued today a letter to stockholders from President and CEO John J. Joyce.

Dear Valued Stockholders:

At our Annual Meeting of Stockholders in May of 2007, we set forth four primary goals and objectives: stabilizing Ambient’s capital structure, increasing revenues, fostering the creation of industry standards and enhancing our technology while protecting our intellectual property. We continue to strive to meet these goals that position Ambient for its future growth. I am pleased to provide you with this report highlighting the latest developments.

To stabilize our capital structure, we have completed a number of initial actions. We are pleased to report the results of our Special Meeting of Stockholders held on Friday, September 21st. A vote to increase the number of shares of Common Stock the Company is authorized to issue, passed by greater than 70% approval, with 88% of our outstanding shares participating in the vote. Ambient requested the increase in Authorized Shares in order to be able to support raising additional working capital. However, at this time, the Company has no commitment for additional funding. Ambient strengthened its balance sheet in August of 2007, retiring $2.4 Million of short-term debt and closing on a $7.5 Million private placement of long-term debt securities from an institutional investor, Vicis Capital Master Fund. Vicis Capital shares Ambient’s vision and strategy, and is backed by approximately $2 Billion in managed assets. Interest on the private placement does not begin accruing until July 2008, with the first quarterly interest payment due in September 2008. As part of our continuing efforts to limit the distribution of Ambient stock at a discount-to-market price and control further dilution, we have paid in cash the scheduled monthly payments for July, August and September on our 2006 Debentures.

Overall, 2007 has been a very active and challenging year for Ambient and the BPL industry as a whole. Ambient now finds itself in a rapidly changing environment where the term “Smart Grid” has become more than just a catch phrase used by utilities seeking to modernize their distribution grid. Smart Grid applications are driving utility innovation and bringing much needed recognition to the looming infrastructure dilemma facing U.S. electric utilities. It is in this new environment of awareness for utilities, regulators and legislators that Ambient is continuing its position as an innovative leader in the BPL industry focusing on both the functionality and environmental benefits of a BPL Smart Grid. Those not familiar with the environmental benefits derived from BPL are invited to look on our website under “Company” (http://www.ambientcorp.com/pages/about.htm) for our “Environmentalism through Efficiency” presentation.

We continue to validate our technologies in the field as Ambient is presently conducting trials and commercial pilots with major electric utilities that serve in aggregate of over 12 million electric customers. These projects are directed towards a variety of goals including developing and demonstrating Smart Grid utility applications, residential and multi-dwelling unit consumer broadband Internet access, and successful operation of our next generation hardware products and network management software. We have also been actively seeking new opportunities, replying to request for proposals (RFP) from both major U.S. investor owned utilities (IOUs) and regional municipal electric suppliers.

We have also completed a number of enhancements to our product suite. We have received an addition to our FCC-certification to utilize Arteche capacitive couplers in our BPL systems. We have installed these couplers in our largest field deployment. Capacitive coupling was added to the Ambient suite to increase Ambient’s flexibility in network design and to address line and access concerns on particular segments of the overhead medium voltage electrical grid.

Our ongoing product enhancement work continues with Consolidated Edison of New York as we develop and modify our equipment to adapt to the Manhattan underground environment. We are also upgrading our deployment in Westchester County, NY to our FCC-certified, second-generation equipment. Our deployments with Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy Service Company and Entergy Corporation in Little Rock, Arkansas continue to operate while these individual customers evaluate our technology for larger deployments.

After an extended evaluation period, Ambient and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) have concluded our BPL demonstration. While the pilot demonstration has concluded with SDG&E, we believe that Ambient’s experience and BPL technology will favorably position us should SDG&E decide to proceed with Smart Grid utility applications in the future.

The BPL industry is now blossoming with increased support from investors, the FCC and local and federal legislators. Legislation in both the U.S. House of Representatives (HR 3221) and the U.S. Senate (HR 6) for Smart Grid capabilities have been introduced and lobbying through the GridWise Alliance occurs. Based this support, the United Power Line Council estimates the U.S. BPL market to generate $2.5 billion in revenue by 2010. I believe Ambient’s long-term strategy of choosing focused pilot deployments with innovative utility partners will prove successful.

As always, thank you for your continued interest and support of Ambient.

Sincerely,

John J. Joyce

President and CEO

About Ambient Corporation

Ambient is a pioneer in the Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) industry and is engaged in the design, development and marketing of patented, FCC-certified BPL equipment and technologies. Ambient utilizes proprietary technology and in-depth industry experience to provide optimal solutions for Smart Grids and the Broadband Access and In-premise markets. Headquartered in Newton, MA, Ambient is a publicly traded company (OTCBB: ABTG). Visit Ambient at www.ambientcorp.com.

Duke Energy's spending plan has nearly $1 billion for 'smart grid'

Duke Energy's spending plan has nearly $1 billion for 'smart grid'
September 18. 2007
BPL TODAY

Duke Energy plans to spend $975 million over the next five years on what it calls the "utility of the future . . . keep reading(subscription needed) BPL Today


FYI:
DUKE ENERGY pushes for AMBIENT/DS2 G2 200Mbps BPL gears in N. Carolina

Ambient Corporation (OTCBB: ABTG) has Expanded Broadband over Power Line Deployment with DUKE ENERGY (NYSE: DUK)

IMHO ... "The above IS A GREAT NEWS for BPL stock investors" !!!

Nextream opens 2nd Boadband over Power Line demo in Philippines !!!

Nextream opens 2nd demo in Philippines
September 18, 2007
BPLTODAY.COM

Nextream opened its second access BPL trial in the Philippines -- this one in Bataan, a town with about 140,000 homes .... keep reading (Subscription needed to
BPLTODAY.com )

OPERA, Broadband Over Power Line (BPL)

Published Fri, 2007-09-21 12:00

Just as we get used to the idea of watching television over a phone line, along comes a new idea: broadband internet, TV and phone services delivered through ordinary power cables. European researchers have solved the formidable challenges of this new technology, and are leading the race to an international standard that could give us cheaper, easier broadband access.

Broadband ‘always on’ internet is taking off. The number of Europeans with high-speed internet access grew by nearly 50 percent between 2005 and 2006, and the popularity of internet-based phone and television services is straining the capacity of existing broadband carriers.

Thanks to the huge data capacity of optical fibres, high-speed communications “backbones” linking towns and cities are economic to set up. More challenging is what the telecoms industry calls the “last mile”: the few hundreds or thousands of metres between the customer’s house or office and the nearest switchbox or telephone exchange.

Co-axial cable and optical fibre provide high bandwidths, but cost too much to install in thinly-populated areas. Phone-based broadband – ADSL – is cheaper, because it uses existing wiring, but performs poorly at more than a few kilometres from the exchange. Even in cities, ADSL is reaching its technical limits. New communications channels are urgently needed.

European researchers believe they have a solution in the technology known as power line communications (PLC). Like ADSL, PLC uses existing cables, in this case the ones installed to carry electric power. Since mains electricity is found almost everywhere, PLC works even in remote areas and countries where phone lines are in short supply. PLC also has great potential for saving energy through better control of the electricity network itself.

OPERA beats the noise
Although PLC of one kind or another has existed for several decades, getting the technology to work reliably at broadband speeds is difficult, explains Javier Arriola of Spanish power company Iberdrola. The electrical grid carries large currents at low frequency, whereas broadband involves low-power signals at high frequencies (up to 30 MHz). The weak data signals are easily overwhelmed by electrical “noise” on the grid, yet paradoxically they can interfere with nearby radio transmissions if special measures are not taken to prevent this.

PLC signals can only travel for a few kilometres before they become too feeble, and they cannot pass through transformers at all. The tree-like structure of the power network also presents problems, especially when lines are switched in and out as demand changes.

This places stringent demands on PLC design. The algorithms used to encode the data must be robust, to avoid problems with noise, and the signals need to be frequently re-amplified and routed around obstacles such as transformers. The management system has to take account of changing network paths, and safety is always an issue when working at thousands of volts.

All these issues have been solved, Arriola says, by an EU-supported project which he coordinates. The OPERA consortium has brought together 26 organisations – power and telecoms providers, equipment manufacturers, technology companies and academics –from 11 countries to create a new PLC system that is practical and affordable.

OPERA has a total budget of €29 million. The project began in January 2004, and two years later it had created a PLC system capable of 45 Mbit/s that was advanced enough for Iberdrola to market. This service still had some teething problems, Arriola admits, but a second phase of OPERA that began in January 2007 has already created a new prototype that is more robust and much faster.

The new system is currently on test at three sites in Spain, Portugal and Austria. Its bandwidth of 200 Mbit/s can be shared by several hundred consumers, to create an economical broadband service, or fewer people when higher speeds are needed. The local equipment is easily installed by power company technicians: a repeater at the electrical substation, smaller repeaters in apartment and office blocks, and a small modem-like box for each customer.

Squaring up to standards
OPERA is by no means the only PLC initiative: between 2001 and 2004 there were more than 100 PLC trials in 40 countries. The main standards body, the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), is now assessing a handful of PLC technologies. An agreed standard is essential, says Arriola, if PLC is to be widely accepted, especially as power companies forge closer links between neighbouring grids. Only large-scale adoption of a single technology will allow the equipment to be made cheaply enough for consumer use.

OPERA is the only PLC technology to have been demonstrated under real conditions in its current form, Arriola says. This lead in testing, plus OPERA’s advantages in terms of speed, robustness and lack of radio interference, put the technology in an excellent position to become a world standard. By the time the project finishes in December 2008, PLC equipment and services based on OPERA should be commercially available, Arriola says.

As well as providing high-speed internet access, video and phone services from any electric socket, OPERA has a great future in controlling the grid. Power companies already use a form of PLC to control their high-voltage lines and switchgear, but until now this has not been possible at the consumer level. PLC could allow remote meter reading and the use of dynamic tariffs to save power and spread demand. “This is a versatile technology that can provide a practical alternative to cable, DSL and wireless broadband,” Arriola concludes.

Source: ICT Results

DS2 launches Aitana™ the state-of-the-art 200Mbps Powerline Chipset at Intel Developer Forum, Fall 2007

INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, Booth 347, San Francisco CA– September 18, 2007

– DS2 , a global leader in semiconductors for Powerline Communications, today unveiled Aitana its state-of-the-art integrated 200Mbps chipset, the powerline industry's most innovative and cost-efficient design that further integrates external components into the silicon to deliver the best consumer multi-media experience. DS2 engineers are showcasing Aitana in a demo at Booth 347 at IDF.

Each Aitana chipset has an embedded processor, an Ethernet bridge, an IP stack, a powerful API (Applications Program Interface) and value-added software capabilities which make it a self-contained, flexible, adaptable, programmable and very easy to embed robust powerline solution. The size, performance and price-point of DS2´s new Aitana powerline chipsets are forging the path for reliable embedded networking in today's most popular consumer electronics such as XDSL gateways, computers, televisions, set-top boxes and games consoles.

Aitana technology has been designed with Quality of Service protocols in mind, so that the chipset manages multiple priority levels within the network. Data, VoIP, IPTV and video on-demand services are all assigned sufficient network resources to operate simultaneously.

“DS2 was the first to bring 200 Mbps powerline networking to global consumers. Now with Aitana and through the addition of new software features and more aggressive integration especially on the analog front end, we are again the first to develop the most integrated chipset solution for high-performance, low-cost networking applications” commented Victor Dominguez, Director of Sales, DS2.

In terms of technology readiness third party tests by major service providers show that DS2 products are at a level of maturity that supports prime time multi-media applications Major operators including British Telecom, Telefónica, Telecom Italia, Telia Sonera and others deploy DS2-based 200Mbps technology in their commercial IPTV services. Mr Dominguez added,“ with Aitana we have focused on reducing costs and developing applications that consumers and businesses alike will really benefit from. This new DS2 Aitana chipset that includes a powerful API makes the process of developing lower cost solutions to deliver secure and uninterrupted IPTV, VoIP and video streaming throughout the home much easier for organizations around the world.” “Making Moore's Law a self-fulfilling prophesy we have reduced the component count down to a minimum, and embedded many more of those components onto our silicon including memory, filters, drivers, and lower cost power supplies. This not only retains the high performance it also reduces cost and makes the device easier to integrate into a wide range of consumer products, all of which are connected to powerline networks today. The chipset is based on UPA DHS standards, which will help to make it future-proof, as the UPA is highly cooperative with ETSI and the IEEE’s developments of international standards for powerline communications,” commented, Jose Calero, Director of Technology, DS2.

The new Aitana chipset is fully compliant with the Universal Powerline Association’s (UPA) Digital Home Standard (DHS) for compatibility with the world’s best selling and most widely adopted 200Mbps powerline technology. This ensures coexistence and interoperability with other DHS-compliant in-home and access products requiring a share of bandwidth.

Technical InformationThe Aitana chipset (DSS9101 and DSS7800) has UPA DHS compliant MAC and PHY layers, with a powerful embedded media network processor. The technology includes an 802.1D Ethernet bridge with packet detect and redirect capabilities – that can learn up to 64 MACs and discover the network topology – and a 32-bit microcontroller with an embedded TCP/IP networking stack, allowing data packets to be examined, prioritised and forwarded. The unique TDMA based MAC enhances uninterrupted video-streaming, and is today the only solution able to handle video multi-streaming, neighbour networks and multiple VLANs efficiently by reducing the congestion on the network often associated with CSMA systems.

The analog component (the DSS7800), drives the integration beyond the state-of-the-art, including filtering and power devices, it includes a 48 pin QFN package that runs off a single 5V supply, with individual power down control for each block of the transmission. The highly integrated two-chip solution has configurable frequency notching to support global regulatory compliance. It has hardware-based encryption at strengths of 128-bit AES, 256-bit AES and 3-DES. The chipset includes SPI, GPIO, TDM/I2S and UART interfaces.

FERC: REPORT SHOWS SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN DEMAND RESPONSE AND AMI

FERC: REPORT SHOWS SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN DEMAND RESPONSE AND AMI

This month, FERC released its second annual report on demand response, which found that demand response and advanced metering programs have grown significantly since it published its last report in August 2006. Interestingly, the report lists BPL deployments at TXU (2 million meters), CenterPoint (1.9 million meters) and ConEd (500,000 meters) among the 43 utility AMI projects, representing roughly 10% of the total 40 million advanced meters that will be deployed between 2007 and 2010. That is almost a threefold increase from 2005 to 2006, and it is projected to double again by 2008. The report also cites several state AMI proceedings and bills in California, Connecticut, DC, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Vermont that helped contribute to the increase in AMI during the year. The full report is available on the UPLC Web site here. For more information, contact the UPLC Legal/Regulatory Department.