Tue Feb 17, 2009 6:59pm EST
NEW YORK, Feb 17 (Reuters) - IBM (IBM.N) plans to take advantage of the U.S. economic stimulus package signed earlier on Tuesday by offering Internet services over power lines to more rural consumers.
IBM said its venture with International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC), a company that provides broadband over power line (BPL) services, had begun to sign up Internet customers in rural parts of Alabama, Indiana, Michigan and Virginia and that it hoped to access more government funds.
The economic stimulus law signed by President Barack Obama included $2.5 billion for the Agricultural Department to expand broadband service in rural America.
International Business Machines Corp Chief Executive Sam Palmisano was one of several U.S. business leaders who met with Obama late last month, and IBEC's chief executive is set to meet with lawmakers on Wednesday to see how much of that funding would be available to the venture.
BPL technologies use radio signals which help connect Internet service over electric power lines. Consumers can access the Internet by plugging modems into power outlets.
Such services are widely seen as slower and less reliable than that of cable and phone providers, which offer increasingly fast connections as well as online video services with the help of fiber-optic networks and advanced network gear.
But IBM said the IBEC venture's service is aimed at remote and sparsely populated areas where advanced Internet services are not available, meaning the only competition would be traditional dial-up services which are even slower.
IBM said it did not know how much government funds it could receive but that the venture would proceed regardless, and that it expects broader Internet use to stimulate the economy and help create more business opportunities in the long run.
"In the long-term, the effort will lead to the expansion of small businesses and creation of new industries, bringing new jobs to rural Americans and driving net new economic growth," said Raymond Blair, director of advanced networks at IBM. (Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Buzz grows for modernizing energy grid
By Paul Davidson, USA TODAY
Alternative energy is taking it on the chin this recession, with solar and wind developers canceling projects and laying off workers. But a far more obscure slice of the energy sector is hotter than ever: the electricity grid.
How hot?
President Obama has made modernizing the nation's vast power network a key piece of his $819 billion economic stimulus plan, passed by the House Wednesday. Last weekend he called for the installation of 3,000 miles of transmission lines to carry renewable energy to population centers and 40 million smart electric meters in homes. The House bill sets aside $11 billion to help finance the investments.
Obama's endorsement of a sweeping upgrade to the century-old grid is jolting an industry already on a roll. Top power companies and lawmakers lately have called for an up to $1 trillion nationwide backbone electric grid.
Meantime, utilities and venture-capital firms are bucking the credit crisis and pouring billions of dollars into the "smart grid."
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Internet | Arizona | United States House of Representatives | Midwest | Northeast | TVs | Plains | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | Wind Energy Association | American Electric Power | Senate Energy Committee | Dow Jones VentureSource | FPL Energy | National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners | Brattle Group | Fred Butler | GridPoint
What's that? Simply put, the electric grid is finally following telecommunications, TVs and music into the digital age. Consumers with smart digital meters can better manage their electricity consumption and reduce their monthly bills. And utilities can more nimbly control the electricity that flows over their wires to prevent outages such as the 2003 Northeast blackout.
"It's like the Internet for the energy economy," says Katherine Hamilton, head of the GridWise Alliance.
Controversy
The proposal for a nationwide backbone grid is more controversial. Big wind and solar farms are planned for remote reaches such as the blustery Plains states and Arizona desert. But there aren't enough high-voltage lines to zap the power to coastal or Midwest urban centers. That's a problem: Many states impose renewable energy mandates.
Some states, meanwhile, don't want their residents to pay for lines they believe will spoil their rustic byways while largely benefiting neighboring states.
A 2005 law gave the feds new authority to designate special corridors for high-voltage lines and overrule states. But the process is cumbersome, and federal authority is murky.
Utility giants American Electric Power (AEP) and FPL Energy, the American Wind Energy Association and ITC Transmission are among those saying the U.S. government should have sweeping powers to approve high-voltage lines, especially if they're transporting renewable energy. While states would have input — deciding, for instance, which route a line takes — the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would have the final say and could allocate the cost burden among customers in various states.
"It's key to taking advantage of big swaths of renewable resources," says Susan Tomasky, AEP's transmission chief.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, says he plans to include the provision in an energy bill soon, adding the government "needs to play a larger role."
Although many states oppose the idea, a consensus is building for some type of expedited approval, says Reid Detchon, head of the Energy Future Coalition.
Meanwhile, a smart-grid rollout is already in high gear.
Even in last year's dismal second half, venture-capital firms pumped $183 million into smart-grid start-ups, as much as the previous four years combined, says Dow Jones VentureSource. That pace is likely to continue despite a recession that's slowing clean energy funding, says Greentech Media analyst Eric Wesoff. "2009 and 2010 are going to be the years of … the smart grid," he says.
About 70 utilities are proposing rollouts of smart grids costing $64 billion through 2016, says consulting firm KEMA.
Why?
While a solar-panel factory costs about $300 million, a venture capitalist can take a big stake in a smart-grid technology company for only $50 million. And capital expenses are more than recouped through cuts in electric bills, avoiding new power plants — key as utilities face greenhouse gas limits — and operational savings such as fewer truck dispatches, says Brattle Group consultant Ahmad Faruqui.
In turn, skeptical regulators are slowly warming to the idea of tacking charges on customer bills to fund the initiatives, says Fred Butler, head of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
Another driver: Utilities are starting to install gear that relies on common standards, such as those used on the Internet, instead of proprietary technology. That's opening the market to more suppliers, says Adam Grosser of Foundation Capital, a smart-grid investor. Start-ups such as GridPoint and SmartSynch are developing software and sensors to run the grids.
Some benefits:
•Smart meters. Today, most consumers pay the same price for electricity, day or night. Digital meters let utilities offer variable prices to reflect wholesale power costs, like cellphone plans. Rates are typically highest at midday, when electricity usage peaks, and lowest in the wee hours.
Smart meters already are in 5% of U.S. homes and businesses, up from 1% two years ago, though many don't offer variable pricing yet. The devices will be linked to 40% of homes in five years, a recent FERC report says.
Consumers that choose time-of-use pricing are prodded to cut air conditioning use on hot days when the grid is stressed and shift, say, their laundry to later in the evening. Utilities avoid building plants needed only at peak hours. Customers on variable pricing in southern Illinois save about 10% on their bills, says program coordinator CNT Energy.
Companies such as GE are developing appliances that run at low levels when prices are high or turn on only after prices drop. Trilliant's software will even let consumers program their home networks from their iPhones.
•Plug-in electric vehicles. Car manufacturers plan to roll out large numbers of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in a few years. But if they all charge their batteries during the day, the grid couldn't handle the load. So cars typically will be programmed to recharge at night, when the grid is sparsely used and wind turbines are spinning furiously.
By the same token, hybrids could become mini-generating plants at midday. They could be plugged into office garage outlets, primed to feed power to the grid when prices surge, says Elliot Mainzer of Bonneville Power Administration.
•Utility benefits. Smart meters let utilities read meters and turn power on or off remotely, avoiding technician visits. Xcel Energy is putting smart-grid technology to work across its network in Boulder, Colo. Sensors remotely alert technicians when a transformer or other equipment has failed — or even when it's about to fail — preventing outages and doing away with costly detective work. Substations, newly computerized, can talk to each other so overloaded circuits hand off electricity to underused ones. That can sidestep blackouts and the need to build generators.
Southern California Edison has new relays that isolate outages. Also, if voltage drops, capacitors automatically inject more to stabilize the grid or other generators kick in.
That's critical if wind turbines suddenly shut down as gusts taper off. And if there's too much wind or solar power, smart batteries can store it for later use.
Alternative energy is taking it on the chin this recession, with solar and wind developers canceling projects and laying off workers. But a far more obscure slice of the energy sector is hotter than ever: the electricity grid.
How hot?
President Obama has made modernizing the nation's vast power network a key piece of his $819 billion economic stimulus plan, passed by the House Wednesday. Last weekend he called for the installation of 3,000 miles of transmission lines to carry renewable energy to population centers and 40 million smart electric meters in homes. The House bill sets aside $11 billion to help finance the investments.
Obama's endorsement of a sweeping upgrade to the century-old grid is jolting an industry already on a roll. Top power companies and lawmakers lately have called for an up to $1 trillion nationwide backbone electric grid.
Meantime, utilities and venture-capital firms are bucking the credit crisis and pouring billions of dollars into the "smart grid."
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Internet | Arizona | United States House of Representatives | Midwest | Northeast | TVs | Plains | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | Wind Energy Association | American Electric Power | Senate Energy Committee | Dow Jones VentureSource | FPL Energy | National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners | Brattle Group | Fred Butler | GridPoint
What's that? Simply put, the electric grid is finally following telecommunications, TVs and music into the digital age. Consumers with smart digital meters can better manage their electricity consumption and reduce their monthly bills. And utilities can more nimbly control the electricity that flows over their wires to prevent outages such as the 2003 Northeast blackout.
"It's like the Internet for the energy economy," says Katherine Hamilton, head of the GridWise Alliance.
Controversy
The proposal for a nationwide backbone grid is more controversial. Big wind and solar farms are planned for remote reaches such as the blustery Plains states and Arizona desert. But there aren't enough high-voltage lines to zap the power to coastal or Midwest urban centers. That's a problem: Many states impose renewable energy mandates.
Some states, meanwhile, don't want their residents to pay for lines they believe will spoil their rustic byways while largely benefiting neighboring states.
A 2005 law gave the feds new authority to designate special corridors for high-voltage lines and overrule states. But the process is cumbersome, and federal authority is murky.
Utility giants American Electric Power (AEP) and FPL Energy, the American Wind Energy Association and ITC Transmission are among those saying the U.S. government should have sweeping powers to approve high-voltage lines, especially if they're transporting renewable energy. While states would have input — deciding, for instance, which route a line takes — the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would have the final say and could allocate the cost burden among customers in various states.
"It's key to taking advantage of big swaths of renewable resources," says Susan Tomasky, AEP's transmission chief.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, says he plans to include the provision in an energy bill soon, adding the government "needs to play a larger role."
Although many states oppose the idea, a consensus is building for some type of expedited approval, says Reid Detchon, head of the Energy Future Coalition.
Meanwhile, a smart-grid rollout is already in high gear.
Even in last year's dismal second half, venture-capital firms pumped $183 million into smart-grid start-ups, as much as the previous four years combined, says Dow Jones VentureSource. That pace is likely to continue despite a recession that's slowing clean energy funding, says Greentech Media analyst Eric Wesoff. "2009 and 2010 are going to be the years of … the smart grid," he says.
About 70 utilities are proposing rollouts of smart grids costing $64 billion through 2016, says consulting firm KEMA.
Why?
While a solar-panel factory costs about $300 million, a venture capitalist can take a big stake in a smart-grid technology company for only $50 million. And capital expenses are more than recouped through cuts in electric bills, avoiding new power plants — key as utilities face greenhouse gas limits — and operational savings such as fewer truck dispatches, says Brattle Group consultant Ahmad Faruqui.
In turn, skeptical regulators are slowly warming to the idea of tacking charges on customer bills to fund the initiatives, says Fred Butler, head of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
Another driver: Utilities are starting to install gear that relies on common standards, such as those used on the Internet, instead of proprietary technology. That's opening the market to more suppliers, says Adam Grosser of Foundation Capital, a smart-grid investor. Start-ups such as GridPoint and SmartSynch are developing software and sensors to run the grids.
Some benefits:
•Smart meters. Today, most consumers pay the same price for electricity, day or night. Digital meters let utilities offer variable prices to reflect wholesale power costs, like cellphone plans. Rates are typically highest at midday, when electricity usage peaks, and lowest in the wee hours.
Smart meters already are in 5% of U.S. homes and businesses, up from 1% two years ago, though many don't offer variable pricing yet. The devices will be linked to 40% of homes in five years, a recent FERC report says.
Consumers that choose time-of-use pricing are prodded to cut air conditioning use on hot days when the grid is stressed and shift, say, their laundry to later in the evening. Utilities avoid building plants needed only at peak hours. Customers on variable pricing in southern Illinois save about 10% on their bills, says program coordinator CNT Energy.
Companies such as GE are developing appliances that run at low levels when prices are high or turn on only after prices drop. Trilliant's software will even let consumers program their home networks from their iPhones.
•Plug-in electric vehicles. Car manufacturers plan to roll out large numbers of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in a few years. But if they all charge their batteries during the day, the grid couldn't handle the load. So cars typically will be programmed to recharge at night, when the grid is sparsely used and wind turbines are spinning furiously.
By the same token, hybrids could become mini-generating plants at midday. They could be plugged into office garage outlets, primed to feed power to the grid when prices surge, says Elliot Mainzer of Bonneville Power Administration.
•Utility benefits. Smart meters let utilities read meters and turn power on or off remotely, avoiding technician visits. Xcel Energy is putting smart-grid technology to work across its network in Boulder, Colo. Sensors remotely alert technicians when a transformer or other equipment has failed — or even when it's about to fail — preventing outages and doing away with costly detective work. Substations, newly computerized, can talk to each other so overloaded circuits hand off electricity to underused ones. That can sidestep blackouts and the need to build generators.
Southern California Edison has new relays that isolate outages. Also, if voltage drops, capacitors automatically inject more to stabilize the grid or other generators kick in.
That's critical if wind turbines suddenly shut down as gusts taper off. And if there's too much wind or solar power, smart batteries can store it for later use.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Ambient Launches X-3000 Node Certified for Use on the Verizon Wireless Network
Ambient Launches X-3000 Node Certified for Use on the Verizon Wireless Network
Ambient Incorporates Verizon Wireless Network Connectivity into its Smart Grid Solution
* Monday January 12, 2009, 8:30 am EST
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ambient Corporation (OTCBB: ABTG) announced today that its newest communications node, the X-3000, has been certified to run on the Verizon Wireless network through the wireless leader’s open development program. Verizon Wireless’ open development program is designed to offer businesses and consumers the ability to use devices, software and applications not offered by the company on its nationwide wireless network.
Ambient has incorporated the ability to access Verizon Wireless’ EV-DO 3G network into its newly launched, commercially available, X-3000 communications node. Verizon Wireless, America’s most reliable wireless network, provides Ambient ubiquitous and secure data communications for the node, an integral part of the Ambient Smart Grid™ solution. Ambient has sold and is currently delivering their latest product to a large North American utility.
Ram Rao, CTO of Ambient, commented, “Ambient recognizes the diverse needs of our utility partners as they explore various technologies and applications that require an increasingly flexible and robust communications network. To leverage Verizon Wireless’ network into the available backhaul options for our communications platform, we increase the robustness and flexibility of our smart grid communications solution, allowing Ambient to build out networks tailored to meet each utility’s individual needs.”
A robust communications network is the keystone to a modernized electric distribution grid, which allows for efficient collection, analysis and management of energy data, thereby promoting more reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly operations. Ambient believes that it should be a major national goal in 2009 to advance federal legislation to decarbonize our economy and to create the most energy efficient economy possible. Ambient continues to design innovative communication and energy sensing products to help electric utility companies towards this important goal.
Utilizing the pervasiveness and reliability of Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, Ambient enables any IP-based application including, but not limited to:
* Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI)
* Energy management
* Real-time pricing
* Demand side management (DSM)
* Direct load control
* System monitoring
“Verizon Wireless supports Ambient’s commitment to deliver advanced energy solutions for the utility market over a secure communications network. The broad reach of Verizon Wireless’ network is a cost-effective way for Ambient to extend their utility solutions into topologies that are harder to reach by other common technologies,” stated Anthony A. Lewis, vice president of the open development program at Verizon Wireless.
Ambient’s communication nodes are tightly integrated devices that allow utilities to build private and secure communications networks, based on open standards, that can both integrate legacy utility systems and support the future requirements of the evolving smart grid. The nationwide coverage and strength of Verizon Wireless’ high-speed data network provides Ambient’s customers an additional real-time, two-way communications backhaul option for the X-3000 node. Such an option is required by the growing applications and needs within the utility market.
Ambient Incorporates Verizon Wireless Network Connectivity into its Smart Grid Solution
* Monday January 12, 2009, 8:30 am EST
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ambient Corporation (OTCBB: ABTG) announced today that its newest communications node, the X-3000, has been certified to run on the Verizon Wireless network through the wireless leader’s open development program. Verizon Wireless’ open development program is designed to offer businesses and consumers the ability to use devices, software and applications not offered by the company on its nationwide wireless network.
Ambient has incorporated the ability to access Verizon Wireless’ EV-DO 3G network into its newly launched, commercially available, X-3000 communications node. Verizon Wireless, America’s most reliable wireless network, provides Ambient ubiquitous and secure data communications for the node, an integral part of the Ambient Smart Grid™ solution. Ambient has sold and is currently delivering their latest product to a large North American utility.
Ram Rao, CTO of Ambient, commented, “Ambient recognizes the diverse needs of our utility partners as they explore various technologies and applications that require an increasingly flexible and robust communications network. To leverage Verizon Wireless’ network into the available backhaul options for our communications platform, we increase the robustness and flexibility of our smart grid communications solution, allowing Ambient to build out networks tailored to meet each utility’s individual needs.”
A robust communications network is the keystone to a modernized electric distribution grid, which allows for efficient collection, analysis and management of energy data, thereby promoting more reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly operations. Ambient believes that it should be a major national goal in 2009 to advance federal legislation to decarbonize our economy and to create the most energy efficient economy possible. Ambient continues to design innovative communication and energy sensing products to help electric utility companies towards this important goal.
Utilizing the pervasiveness and reliability of Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, Ambient enables any IP-based application including, but not limited to:
* Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI)
* Energy management
* Real-time pricing
* Demand side management (DSM)
* Direct load control
* System monitoring
“Verizon Wireless supports Ambient’s commitment to deliver advanced energy solutions for the utility market over a secure communications network. The broad reach of Verizon Wireless’ network is a cost-effective way for Ambient to extend their utility solutions into topologies that are harder to reach by other common technologies,” stated Anthony A. Lewis, vice president of the open development program at Verizon Wireless.
Ambient’s communication nodes are tightly integrated devices that allow utilities to build private and secure communications networks, based on open standards, that can both integrate legacy utility systems and support the future requirements of the evolving smart grid. The nationwide coverage and strength of Verizon Wireless’ high-speed data network provides Ambient’s customers an additional real-time, two-way communications backhaul option for the X-3000 node. Such an option is required by the growing applications and needs within the utility market.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Smart Grids' Year of Growth
December 29, 2008
By Jeff St. John
There's something a little sci-fi like about the idea of a "smart grid" – an electricity transmission system that can monitor and control the flow of power between utilities and their customers to avoid blackouts, smoothly incorporate distributed power generation and even use plug-in electric vehicles as grid storage batteries.
But for those competing to make it in the business, it's a Wild West story, with shootouts over competing communication standards – WiFi versus ZigBee, RF Mesh versus WiMax –looming, and the promise of concept-proving and lucrative utility contracts as the loot.
From giants like General Electric (GE) and IBM to up-and-coming startups, there's a lot of room in an industry that's still in its infancy. But as utilities continue to install smart meters and demand response systems, and plan for a much-anticipated Home Area Network that will connect appliances, thermostats and other power-suckers to utility control rooms, there's also a lot to prove.
Energy-Management Buying Spree Continues (Jan. 24)
The year in smart grid technologies began with some early consolidation, as BPL Global announced it was buying Portland, Ore.-based Serveron, a company that monitors online and services transformers energy-management company, and Connected Energy, which makes energy-management software. The consolidations had been building from the year before, when Comverge (COMV) bought energy-efficiency firm Public Energy Solutions for $13.4 million and Enerwise Global Technologies for $75.7 million, and EnerNOC (ENOC) acquired MDEnergy for $7.9 million.
SCE Preps $1.63B Smart-Meter Program (Sept. 19)
American utilities plan to install more than 40 million smart meters between 2007 and 2010, according to a 2007 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission report. In September, Southern California Edison became the latest utility to announce grand plans to install smart meters to serve its 4.8 million electric customers. Smart meter maker Itron (ITRI) was the lucky winner in that contract, as well as in a deal with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDOGI.PK). But other smart meter providers, such as General Electric, Landis+Gyr, Elster and Sensus, are also getting involved. Pacific Gas & Electric is buying GE and Landis+Gyr meters for a $2.3 billion deployment. American Electric Power Co. (AEP) is working with GE as well.
Silver Spring Grabs $75M (Oct. 7)
Smart meters aren't smart unless they can talk to utilities, and companies like Silver Spring Networks gives them a voice. The Redwood City, Calif.-based startup raised $75 million in October, on top of $70 million raised since 2007 from investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Foundation Capital, JVB Properties and Northgate Capita. Its circuit boards are enabling communication from smart meters to the networks of utilities including Pacific Gas & Electric, the Modesto Irrigation District, Canada's Westario Power Services and others.
Others in the field include Trilliant, which raised $40 million in capital in August, has installed about 750,000 meters and participated in the large Hydro One deployment in Canada, and SmartSynch, which is working with utilities including Burbank (Calif.) Water and Power utility and Colorado's Xcel Energy.
An Old Favorite – WiFi – Preps to Disrupt Smart Meter Market (Aug. 22)
The Home Area Network – a future world of monitors that tell homeowners how much power they're using and appliances, thermostats and other devices that can be monitored and even controlled by utilities through home smart meters and communications networks –has so far been mostly a ZigBee world. Utilities including Southern California Edison and Centerpoint are adopting the low-power communication standard, which has been good for companies like Boulder, Colo.-based Tendril Networks, which had deals with 27 utilities to test or deploy its Zigbee-enabled home energy monitoring systems.
But other companies want to use tried-and-true WiFi instead, since it's already in widespread use. One of them is GainSpan, an Intel spinout that says it can match Zigbee's lower power requirements with WiFi's improved range. Only time will tell which - or both - will be in the smart homes of the future.
The Next Smart Grid Technology: WiMax (Sept. 18)
There are a variety of ways to link smart meters to the utilities that need to communicate with them. Pacific Gas & Electric and others working with startup Silver Spring Networks are using RF Mesh technology, which allows meters to serve as relays for each other to get information to collection points that deliver it to the utility's communication networks. Other methods, like broadband over powerline, have also been used, particularly in Europe.
But Grid Net, a startup with links to Intel (INTC) and General Electric, wants utilities to turn to the long range, high-bandwidth wireless data protocol WiMax instead. Grid Net says the growing WiMax network being put in place by Sprint (S) and Clearwire (CLWR), with billions in investments from the likes of Google (GOOG), Comcast (CMCSA), and Time Warner Cable (TWC), would be a ready-made communications system for a future smart grid.
GridPoint Gets $120M, Buys V2Green (Sept. 23)
Arlington, Va.-based GridPoint, founded in 2003, has moved from making products that monitor energy use for residential and commercial clients to making software to help utilities manage the flow and storage of power. In September, it announced a $120 million investment, bringing its total funding to more than $200 million.
It also announced it was buying Seattle-based V2Green, a company working on ways to use plug-in electric vehicles for grid power storage. That's a growing area of interest for utilities – while there are a handful of electric vehicles on the road today, any future electric fleet will have to be integrated into the grid to avoid overdrawing its power.
Acquisitions in Smart Grid: Get Used to It (Nov. 24)
When SmartSynch bought up Applied Mesh Technologies in November for an undisclosed sum, it continued a buying spree in smart grid companies that analysts expect to continue. Building out a smart grid will take utility-scale cash, and those utilities are famously averse to risk in their endeavors, making it likely that they'll look to large, established companies to provide them with equipment and services that will form a future smart grid.
Tendril Expands Its Reach in Smart Homes (Nov. 24)
Tendril Networks has taken a strong position in the home energy consumption monitoring business. The Boulder, Colo.-based startup, which makes Zigbee-based hardware and software, raised $40 million in 2008 and had signed deals with 29 utilities to test and/or deploy its technology as of November. CEO Adrian Tuck said one of those utilities would start a commercial rollout next year.
But Tendril will face competition from companies like GainSpan, which wants to use low-powered WiFi rather than Zigbee to connect home energy monitoring systems, and Greenbox Technology, which builds Web-based software to monitor home energy use.
Smart Grid Coalition Seeks Tax Breaks for Negawatts (Nov. 24)
Government subsidies have played a critical role in getting biofuels and solar and wind power off the ground in the United States. In November, the Demand Response Smart Grid Coalition [DRSC], a trade group for smart grid technology developers, asked Congress for equal treatment – except they want to get paid for not using power. That is, the group asked for a tax credit linked to "negawatts," or the power they're able to save utilities and customers through use of their products and services.
EnerNoc Expanding Into Carbon Management, Energy Services (Dec. 5)
EnerNoc is in the demand-response business – that is, it runs a network that can curtail power going to lights, machinery and other industrial power loads to help utilities deal with times of peak demand and avoid brownouts. But the company is also offering some of its customers consulting on energy procurement and energy efficiency, as well as "base load commissioning" services that help clients save power by using equipment more efficiently.
Late in 2008, it decided to get into a new game – carbon tracking and trading services. Cutting carbon emissions by reducing power demand, after all, will likely be cheaper than doing so by building solar and wind power plants or developing so-called "clean coal" technologies that don't exist yet.
By Jeff St. John
There's something a little sci-fi like about the idea of a "smart grid" – an electricity transmission system that can monitor and control the flow of power between utilities and their customers to avoid blackouts, smoothly incorporate distributed power generation and even use plug-in electric vehicles as grid storage batteries.
But for those competing to make it in the business, it's a Wild West story, with shootouts over competing communication standards – WiFi versus ZigBee, RF Mesh versus WiMax –looming, and the promise of concept-proving and lucrative utility contracts as the loot.
From giants like General Electric (GE) and IBM to up-and-coming startups, there's a lot of room in an industry that's still in its infancy. But as utilities continue to install smart meters and demand response systems, and plan for a much-anticipated Home Area Network that will connect appliances, thermostats and other power-suckers to utility control rooms, there's also a lot to prove.
Energy-Management Buying Spree Continues (Jan. 24)
The year in smart grid technologies began with some early consolidation, as BPL Global announced it was buying Portland, Ore.-based Serveron, a company that monitors online and services transformers energy-management company, and Connected Energy, which makes energy-management software. The consolidations had been building from the year before, when Comverge (COMV) bought energy-efficiency firm Public Energy Solutions for $13.4 million and Enerwise Global Technologies for $75.7 million, and EnerNOC (ENOC) acquired MDEnergy for $7.9 million.
SCE Preps $1.63B Smart-Meter Program (Sept. 19)
American utilities plan to install more than 40 million smart meters between 2007 and 2010, according to a 2007 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission report. In September, Southern California Edison became the latest utility to announce grand plans to install smart meters to serve its 4.8 million electric customers. Smart meter maker Itron (ITRI) was the lucky winner in that contract, as well as in a deal with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDOGI.PK). But other smart meter providers, such as General Electric, Landis+Gyr, Elster and Sensus, are also getting involved. Pacific Gas & Electric is buying GE and Landis+Gyr meters for a $2.3 billion deployment. American Electric Power Co. (AEP) is working with GE as well.
Silver Spring Grabs $75M (Oct. 7)
Smart meters aren't smart unless they can talk to utilities, and companies like Silver Spring Networks gives them a voice. The Redwood City, Calif.-based startup raised $75 million in October, on top of $70 million raised since 2007 from investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Foundation Capital, JVB Properties and Northgate Capita. Its circuit boards are enabling communication from smart meters to the networks of utilities including Pacific Gas & Electric, the Modesto Irrigation District, Canada's Westario Power Services and others.
Others in the field include Trilliant, which raised $40 million in capital in August, has installed about 750,000 meters and participated in the large Hydro One deployment in Canada, and SmartSynch, which is working with utilities including Burbank (Calif.) Water and Power utility and Colorado's Xcel Energy.
An Old Favorite – WiFi – Preps to Disrupt Smart Meter Market (Aug. 22)
The Home Area Network – a future world of monitors that tell homeowners how much power they're using and appliances, thermostats and other devices that can be monitored and even controlled by utilities through home smart meters and communications networks –has so far been mostly a ZigBee world. Utilities including Southern California Edison and Centerpoint are adopting the low-power communication standard, which has been good for companies like Boulder, Colo.-based Tendril Networks, which had deals with 27 utilities to test or deploy its Zigbee-enabled home energy monitoring systems.
But other companies want to use tried-and-true WiFi instead, since it's already in widespread use. One of them is GainSpan, an Intel spinout that says it can match Zigbee's lower power requirements with WiFi's improved range. Only time will tell which - or both - will be in the smart homes of the future.
The Next Smart Grid Technology: WiMax (Sept. 18)
There are a variety of ways to link smart meters to the utilities that need to communicate with them. Pacific Gas & Electric and others working with startup Silver Spring Networks are using RF Mesh technology, which allows meters to serve as relays for each other to get information to collection points that deliver it to the utility's communication networks. Other methods, like broadband over powerline, have also been used, particularly in Europe.
But Grid Net, a startup with links to Intel (INTC) and General Electric, wants utilities to turn to the long range, high-bandwidth wireless data protocol WiMax instead. Grid Net says the growing WiMax network being put in place by Sprint (S) and Clearwire (CLWR), with billions in investments from the likes of Google (GOOG), Comcast (CMCSA), and Time Warner Cable (TWC), would be a ready-made communications system for a future smart grid.
GridPoint Gets $120M, Buys V2Green (Sept. 23)
Arlington, Va.-based GridPoint, founded in 2003, has moved from making products that monitor energy use for residential and commercial clients to making software to help utilities manage the flow and storage of power. In September, it announced a $120 million investment, bringing its total funding to more than $200 million.
It also announced it was buying Seattle-based V2Green, a company working on ways to use plug-in electric vehicles for grid power storage. That's a growing area of interest for utilities – while there are a handful of electric vehicles on the road today, any future electric fleet will have to be integrated into the grid to avoid overdrawing its power.
Acquisitions in Smart Grid: Get Used to It (Nov. 24)
When SmartSynch bought up Applied Mesh Technologies in November for an undisclosed sum, it continued a buying spree in smart grid companies that analysts expect to continue. Building out a smart grid will take utility-scale cash, and those utilities are famously averse to risk in their endeavors, making it likely that they'll look to large, established companies to provide them with equipment and services that will form a future smart grid.
Tendril Expands Its Reach in Smart Homes (Nov. 24)
Tendril Networks has taken a strong position in the home energy consumption monitoring business. The Boulder, Colo.-based startup, which makes Zigbee-based hardware and software, raised $40 million in 2008 and had signed deals with 29 utilities to test and/or deploy its technology as of November. CEO Adrian Tuck said one of those utilities would start a commercial rollout next year.
But Tendril will face competition from companies like GainSpan, which wants to use low-powered WiFi rather than Zigbee to connect home energy monitoring systems, and Greenbox Technology, which builds Web-based software to monitor home energy use.
Smart Grid Coalition Seeks Tax Breaks for Negawatts (Nov. 24)
Government subsidies have played a critical role in getting biofuels and solar and wind power off the ground in the United States. In November, the Demand Response Smart Grid Coalition [DRSC], a trade group for smart grid technology developers, asked Congress for equal treatment – except they want to get paid for not using power. That is, the group asked for a tax credit linked to "negawatts," or the power they're able to save utilities and customers through use of their products and services.
EnerNoc Expanding Into Carbon Management, Energy Services (Dec. 5)
EnerNoc is in the demand-response business – that is, it runs a network that can curtail power going to lights, machinery and other industrial power loads to help utilities deal with times of peak demand and avoid brownouts. But the company is also offering some of its customers consulting on energy procurement and energy efficiency, as well as "base load commissioning" services that help clients save power by using equipment more efficiently.
Late in 2008, it decided to get into a new game – carbon tracking and trading services. Cutting carbon emissions by reducing power demand, after all, will likely be cheaper than doing so by building solar and wind power plants or developing so-called "clean coal" technologies that don't exist yet.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Intellon Introduces New Firmware for BPL Access and Smart Grid Applications Using HomePlug AV-Class Products
Intellon Introduces New Firmware for BPL Access and Smart Grid Applications Using HomePlug AV-Class Products
Thursday December 11, 10:26 am ET
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Intellon Corporation (Nasdaq:ITLN), a leading provider of HomePlug®-compatible integrated circuits (ICs) for home networking, networked entertainment, Ethernet-over-Coax (EoC) and smart grid applications, today announced the introduction of a new firmware release for its HomePlug AV (HPAV) powerline chipsets. Intellon’s HPAV integrated circuits are already deployed in high volume for in-home powerline networking. The new release adds a Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) capability to the Intellon feature suite. FDM will make it easier to use HomePlug AV-based solutions for Broadband over Power Line (BPL) communications on outdoor power lines and Smart Grid applications.
The FDM technology divides the available communications spectrum (2.0 – 28 MHz) into smaller sub-bands, allowing pole-top repeater units to communicate both up- and down-stream in full-duplex mode. Because the repeaters can send on one sub-band while receiving on another, better spectral efficiency is obtained in high user-density environments. Intellon employs Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) tone masking as opposed to other solutions which use a variable OFDM symbol length. Field tests have demonstrated the efficacy of Intellon’s approach.
“The new firmware release allows Intellon to better meet the unique needs of BPL access and utility firms using our existing line-up of HomePlug AV-based chipsets,” said Rick Furtney, COO and president of Intellon. “Because these chips are already produced in high volume for in-home powerline networking, the new solution brings increased economies of scale to BPL access and smart grid applications.”
Thursday December 11, 10:26 am ET
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Intellon Corporation (Nasdaq:ITLN), a leading provider of HomePlug®-compatible integrated circuits (ICs) for home networking, networked entertainment, Ethernet-over-Coax (EoC) and smart grid applications, today announced the introduction of a new firmware release for its HomePlug AV (HPAV) powerline chipsets. Intellon’s HPAV integrated circuits are already deployed in high volume for in-home powerline networking. The new release adds a Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) capability to the Intellon feature suite. FDM will make it easier to use HomePlug AV-based solutions for Broadband over Power Line (BPL) communications on outdoor power lines and Smart Grid applications.
The FDM technology divides the available communications spectrum (2.0 – 28 MHz) into smaller sub-bands, allowing pole-top repeater units to communicate both up- and down-stream in full-duplex mode. Because the repeaters can send on one sub-band while receiving on another, better spectral efficiency is obtained in high user-density environments. Intellon employs Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) tone masking as opposed to other solutions which use a variable OFDM symbol length. Field tests have demonstrated the efficacy of Intellon’s approach.
“The new firmware release allows Intellon to better meet the unique needs of BPL access and utility firms using our existing line-up of HomePlug AV-based chipsets,” said Rick Furtney, COO and president of Intellon. “Because these chips are already produced in high volume for in-home powerline networking, the new solution brings increased economies of scale to BPL access and smart grid applications.”
Friday, November 28, 2008
Ambient Secures $8.0 Million in Permanent Funding
Ambient Secures $8.0 Million in Permanent Funding
Monday November 24, 8:30 am ET
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ambient Corporation (OTCBB: ABTG - News) announced today that it has raised an additional $8.0 million from Vicis Capital Master Fund (Vicis). This injection of capital follows Ambient’s strongest quarterly results to date and enables Ambient to fund present initiatives and future growth. Vicis’ investment into Ambient now totals $23.5 million.
Vicis will also be exercising all of the warrants previously issued to it between July 31, 2007 and April 23, 2008 through a combination of “cashless exercises” as well as “for cash exercises.” This exercise is anticipated to net Ambient approximately $242,142, in addition to the $8.0 million investment, and will result in Vicis holding, immediately following such exercise, approximately 65% of Ambient’s outstanding shares of Common Stock.
Shad Stastney, a partner with Vicis Capital, LLC, the investment manager for Vicis Capital Master Fund, commented, “In completing this latest round of investment into Ambient and exercising our warrants, Vicis has taken a controlling ownership position in a company that has continuously met development goals and successfully positioned itself to capitalize on the progressive movements within the smart grid space. Our investments into Ambient reflect our belief and support of its initiatives focusing on wide-scale grid efficiency gains through the deployment of such advanced technologies.”
This cash infusion, combined with the revenue generated from the contract announced in April of this year, positions Ambient to expand its business plan for a growing market and affords it the necessary flexibility to increase product manufacturing for future deployments and opportunities. The present financing involves no increase of debt, allowing Ambient to use the investment to fund current and future business activities through 2009.
“We are at a defining moment, both as a company and as a nation,” stated John J. Joyce, President and CEO of Ambient. “The incoming administration in Washington has stated that the new clean energy economy is a top priority. Along with our partners and the continued support of Vicis, we are enabling energy efficiencies and technologies that will help the country drive towards energy independence by offering utilities communications solutions for the future by modernizing the distribution infrastructure. Ambient whole heartedly supports the emerging national awareness, as we believe the most effective energy solution available to combat future increase in energy demand is to more efficiently use the energy already generated.”
On November 14, 2008, Ambient reported for the nine-months ending September 30th, year-to-date revenues of $4,450,099, an increase of 44% for the corresponding period in 2007.
Additional information relating to the terms of the investment will be included in Ambient’s Current Report on Form 8-K, which Ambient will be filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additional information on Ambient’s third quarter results can found in Ambient’s most recent 10-Q.
Monday November 24, 8:30 am ET
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ambient Corporation (OTCBB: ABTG - News) announced today that it has raised an additional $8.0 million from Vicis Capital Master Fund (Vicis). This injection of capital follows Ambient’s strongest quarterly results to date and enables Ambient to fund present initiatives and future growth. Vicis’ investment into Ambient now totals $23.5 million.
Vicis will also be exercising all of the warrants previously issued to it between July 31, 2007 and April 23, 2008 through a combination of “cashless exercises” as well as “for cash exercises.” This exercise is anticipated to net Ambient approximately $242,142, in addition to the $8.0 million investment, and will result in Vicis holding, immediately following such exercise, approximately 65% of Ambient’s outstanding shares of Common Stock.
Shad Stastney, a partner with Vicis Capital, LLC, the investment manager for Vicis Capital Master Fund, commented, “In completing this latest round of investment into Ambient and exercising our warrants, Vicis has taken a controlling ownership position in a company that has continuously met development goals and successfully positioned itself to capitalize on the progressive movements within the smart grid space. Our investments into Ambient reflect our belief and support of its initiatives focusing on wide-scale grid efficiency gains through the deployment of such advanced technologies.”
This cash infusion, combined with the revenue generated from the contract announced in April of this year, positions Ambient to expand its business plan for a growing market and affords it the necessary flexibility to increase product manufacturing for future deployments and opportunities. The present financing involves no increase of debt, allowing Ambient to use the investment to fund current and future business activities through 2009.
“We are at a defining moment, both as a company and as a nation,” stated John J. Joyce, President and CEO of Ambient. “The incoming administration in Washington has stated that the new clean energy economy is a top priority. Along with our partners and the continued support of Vicis, we are enabling energy efficiencies and technologies that will help the country drive towards energy independence by offering utilities communications solutions for the future by modernizing the distribution infrastructure. Ambient whole heartedly supports the emerging national awareness, as we believe the most effective energy solution available to combat future increase in energy demand is to more efficiently use the energy already generated.”
On November 14, 2008, Ambient reported for the nine-months ending September 30th, year-to-date revenues of $4,450,099, an increase of 44% for the corresponding period in 2007.
Additional information relating to the terms of the investment will be included in Ambient’s Current Report on Form 8-K, which Ambient will be filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additional information on Ambient’s third quarter results can found in Ambient’s most recent 10-Q.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
IBM Plans Broadband Over Power Lines For Rural America
The technology allows residents of areas underserved by traditional ISPs to receive high-speed Internet access.
By Paul McDougall
InformationWeek
November 12, 2008 09:31 AM
IBM (NYSE: IBM) said Wednesday that it has struck a $9.6 million deal with International Broadband Electric Communications under which it will deploy high-speed Internet service that runs over power lines in rural U.S. markets underserved by traditional broadband technology.
IBM will use IBEC's Broadband over Power Line (BPL) equipment to roll out BPL service to customers of electrical cooperatives that provide electricity for much of rural America.
"Americans in rural areas of the country trail their urban and suburban counterparts in broadband availability," said IBEC CEO Scott Lee, in a statement. "This capability will play a crucial role in rural health, education and economic development, while closing the digital divide that exists between well served and underserved America."
Raymond Blair, director of Advanced Networks at IBM, said that, "High-speed Internet service is revolutionizing the way we do business, and access to this resource will generate great opportunities for rural America."
IBM estimates there are over 900 electrical cooperatives in the U.S., providing service that accounts for 45% of the country's total power grid.
Officials at co-op industry groups said the plan would help boost the economies of less populated areas. "This is a key development in the growth and availability of high-speed Broadband over Power Line Internet services and widespread availability of critical SmartGrid applications in the United States," said Bill Moroney, president and CEO of the Utilities Telecom Council.
With BPL, consumers can simply plug their computers into any electrical outlet to receive broadband service at speeds comparable to those offered by DSL and cable Internet Service Providers.
Despite its promise, BPL has received mixed reviews to date and as a result has largely failed to flourish. Among other things, critics charge that BPL interferes with short-wave radios signals used by Ham radio operators and others.
By Paul McDougall
InformationWeek
November 12, 2008 09:31 AM
IBM (NYSE: IBM) said Wednesday that it has struck a $9.6 million deal with International Broadband Electric Communications under which it will deploy high-speed Internet service that runs over power lines in rural U.S. markets underserved by traditional broadband technology.
IBM will use IBEC's Broadband over Power Line (BPL) equipment to roll out BPL service to customers of electrical cooperatives that provide electricity for much of rural America.
"Americans in rural areas of the country trail their urban and suburban counterparts in broadband availability," said IBEC CEO Scott Lee, in a statement. "This capability will play a crucial role in rural health, education and economic development, while closing the digital divide that exists between well served and underserved America."
Raymond Blair, director of Advanced Networks at IBM, said that, "High-speed Internet service is revolutionizing the way we do business, and access to this resource will generate great opportunities for rural America."
IBM estimates there are over 900 electrical cooperatives in the U.S., providing service that accounts for 45% of the country's total power grid.
Officials at co-op industry groups said the plan would help boost the economies of less populated areas. "This is a key development in the growth and availability of high-speed Broadband over Power Line Internet services and widespread availability of critical SmartGrid applications in the United States," said Bill Moroney, president and CEO of the Utilities Telecom Council.
With BPL, consumers can simply plug their computers into any electrical outlet to receive broadband service at speeds comparable to those offered by DSL and cable Internet Service Providers.
Despite its promise, BPL has received mixed reviews to date and as a result has largely failed to flourish. Among other things, critics charge that BPL interferes with short-wave radios signals used by Ham radio operators and others.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
All Electric and/or Plug-in Hybrid Cars Adding Demands to our Electric Grid !!!
Sparse plug-ins for electric cars spark creativity
Sunday October 19, 2:22 pm ET
By Phuong Le, Associated Press Writer
Refueling an electric car requires charm, guile, planning -- and a 50-foot extension cord
SEATTLE (AP) -- Owning an electric vehicle requires more than global-cooling ambitions. It takes guile, planning, sharp vision, a silver tongue -- and a 50-foot extension cord.
Steve Bernheim knows accessible outlets like a firefighter knows hydrants. He has to -- his Corbin Sparrow runs only 25 miles on a charge.
"You do guerrilla charging where you locate these plugs," said Bernheim, an attorney who lives in the Seattle suburb of Edmonds. "I'm an expert at finding them."
While California has more than 500 public charging stations at parks, malls and grocery stores to serve electric vehicles that rolled out in the last decade, the network is still thin across the rest of the country, forcing drivers like Bernheim to get creative.
That may change as charging stations crop up in San Jose, Calif., Seattle and Portland, Ore. to serve early adopters and pave the way for a new breed of mass market plug-in cars.
"Every auto company in the world is developing all-electric or plug-in hybrids," said Zan Dubin Scott, a spokeswoman for Plug In America, a nonprofit advocacy group for electric car owners. "The utilities, municipalities and smart business people are seeing that this is the future."
The vast majority of electric vehicle owners charge their cars at home while they sleep, so most trips aren't a problem.
But drivers can now plug in -- reservations recommended -- at two park-and-ride lots in King County, which includes Seattle. The county plans to add sockets at three garages under construction.
"We want to make sure we're ahead of the curve in doing what we can to support the use of these vehicles," said Rochelle Ogershok, a county transportation spokeswoman.
In Oregon, Portland General Electric put five free charging stations in downtown Portland, Salem and suburban Lake Oswego and plans to add more.
At the end of the year, Coulomb Technologies plans to roll out five curbside charging stations in downtown San Jose that drivers can access through a prepaid plan. The company is working with entities in New York and Florida to do something similar there, president and founder Praveen Mandal said.
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Better Place is working with Renault SA to develop charging stations for electric cars in Israel and Denmark that would work on a paid subscription, said spokeswoman Julie Mullins.
In recent months, the smaller cities of Edmonds and Lacey invited drivers to plug in their electric vehicles at free public stations near city hall.
"We haven't seen much usage yet, but we wanted to put it out there," said Graeme Sackrison, mayor of Lacey, a town of 38,000 an hour south of Seattle. "You have to have the infrastructure in place so people feel comfortable using them."
Street-legal "neighborhood electric vehicles" that can travel up to 25 mph typically go about 35 to 40 miles on a single charge. Vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt that General Motors Corp. plans to sell in 2010 can travel about 40 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in.
Drivers like Bernheim, whose range is about 25 miles to a charge, has become adept at sweet-talking use of a 110-volt outlet if he needs to travel farther. Once he persuaded a fruit stand owner to let him plug in. He ended up buying $50 of produce there.
Bernheim says there are about 30 reliable sites in the Seattle area to plug in. Most are free, some require calling a fellow enthusiast ahead of time. Others charge the same as parking a gas-powered car -- $7 an hour at the downtown Seattle Public Library garage.
Jeff Smith, 51, a mechanical parts inspector, carries three extension cords of varying lengths when he drives his ZENN (Zero Emission, No Noise) two-seater.
At his home in a Seattle suburb, Smith has posted a sign "plug in vehicle parking only" outside his kitchen window and invites others to plug in. No one has taken him up on the offer yet.
When he wanted to go to a Little League game -- a round-trip that required an extra charge -- Smith cold-called restaurants to find one willing to let him plug in while dined there.
Eric Diesen, co-owner of the restaurant Acapulco Fresh, didn't mind. He'd let others do the same.
It didn't cost him much -- about a dime or so. "If it brought people in, we would do that again," he said. "And it's something we believe in."
Plug In America estimates there are several thousand freeway-capable, road-certified EVs, including both factory-built and conversions. Neighborhood electric vehicles may number in the tens of thousands.
It's a drop in the bucket compared to the more than 250 million vehicles on the road.
Driving an electric car can be a challenge when your roundtrip work commute is much longer than your car can travel. But Jason Henderson, 29, feels obligated to make it work.
"I saw 'Inconvenient Truth' and then realized that I needed to make a personal change to show others how easy it is to reduce our dependency on petroleum," Henderson said.
He bought a used Saturn with 100,000 miles and paid an expert $12,000 to convert it to all-electric. He estimates it has cost him about $252 in electricity to drive 9,000 miles in the past 18 months.
It's not hard to find places to plug in, but "there should absolutely be more spots," he said. "Everyone has power outlets, so it's just a matter of making them available."
Henderson now drives his car 15 miles from his Tacoma home, charges it at a friend's house and hops a vanpool another 35 miles to his office at Microsoft Corp.
He said he's just like a normal driver, "except my car has a much smaller carbon footprint and has a cheaper energy source."
Sunday October 19, 2:22 pm ET
By Phuong Le, Associated Press Writer
Refueling an electric car requires charm, guile, planning -- and a 50-foot extension cord
SEATTLE (AP) -- Owning an electric vehicle requires more than global-cooling ambitions. It takes guile, planning, sharp vision, a silver tongue -- and a 50-foot extension cord.
Steve Bernheim knows accessible outlets like a firefighter knows hydrants. He has to -- his Corbin Sparrow runs only 25 miles on a charge.
"You do guerrilla charging where you locate these plugs," said Bernheim, an attorney who lives in the Seattle suburb of Edmonds. "I'm an expert at finding them."
While California has more than 500 public charging stations at parks, malls and grocery stores to serve electric vehicles that rolled out in the last decade, the network is still thin across the rest of the country, forcing drivers like Bernheim to get creative.
That may change as charging stations crop up in San Jose, Calif., Seattle and Portland, Ore. to serve early adopters and pave the way for a new breed of mass market plug-in cars.
"Every auto company in the world is developing all-electric or plug-in hybrids," said Zan Dubin Scott, a spokeswoman for Plug In America, a nonprofit advocacy group for electric car owners. "The utilities, municipalities and smart business people are seeing that this is the future."
The vast majority of electric vehicle owners charge their cars at home while they sleep, so most trips aren't a problem.
But drivers can now plug in -- reservations recommended -- at two park-and-ride lots in King County, which includes Seattle. The county plans to add sockets at three garages under construction.
"We want to make sure we're ahead of the curve in doing what we can to support the use of these vehicles," said Rochelle Ogershok, a county transportation spokeswoman.
In Oregon, Portland General Electric put five free charging stations in downtown Portland, Salem and suburban Lake Oswego and plans to add more.
At the end of the year, Coulomb Technologies plans to roll out five curbside charging stations in downtown San Jose that drivers can access through a prepaid plan. The company is working with entities in New York and Florida to do something similar there, president and founder Praveen Mandal said.
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Better Place is working with Renault SA to develop charging stations for electric cars in Israel and Denmark that would work on a paid subscription, said spokeswoman Julie Mullins.
In recent months, the smaller cities of Edmonds and Lacey invited drivers to plug in their electric vehicles at free public stations near city hall.
"We haven't seen much usage yet, but we wanted to put it out there," said Graeme Sackrison, mayor of Lacey, a town of 38,000 an hour south of Seattle. "You have to have the infrastructure in place so people feel comfortable using them."
Street-legal "neighborhood electric vehicles" that can travel up to 25 mph typically go about 35 to 40 miles on a single charge. Vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt that General Motors Corp. plans to sell in 2010 can travel about 40 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in.
Drivers like Bernheim, whose range is about 25 miles to a charge, has become adept at sweet-talking use of a 110-volt outlet if he needs to travel farther. Once he persuaded a fruit stand owner to let him plug in. He ended up buying $50 of produce there.
Bernheim says there are about 30 reliable sites in the Seattle area to plug in. Most are free, some require calling a fellow enthusiast ahead of time. Others charge the same as parking a gas-powered car -- $7 an hour at the downtown Seattle Public Library garage.
Jeff Smith, 51, a mechanical parts inspector, carries three extension cords of varying lengths when he drives his ZENN (Zero Emission, No Noise) two-seater.
At his home in a Seattle suburb, Smith has posted a sign "plug in vehicle parking only" outside his kitchen window and invites others to plug in. No one has taken him up on the offer yet.
When he wanted to go to a Little League game -- a round-trip that required an extra charge -- Smith cold-called restaurants to find one willing to let him plug in while dined there.
Eric Diesen, co-owner of the restaurant Acapulco Fresh, didn't mind. He'd let others do the same.
It didn't cost him much -- about a dime or so. "If it brought people in, we would do that again," he said. "And it's something we believe in."
Plug In America estimates there are several thousand freeway-capable, road-certified EVs, including both factory-built and conversions. Neighborhood electric vehicles may number in the tens of thousands.
It's a drop in the bucket compared to the more than 250 million vehicles on the road.
Driving an electric car can be a challenge when your roundtrip work commute is much longer than your car can travel. But Jason Henderson, 29, feels obligated to make it work.
"I saw 'Inconvenient Truth' and then realized that I needed to make a personal change to show others how easy it is to reduce our dependency on petroleum," Henderson said.
He bought a used Saturn with 100,000 miles and paid an expert $12,000 to convert it to all-electric. He estimates it has cost him about $252 in electricity to drive 9,000 miles in the past 18 months.
It's not hard to find places to plug in, but "there should absolutely be more spots," he said. "Everyone has power outlets, so it's just a matter of making them available."
Henderson now drives his car 15 miles from his Tacoma home, charges it at a friend's house and hops a vanpool another 35 miles to his office at Microsoft Corp.
He said he's just like a normal driver, "except my car has a much smaller carbon footprint and has a cheaper energy source."
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The China Smart Grid Cooperative 2008 will share Duke Energy expertise on Smart Grid
The China Smart Grid Cooperative, 2008
The China Smart Grid Cooperative continues to solicit partners and sponsor until the December 2008.
- They will establish a China-US Smart Grid Cooperative in September 2008.
- They will share Duke Energy expertise on Smart Grid at JUCCCE China Energy Forum in Beijing, China from November 10 to November 11, 2008.
- The China-US Smart Grid Cooperative will organize a series of Smart Grid Workshops in Beijing, China. This will include a roll out that is dependent on the success of each workshop. Partners will participate in development and deployment of workshops. An anticipated workshop will be ROI of Smart Grids on November 12, 2008.
The China Smart Grid Cooperative continues to solicit partners and sponsor until the December 2008.
- They will establish a China-US Smart Grid Cooperative in September 2008.
- They will share Duke Energy expertise on Smart Grid at JUCCCE China Energy Forum in Beijing, China from November 10 to November 11, 2008.
- The China-US Smart Grid Cooperative will organize a series of Smart Grid Workshops in Beijing, China. This will include a roll out that is dependent on the success of each workshop. Partners will participate in development and deployment of workshops. An anticipated workshop will be ROI of Smart Grids on November 12, 2008.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
First-Ever Smart Grid Tax Breaks Hitch Ride On Bailout Bill
10/9/2008 3:42:00 PM
First-Ever Smart Grid Tax Breaks Hitch Ride On Bailout Bill
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The U.S. Congress has provided its first-ever tax breaks for investments in a next-generation electricity grid, giving a lift to an industry that for years has struggled to win the federal government's help in dealing with costs.
Tucked into the $700 billion bailout package that President Bush signed into law last week is a measure allowing utilities to write off more quickly investments in so-called smart meters or other smart-grid equipment. Worth $915 million over 10 years, the tax treatment lets companies depreciate investments over 10 years instead of 20 years - in essence taking bigger deductions each year.
"It provides a little prodding to the utilities to get going," said John Berger, the chief executive of Standard Renewable Energy, a Houston company that installs smart-meter-based thermostats.
Cost has been an impediment as companies such as Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL), Duke Energy Corp. (DUK) and others seek to roll out the technology on a large scale. Smart meters, which replace the traditional meters located on houses, cost roughly $120 to $200 apiece. Amid consumer concern over electric bills, public utility commissions are still weighing requests to wrap those costs into the rates that homeowners ultimately pay each month.
Smart meters provide a two-way communications link between homes and utilities. The most basic benefit is that utilities are notified immediately of any outages, avoiding the need for customers to call. Other potential benefits are more advanced: applications that would allow real-time prices that rise during periods of peak demand and fall as households turn out the lights at night. That would create an incentive to reduce demand during maximum stress on the electricity grid - in effect creating the equivalent of a new source of supply.
"We really applaud Congress for addressing technology beyond the meter because that's where we think the value really is," said John O'Donnell, a lobbyist for Xcel, which is funding a project in Boulder, Colorado, to demonstrate the usefulness of smart-grid technology. Among the possible applications that he envisions: "property that would be installed in peoples' homes to gauge how much electricity they're using on an outlet by outlet basis, on an appliance by appliance basis, really super cutting-edge stuff."
Congress approved the accelerated depreciation of smart-grid investments as U.S. economic woes deepened, raising questions about whether utilities will be willing to make investments. It isn't clear whether the new tax treatment will help overcome a reluctance to spend.
"I know that utilities will probably tighten up on capital spending," said Stephen Johnston, the chief executive of SmartSynch, which integrates cell-phone technology into electric meters. But he notes that his company's data-monitoring services operate on a public wireless network, so "we allow a utility to deploy smart-metering technology without spending capital on big network assets."
For the past several years, Congress has moved in baby steps to unlock the potential of a digitally-enhanced electricity grid. A 2005 law ordered utilities to begin offering rates that vary along with changes in a utility's costs for buying electricity at wholesaleA 2007 energy law authorized $100 million a year for projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of smart-grid technology, but Congress never appropriated the funds.
"There's a lot more that we can and should be doing, and I'm hopeful that the next administration and the next Congress will have similar views on that," Kevin Kolevar, the U.S. Energy Department's assistant secretary for electricity delivery and energy reliability, said at a smart-grid conference last month. His own office has a budget with $5 million for smart-grid technology out of a total $100 million a year, "an amount that is really pretty small."
Supporters hope that congressional approval of accelerated depreciation for smart-grid equipment reflects a growing comfort level with the technology within the government. Duke has 16,000 smart meters in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with 7500 in South Carolina, as part of pilot programs that it is financing. The company aims to install 90,000 smart meters in Cincinnati 800,000 in Indiana - or its entire customer base in that state. Indiana and Ohio regulators are still reviewing whether to approve cost-recovery plans.
"State regulators have gotten comfortable with this, and in many cases are advocates," said Dan Delurey, executive director of the Demand Response and Advanced Metering Coalition, who company executives say was instrumental in persuading Congress to allow for accelerated depreciation. "This is still early, but there are a lot of applications in process as we speak. The general tone of the regulatory community is positive on this."
Source: Siobhan Hughes, Dow Jones Newswires
First-Ever Smart Grid Tax Breaks Hitch Ride On Bailout Bill
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The U.S. Congress has provided its first-ever tax breaks for investments in a next-generation electricity grid, giving a lift to an industry that for years has struggled to win the federal government's help in dealing with costs.
Tucked into the $700 billion bailout package that President Bush signed into law last week is a measure allowing utilities to write off more quickly investments in so-called smart meters or other smart-grid equipment. Worth $915 million over 10 years, the tax treatment lets companies depreciate investments over 10 years instead of 20 years - in essence taking bigger deductions each year.
"It provides a little prodding to the utilities to get going," said John Berger, the chief executive of Standard Renewable Energy, a Houston company that installs smart-meter-based thermostats.
Cost has been an impediment as companies such as Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL), Duke Energy Corp. (DUK) and others seek to roll out the technology on a large scale. Smart meters, which replace the traditional meters located on houses, cost roughly $120 to $200 apiece. Amid consumer concern over electric bills, public utility commissions are still weighing requests to wrap those costs into the rates that homeowners ultimately pay each month.
Smart meters provide a two-way communications link between homes and utilities. The most basic benefit is that utilities are notified immediately of any outages, avoiding the need for customers to call. Other potential benefits are more advanced: applications that would allow real-time prices that rise during periods of peak demand and fall as households turn out the lights at night. That would create an incentive to reduce demand during maximum stress on the electricity grid - in effect creating the equivalent of a new source of supply.
"We really applaud Congress for addressing technology beyond the meter because that's where we think the value really is," said John O'Donnell, a lobbyist for Xcel, which is funding a project in Boulder, Colorado, to demonstrate the usefulness of smart-grid technology. Among the possible applications that he envisions: "property that would be installed in peoples' homes to gauge how much electricity they're using on an outlet by outlet basis, on an appliance by appliance basis, really super cutting-edge stuff."
Congress approved the accelerated depreciation of smart-grid investments as U.S. economic woes deepened, raising questions about whether utilities will be willing to make investments. It isn't clear whether the new tax treatment will help overcome a reluctance to spend.
"I know that utilities will probably tighten up on capital spending," said Stephen Johnston, the chief executive of SmartSynch, which integrates cell-phone technology into electric meters. But he notes that his company's data-monitoring services operate on a public wireless network, so "we allow a utility to deploy smart-metering technology without spending capital on big network assets."
For the past several years, Congress has moved in baby steps to unlock the potential of a digitally-enhanced electricity grid. A 2005 law ordered utilities to begin offering rates that vary along with changes in a utility's costs for buying electricity at wholesaleA 2007 energy law authorized $100 million a year for projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of smart-grid technology, but Congress never appropriated the funds.
"There's a lot more that we can and should be doing, and I'm hopeful that the next administration and the next Congress will have similar views on that," Kevin Kolevar, the U.S. Energy Department's assistant secretary for electricity delivery and energy reliability, said at a smart-grid conference last month. His own office has a budget with $5 million for smart-grid technology out of a total $100 million a year, "an amount that is really pretty small."
Supporters hope that congressional approval of accelerated depreciation for smart-grid equipment reflects a growing comfort level with the technology within the government. Duke has 16,000 smart meters in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with 7500 in South Carolina, as part of pilot programs that it is financing. The company aims to install 90,000 smart meters in Cincinnati 800,000 in Indiana - or its entire customer base in that state. Indiana and Ohio regulators are still reviewing whether to approve cost-recovery plans.
"State regulators have gotten comfortable with this, and in many cases are advocates," said Dan Delurey, executive director of the Demand Response and Advanced Metering Coalition, who company executives say was instrumental in persuading Congress to allow for accelerated depreciation. "This is still early, but there are a lot of applications in process as we speak. The general tone of the regulatory community is positive on this."
Source: Siobhan Hughes, Dow Jones Newswires
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
