Smart Grid Library

Two years ago, the Smart Grid industry was debating the pros and cons of different displays to deliver electricity prices, rates of consumption, and current bill amounts.  Unfortunately, no one really asked consumers what they preferred, but some visionary entrepreneurs began to eye their own smart phones and ask themselves if people really wanted to [...]

Buildings consume an extraordinary amount of energy in the USA.  Commercial, industrial, or residential expend their energy in different categories, but numerous studies have shown that energy efficiency and intelligent building technologies reduce energy bills.  Not only that, but smart buildings can have a strong multiplier effect in terms of shifting expenditures from utility bills [...]

The recent announcements about the retirements of Google’s PowerMeter and Microsoft’s Hohm are not causes for concern for Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) vendors.  These were early starts that helped educate the market about the value of energy consumption data.  However, like many pioneers, they contributed knowledge that will benefit other Smart Grid solution vendors.  [...]

It’s not easy to accurately predict the future, as a disappointed group of Rapture wannabes recently learned.  However, we can use history and examples of similar solutions to help us consider how new technologies could be incorporated into popular use.  Therefore, we should be thinking about what’s been done with cars and apply the same [...]

It’s Valentine’s Day, and here are a few special wishes I’m sending:  A Thinking of You to my electric utility, and to all the hardworking employees there who work so diligently to ensure my ongoing reliable and safe delivery of electricity in spite of an aging infrastructure.  I do appreciate the great service you provide.  [...]

Distributech 2011 showed that the Smart Grid is big, and getting bigger.  With over 8000 attendees and 400 exhibitors, there was plenty of buzz about distribution automation, partnerships, and the last link in the value chain – the consumer.  Many exhibitors featured their own or partnered Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) solutions aimed at helping [...]

Consumer privacy concerns are an important focus of many Smart Grid conversations.  Everyone agrees that consumers need to be educated about the entirely new types of energy use data that can be created with Smart Grid technologies.  While we must ensure that consumers are aware of their rights and responsibilities regarding energy use data, there is [...]

The entire electricity grid is undergoing innovations, and one interesting change is occurring in electricity markets and the way we value electricity consumption.  The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) is the not-for-profit corporation charged with operating the majority of California’s high-voltage wholesale power grid.  It serves as the link between power plants and utilities, and [...]

The standard electric meter provides data about how much electricity is used over a defined timeframe, but smart meters provide additional details about consumption.  Do you know which home appliances use the most electricity?   For the vast majority of Americans, the answer is no.  There’s a quote that I’ll reword:  you can manage what you [...]

The Smart Grid industry is a veritable tower of Babel when it comes to terminology, jargon, and acronyms.  There are several reasons for this starting with the number of domains that comprise the Smart Grid.  The conceptual model for the Smart Grid maps out Generation, Transmission, and Distribution, plus Markets, Operations, Service Providers, and Consumption.  [...]