Category Archives: Smart Grid

ISO Helps Advance Mini-Solar Plants and Other Distributed Generation

by 3BL Media Press Release
Posted on May 17, 2012 by 3BL Media Press Release

FOLSOM, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Commercial rooftop solar arrays and other small scale generation will find it easier to connect directly to local electricity grids. The California Independent System Operator Corporation (ISO) Board of Governors today voted to streamline the process for interconnecting distributed generation, which includes renewable projects.

“Distributed generation projects tend to be smaller and more numerous than power plant projects that connect directly to the ISO grid”
The ISO will annually publish information showing quantities of potential distributed generation at various grid locations. The assessment will be used by load-serving entities, resource developers and local regulatory authorities in negotiating renewable energy contracts and developing projects.

“The new approach will align ISO policy with the state’s goal to accelerate distributed generation – smaller scale resources connected to utility distribution systems and located close to customers,” said ISO Board Chair Bob Foster. “This results in a diversified power mix, a key element of transitioning to a greener and more sustainable electricity future.” Continue reading →

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Annual Smart Grid Spending to Reach $65 Billion by 2017

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on May 7, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Annual global spending on smart grid technologies, including smart meter implementations, as well as upgrades to transmission and distribution infrastructure, is expected to reach $65 billion by 2017.

Much of the electricity infrastructure in operation today is antiquated, highly inefficient, and cannot reliably manage the loads of today and tomorrow without significant upgrades taking place. With climate change high on the political agenda and utilities keen to increase operational efficiencies, there is an obvious and pressing need for a complete overhaul of all aspects of the grid in order to make it smarter. To this end, work has begun on ensuring that the smart grid will soon become a reality with large-scale smart metering deployments, which are the most visible example of these efforts.

“This involves the installation of a plethora of sensors, controls, and other grid optimization solutions such as synchrophasors and advanced reclosers.” Continue reading →

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Annual Worldwide Revenues from Frequency Regulation Services Will Surpass $27 Billion by 2022

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 30, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

Frequency regulation services, which balance the fluctuations between electricity generation and electrical load and manage the variability in the grid’s frequency output, have traditionally been tied to the wholesale energy market.  Today, a second key driver has emerged: intermittent renewable energy.  Solar PV, wind, and other intermittent resources are causing frequency instabilities on the electrical grid that require more extensive regulation capability across a wider swath of the grid.  In addition, in the face of energy security concerns, major economies are mandating changes in energy mixes globally, altering the mix of technologies available to deliver frequency regulation.  New opportunities in the frequency regulation sector are emerging in countries that are liberalizing or deregulating electricity markets, and additional opportunities are developing in fully deregulated markets that are changing market rules to differentiate the quality of frequency regulation delivered by various technologies.  According to a new report from Pike Research, the amount of frequency regulation required globally is expected to increase over the next decade, thanks to increased volatility in both generation and load.  The total value of the frequency regulation market will grow from $19.5 billion in 2012 to $27.2 billion in 2022, the cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts, with a compound annual growth rate of 3.5%. Continue reading →

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Milwaukee Unveils Plans for Up to Five ChargePoint Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 27, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

MILWAUKEE, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Coulomb Technologies announced today that the new electric vehicle (EV) charging station unveiled at Discovery World in Milwaukee is part of Coulomb’s ChargePoint® Network, the largest network of independently owned charging stations in the world.

“Within the next 12 months, the state of Wisconsin will see new makes and models of electric vehicles on our roads, and we want to raise awareness of these fuel-efficient and emission-free vehicles”
The City of Milwaukee’s Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES) is paving the way for electric vehicles in Milwaukee by installing five public EV charging stations throughout the city. All funding for the project is provided for through a American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The stations are manufactured by Coulomb Technologies and are part of Coulomb’s ChargePoint® Network. The network provides a variety of features for drivers: help with trip planning, management of charging costs, and assistance in finding and operating public ChargePoint-enabled stations. Continue reading →

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Revenue from Virtual Power Plants Will Reach $5.3 Billion by 2017

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 24, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

The concept of virtual power plants (VPPs) most often refers to the aggregation of supply-side resources, usually renewable energy resources.  However, in Europe for example, the term “VPP” can also refer to the ability of commercial consumers to purchase capacity at the wholesale level via an auction from base-load fossil fuel facilities for short periods of time.  However they are defined, VPPs can provide extraordinary value and services to transmission and distribution (T&D) grid infrastructure as well as to myriad stakeholders engaged in the provision of electric power.  According to a recent report from Pike Research, an explosion of interest in VPPs for demand response (DR) mechanisms is transforming the overall VPP market landscape and driving strong growth in the sector.  VPP capacity will increase by 65% between 2011 and 2017, rising from 55.6 gigawatts (GW) to 91.7 GW worldwide during that period.  That will translate into $5.3 billion in annual revenue in 2017, the cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts.

Under a more aggressive forecast scenario, worldwide revenue for VPPs could reach $6.5 billion in 2017. Continue reading →

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Energy Harvesting Enabled Device Shipments Will Quadruple by 2015

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 23, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

An increasing number of consumer and industrial products that are untethered from the electrical outlet will be powered by some form of energy harvesting (EH) technology in the near future.  This technology, which converts ambient energy into useable electrical energy, may be used to power portable electrical devices that in many cases rely heavily on batteries. Energy harvesting is becoming an increasingly viable source of power for a variety of devices, especially where the environmental and economic costs of maintaining batteries is untenable.  Consumer products such as laptops and mobile phones are already being powered by energy harvesting technology.  The energy sources available for ambient charging include electromagnetic radiation, thermal energy, and mechanical energy.  The technologies used for the transduction of these energy sources into useable electrical energy include photovoltaic (PV), thermoelectric, piezoelectric, and electromagnetic.  According to a recent report from Pike Research, the deployment of energy harvesting will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 38% over the next few years, resulting in annual shipments of energy harvesting enabled devices of 235.4 million units by 2015 (from a base of 53 million in 2012), comprising a great diversity of consumer and industrial applications.

Those shipments will translate into worldwide annual revenue from energy harvesting enabled devices of $9.5 billion in 2015, the cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts.

“Devices in settings with thousands of sensors that are diligently working to bring us information about temperature, humidity, security, machine health, structural health, and many other forms of data are becoming increasingly pervasive,” says vice president Bob Gohn.  “In many of these applications, maintaining batteries is a major logistical and cost issue. Viable energy harvesting technology exists today and developers are fast becoming familiar with how to implement it into ever more-innovative devices.” Continue reading →

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Lutron Offers Tips for Saving Energy at Home on Earth Day and Every Day

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 23, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

COOPERSBURG, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Did you know that lighting accounts for almost 15%* of the average homeowner’s monthly electric bill? And that if every home in the US installed two dimmers in place of two standard light switches, the potential annual savings could be $1.2 billion in electricity and close to 25 billion pounds of CO2? That’s the equivalent of taking more than one million cars off the road.

With a variety of products ranging from dimmers, to sensors, to automated shades and thermostats, Lutron Electronics makes it easy for homeowners to save energy throughout their homes, whether you want to update one room or an entire home.

This Earth Day, it’s time to keep that promise that you’ll live a more energy-efficient lifestyle. Here are some tips from Lutron on how to start saving energy in your home: Continue reading →

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Posted in Alternative Energy, Business, BusinessWire, Electronics, Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Management, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green Facilities, Green IT, Green Living, Heating & Cooling, Home Energy, Information Systems, Smart Grid, Sustainability News, Technology, Tips to Green Your Home | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Oil Incumbents Building Empires to Dominate Biofuels and Other Alternative Fuels

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 17, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Over the past decade, hundreds of start-ups, corporations, financiers, and universities have developed compelling alternative fuel technologies, such as bio-based jet fuel and cellulosic ethanol. Now, as alternative fuels march to scale, partnership networks in this field are increasingly dominated by the same giant multinationals that control petroleum, according to a Lux Research report.

“As a result, they’ve been able to lead the way to the market, building commercial facilities this year and next.”

“As alternative fuel technologies go to market, aligning with the right partners is a necessary stepping stone. The massive incumbent fuel producers, refiners, and distributors can be the competition, but they’re also the key to integrating novel technologies into a century-old industry,” said Andrew Soare, Lux Research Analyst and the lead author of the report titled, “Mapping Empires, Goldmines, and Landmines in the Alternative Fuels Network.”

“The public market successes of Gevo, Amyris, and Solazyme have been based on their sound partnership portfolio, in addition to a robust technology platform,” he added. “As a result, they’ve been able to lead the way to the market, building commercial facilities this year and next.” Continue reading →

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Posted in Alternative Energy, Biofuels, Business, BusinessWire, Carbon Capture and Storage, Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Management, Energy Storage, Fuel Cells, Geothermal, Green Business, Press Companies, Smart Grid, Solar, Sustainability News, Waste to Energy, Water Power, Wind | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
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