Big UK grants awarded to smart energy demand projects

On Nov. 28 the UK energy regulator Ofgem released the list of four projects selected under that nation’s Low Carbon Networks Fund. The LCNF supports projects by energy distribution network operators (DNOs) to try out new technology as well as operating and commercial arrangements.

The winning projects are:

• Customer-Led Network Revolution (£26.8 million)
• Low-Carbon London: a learning journey (£24.3 million)
• Low-Voltage Network Templates for a Low-Carbon Future (£7.8 million)
• Low-Carbon Hub (£2.8 million)

What makes these projects so interesting and important?…

Full story: Smart energy demand projects win big UK grants

No gold-plated smart meter from SDG&E

In 2011 San Diego Electric & Gas expects to complete its smart meter rollout. But at least one old meter won’t be getting hauled away by the utility.

Earlier this month NCTimes reported that David Ross, who lives in the Paradise Hills neighborhood of San Diego, received an electric meter with a gold-plated dial in 1971 as a reward for becoming SDG&E’s 500,000th customer.

SDG&E representative April Bolduc told NC Times that Ross called the utility when he received a letter telling him that they would be coming soon to replace his old meter with a smart meter…

Full story: SDG&E not providing gold-plated smart meter

Help make 25% more clean energy possible with your dishwasher

Renewable energy resources (especially sun and wind) are clean and everlasting. But there’s a big problem: they’re intermittent. Utilities can’t turn them on or off, or ramp them up or down as needed. Winds can be gusty, and clouds can cause solar panel output to plummet in seconds.

To make sure the lights stay on, the National Electric Reliability Council requires utilities to maintain a generation reserve. This means that utilities must keep “iron in the ground” (usually a natural gas combustion turbine) standing by to cover electric demand in case renewable sources wane. So for each kilowatt of wind or solar power, utilities must have a replacement kW of “iron” ready to kick in at a moment’s notice.

This is not only expensive, but also harmful to the environment.

The solution: smart energy demand — which home appliance manufacturer Whirlpool says can do this job in spades…

Full story: How your dishwasher can help make 25% more clean energy possible

Bar exam results test California law applicants’ mettle

Each year, 6 pm on the Friday before Thanksgiving is the moment of truth for law school graduates who took California’s bar exam the previous July.

Most sit alone, some in family groups (as I did), and navigate to the California Bar Association web site. Then, they (my wife did this for me) click the “submit” button after entering their application ID number. Finally, they learn whether it’s time to celebrate — or to dig deep and discover how strong their will to succeed truly is.

Of nearly 8,600 test takers this year, 3,972 now have to decide they are going back to the trenches to start digging in for February’s re-take or, even more painfully, decide a law career is not part of their destiny.

My odyssey — which ended happily on Friday — began five years ago…

Full story: Friday before Thanksgiving tests California law applicants’ mettle

Motivating consumers to save energy or cut peak demand

There’s been much discussion about what it takes for energy consumers to reduce their consumption or lower their peak demand; what it would take to shift from today’s energy usage behavior to smart energy demand that utilizes the capabilities of smart meters and smart grids.

Might TV or radio public service announcements help motivate people to conserve energy conservation and reduce electricity demand? I asked an expert — and the answer is perhaps, but not by themselves…

Full story: What motivates consumers to save energy or cut peak demand?

World’s largest utility joins Smart Energy Demand Coalition

This week, eMeter and others announced the formation of the Smart Energy Demand Coalition at a press conference during the European Union’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan Conference in Brussels.

The world’s largest utility company, Electricite de France, has joined this coalition. Stéphanie Muller of EDF explained why this utility believes there’s a need for an industry coalition for smart energy demand that addresses energy efficiency, demand response, distributed renewable resources, and intelligent electric vehicle charging…

Full story: Why did the world’s largest utility join the Smart Energy Demand Coalition?

California PUC: How do smart meters benefits consumers?

Many consumers wonder: What makes a smart meter “smart”? And what’s in it for me?

The staff at the California Public Utilities Commission recently published a white paper explaining how consumers benefit from smart meters.

Here are some highlights…

Full story: How do smart meter benefits consumers? California PUC explains

Smart energy demand: The smart grid is about people, too!

You’ve heard of smart meters and the smart grid — but can the demand for energy also be considered “smart?”

I think so. Working with industry colleagues in Europe, I coined the phrase smart energy demand to describe how energy users interact with the smart grid. Why? Because the energy industry tends to navel-gaze and view the world through the lens of power generation and delivery side. It’s time to look through consumers’ eyes and understand their perspective on energy.

This concept goes beyond (and means much more than) the combined impact of energy efficiency and demand response. After all, smart energy demand is what really delivers the majority of benefits from smart meters and the smart grid…

Full story: Smart energy demand: How people fit into the smart grid

US elections and the smart grid: What’s next?

On Nov. 2 US voters changed the balance of power in Washington, D.C. and in the states.  The House of Representatives has switched to Republican control, and the number of state governorships and legislatures controlled by Republicans increased.  The Democrats retained the Senate.  What does this mean for energy legislation?

At the national level, significant climate legislation is off the table, even in the lame duck session to begin later this month.

For other energy legislation, however, prospects remain bright — perhaps benefiting from Congress not having to deal with a climate bill…

Full story: What the U.S. Election Means for the Smart Grid

How Daylight Saving Time messes with electric meters, and how to fix that

For me, the hardest thing about the end of Daylight Saving Time (Nov. 7 in the US) will be getting up in the morning. But for millions of electric meters, DST causes much bigger problems — because Congress has a tendency to tinker with DST…

Full story: Daylight Saving Time: How to keep it from messing with electric meters