More utility sites get the Green Button

This week in Texas Oncor announced that its customers now can use the Green Button on its website — joining many other utilities…

Full post: Green Button spreads to more utility websites

June: Texas will go live with Green Button

This week Texas formally notified electricity retailers and other market participants that it will soon go live with theGreen Button industry standard.

On June 16, Green Button will be available on the Smart Meter Texas website which provides data for the state’s four investor-owned utilities: CenterPoint, Oncor, AEP-Texas and Texas New Mexico Power.

Green Button data will be available for any customer with an active smart meter — nearly 5.4 million homes and businesses according to our tracking data; or half of all customers in Texas…

Full post: Texas soon to go live with Green Button

Renewable energy: disruptive technology

I’m sitting in a café on the Champs d’Elysees amid the electric atmosphere of streetlights, neon signs, cars, trucks, shoppers, gawkers, storekeepers, and restaurateurs — an abundance of energy.

Energy has driven the development of modern civilization and conveniences. And renewable energy supplies are growing fast. But like any disruptive technology, the growing flocks of wind turbines and expanding acres of solar-equipped rooftops around the world are causing temporary growing pains for the energy industry.

Fortunately, these “problems” are really opportunities. And utilities like TXU Energy in Texas are pioneering solutions…

Full post: How renewable energy is a disruptive technology

Texas: hotbed of consumer energy innovation

In a steering committee meeting last week, the Texas Advanced Meter Implementation Team (AMIT, coordinated by the Texas PUC) took new steps to enable consumers to forward their energy data to third parties who can help them manage their energy use and participate in demand response programs…

Full post: Texas moving fast on consumer energy innovation

Analytics, not just data, deliver business value from home area networks

This week I was in the French city of Nice, attending an industry conference. But my presentation focused on Texas — specifically, how utilities there are enhancing their business by being smart about what they do with consumer energy data…

My talk was about combining information communication technology (ICT) and home area networks (HAN) for business advantage in the emerging field of sustainable homes.

My main point: What retailers do with consumer energy data makes all the difference for how well that data builds their business…

Full post by Alicia Carrasco: Home area networks: analytics, not just data, deliver business value

Too much wind power? How the smart grid can help

While many nations, states, and utilities are working hard to increase renewable energy production, managing these resources is a challenge. In particular, when it comes to managing wind energy, you really can have too much of a good thing.

This week the World Wind Energy Association issued its 2011 half-year report, saying the world market “regained momentum after a weak year in 2010… This capacity can cover almost 3% of the electricity demand all over the world.”

Though a small absolute number, this 3% is already too much — creating operational and financial challenges for the grid in Texas, the Pacific Northwest, Germany, and elsewhere.

Fortunately the smart grid offers one potential (although partial) solution…

Full post: Too much wind energy? How the smart grid can help