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General Electric (GE) has stepped up its push into the smart grid sector by shelling out an undisclosed sum to acquire UK-based smart meter specialist Remote Energy Monitoring (REM) Ltd.
The acquisition of the Hertfordshire-based firm, which supplies one of the few smart meters to have gained official Ofgem approval, was completed on Tuesday with GE signaling that the company's operations will now be integrated with its existing Digital Energy division.
The worldwide installed base of smart electricity meters will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 31.1 percent between 2009 and 2015 to reach 302.5 million at the end of the period.
During the next five years, penetration rates for smart metering technology are projected to increase from around 15–20 percent today to nearly 50 percent in Europe and North America, while Asia-Pacific is projected to soar from less than 1 percent to 25 percent by 2015.
Energy minister Charles Hendry is actively considering moving the target date for the UK's universal rollout of domestic smart meters forward from 2020 to 2018, in a move designed to accelerate ambitious plans requiring tens of thousands of smart meters to be installed each week for much of the next decade.
Last week the Maryland Public Service Commission rejected Baltimore Gas & Electric’s proposed project to install over 2 million digital electric or gas meters, change the retail electricity rate structure to incorporate time-of-use pricing and peak-time rebates, and recover the meter capital costs through a surcharge on residential retail bills. BG&E’s ambitious and thoughtful project had undergone extensive pilot project testing and had generated economic and physical results similar to those seen in other such projects (customer savings, reduction in peak energy use and in peak strain on system infrastructure, reduction in peak wholesale prices due to the transmission of retail price signals). Their recommended technology and rate designs are not unusual relative to evolving practice in other states (although they are much, much less than I personally would like to see). Despite those promising results, the Maryland PSC rejected BG&E’s business case for structuring their cost recovery from the project as they did.
Although I am pretty familiar with the BG&E pilot, I am not sufficiently informed or expert in rate case matters to have an intelligent opinion on whether the PSC took the correct position. Their position, though, reveals some of the most important and pressing reasons why traditional economic regulation is incompatible with economic dynamism, with technological change, with innovation, and ultimately incompatible with widespread consumer well-being.
The smart grid investing gurus at Foundation Capital and the venture firm that helped launch the likes of Cisco, Apple and Google — Sequoia Capital — have pumped more money into smart meter software maker eMeter. The 12-year-old firm, which makes software for smart meter systems, announced this morning that it has raised $12.5 million from its current investors, Foundation and Sequoia, and as well as new investor Northgate Capital.
American presidents used to promise a chicken in every pot. If it were up to Google it would be a smart meter in every home.
In an initiative with the Climate Group, the company this week wrote a letter and hosted a summit at its Washington DC offices to urge Barack Obama to adopt a goal of providing every household with real time information about their electricity use.
Smart meter rollout programs worldwide are expensive propositions. They can't afford to fail. Unfortunately, they are being carried out by utilities, organisations who are notoriously bad at communications.
As the recent Bakersfield fiasco shows, PG&E have fallen foul of this problem.
Utility companies need to be uber-sensitive to concerns around Smart Meter rollouts or their programs could fail spectacularly.
"The problems raised by the massive Pacific Gas & Electric smart grid installation in California will serve as a valuable lesson for other utilities around the world when they begin similar endeavors. Utilities must ensure that customers understand how to fully utilize their new smart meters before they are installed."
"At an event in Columbus, Ohio this afternoon, Secretary Chu announced that the Department of Energy is awarding $620 million for projects around the country to demonstrate advanced Smart Grid technologies and integrated systems that will help build a smarter, more efficient, more resilient electrical grid. These 32 demonstration projects, which include large-scale energy storage, smart meters, distribution and transmission system monitoring devices, and a range of other smart technologies, will act as models for deploying integrated Smart Grid systems on a broader scale. This funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be leveraged with $1 billion in funds from the private sector to support more than $1.6 billion in total Smart Grid projects nationally. "
Speaking at The Networked Grid conference Erfan Ibrahim — who heads EPRI’s work on communications, systems management and cyber security for the smart grid — dished out a sort of grab bag of opinions on a range of hot smart grid topics. Here are five myths, misunderstandings and truths he raised about how the smart grid should be rolled out...
Echelon today announced that Eaton has become a value-added reseller of Echelon’s Networked Energy Services (NES) System and that Eaton will incorporate its home automation product line for energy management, enhanced comfort and safety with the NES System.
The agreement will focus on utilities and electricity providers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The announcement was made today at the Metering Europe event in Barcelona, Spain. "
HP has launched a new audit service for smart grid technology, in response to a series of successful hacking attempts against energy meters and other infrastructure.
Major smart electric meter maker Itron announced today that it has joined forces with home energy management device maker OpenPeak. Their combined technologies will help both utilities and their customers keep closer tabs on exactly how much electricity is being used, why, and how much it is costing.
Itron will be integrating OpenPeak’s line of easy-to-use touchscreen monitors into its smart meter systems
Pacific Gas and Electric announced today that it’s partnering with the city of San Jose, Calif., to deploy a major project integrating smart meters provided by the utility with the city’s well-developed solar energy infrastructure.
Nearly 1.3 million households in New Zealand are expected to have "smart" electricity meters installed by 2012 - but the nation's environmental watchdog today warned most of those meters will not be smart enough.
The utilities are rolling out smart meters which benefit the utilities but not the consumer or the environment - how to get it wrong, eh?
Global Business Services today unveiled its new report, "Lighting the Way: Understanding the smart energy consumer," that shows consumers around the globe are willing to become more involved with managing their energy use.
The study shows while in the short term, changes in customer needs will occur based on personal initiative and income, in the long run, even more radical changes may yet emerge as the Millennial Generation continues to move into adulthood and the energy customer base.
Those respondents age 18 to 34 were most eager for the types of "self-service" and automated energy management that 'smart' metering and smart grids will bring.
A new utility company in the UK called First:Utility announced the launch of a new smart metering service for customers today. The service means an end to estimated energy bills, no overpaying, and more importantly will prevent customers from getting unwelcome surprises when bills arrive.
Extremely informative article on Smart Homes, HANs, NANs, Demand Response and ZigBee
Homeowners desperately need new methods to conserve energy. Utilities desperately need a system with which they can improve service and manage peak demand problems.
Enter the smart grid.
Reliant operates in a competitive, deregulated electricity market. If homeowners get cool technology that helps them avoid the unpleasant surprise of a big electric bill, Jacobs believes Reliant will retain more customers. And then there's the green angle. "We as an industry are the single largest emitter of greenhouse gas, and our goal is to help our customers use less, spend less, and emit less," says Jacobs
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