Milton Hydro to expand TOU billing with smart metres

Milton Hydro, a local utility distribution company located in southern Ontario, along with Trilliant Incorporated, has announced the expansion of Milton’s existing Smart Grid initiative.

Milton, part of the Greater Toronto Area, is Canada's fastest-growing community, and is expected to reach nearly 150,000 residents by 2021.

Milton, who first delivered Time-of-Use (TOU) billing to its customers in 2005, now provides TOU billing for over 21,000 consumers.

The solution is already in full production at Milton, including Trilliant hosted data services and software, and provides for two-way communication capabilities between Milton Hydro and their customers. Furthermore, Milton has successfully completed production testing and enrollment with the province's centralised Meter Data Management and Repository (MDM/R) system.

This system is operated by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) in its capacity as the Smart Metering Entity.

The Government of Ontario, Canada, through the Energy Conservation Responsibility Act in 2006, has mandated the installation of smart metres in all Ontario businesses and households by 2010. Milton Hydro has completed the installation of smart metres for all their residential customers and all customers shall be on TOU billing by this fall, making Milton the first utility to fully implement Smart Metering and TOU billing.

AEP Texas signs contract with Landis+Gyr

Landis+Gyr has bagged a five-year contract to install 700,00 smart electric metres for AEP Texas.

AEP Texas, which is a unit of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the U. S., will deploy Landis+Gyr’s Gridstream advanced metering solution across the utility’s Texas service territory. The Gridstream network will provide two-way communication to 700,000 metering endpoints.

AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined.

With this initiative, AEP Texas will be able to send energy consumption information and real-time pricing signals to consumers as well as provide automated load management options.

AEP Texas is connected to and serves more than one million electric consumers in the deregulated Texas marketplace. Major cities served include Corpus Christi, Abilene, McAllen, Harlingen, San Angelo, Vernon, Victoria and Laredo.

Including the contract with AEP, Landis+Gyr has now signed agreements to deploy approximately four million smart metres with Texas utilities.

China on right track

Frost & Sullivan foresees smart grid playing a significant role in the development of China’s national economy in the future.

It has highlighted that State Grid Corp of China (SGCC), China’s largest power grid builder, met with the Minister of Energy of the United States recently.

SGCC is constructing Ultra high and extra high voltage direct current (+/-800KV, +/-500KV) and alternating current transmission system (1000kV, 500kV, 220kV), and coordinating the development of a smart grid based on information technology and automation technology.

Known as the largest utility in the world, the SGCC serves 26 provinces and 1.08 billion people throughout China.

According to Frost & Sullivan China, smart grid in China focuses more on the transmission side than the distribution side at present.

Based on the fact that coal is the main energy source in China and coal mines are far away from the main load centres, it is the right choice that the power grid development be focused on the transmission network.

The company also highlighted that China has been constructing a unified national power grid network. The project includes what is known as the “West-East Electricity Transfer Project”, which includes three major west-east transmission corridors construction. The transmission capacity of each corridor will be 20 GW by 2020. Through these transmission grids, electricity distributors in China will bond regional power grids in different areas of the country, and improve cross-region electricity transmission ability. This will balance the power generation disparities in different regions.

Dutch set to create EU’s first intelligent city

Amsterdam has initiated the first phase of Amsterdam Smart City programme, becoming the first city in the EU to deploy intelligent technology, such as smart grids, in its electricity distribution system.

The Amsterdam Smart City will use a smart electric grid, smart metres, smart-building technologies and electric vehicles to reduce energy consumption in housing, commercial properties, public buildings and areas, and transportation.

Accenture, which has been chosen to implement this initiative, will also manage the integration of the smart-grid technology and the analysis and use of data.

The company will work with the Amsterdam Innovation Motor, a city affiliated agency that establishes public and private-sector cooperation, to develop, implement, manage and assess each of the phases and projects of the Amsterdam Smart City programme.

The first phase of the Amsterdam Smart City’s low-carbon projects includes: A ship-to-the-grid project, by which commercial vessels and river cruisers will be connected to electric grid when docked; Implementation of smart metres and in-home feedback displays to provide home owners with information to help manage their energy consumption; A smart building at Accenture’s Amsterdam office at the ITO Tower, where intelligent technology will collect, monitor and analyse the building’s programming and utility data to identify energy consumption efficiencies and lower the building’s carbon footprint.

As per the information available, the municipality, energy outfits, and private companies are expected to invest more than €1.1 billion in Amsterdam’s Smart City programmes over the next three years. That includes a €300 million investment by local electricity network operator Alliander in smart grid technology.

Also part of the plan: up to €200 million to be spent by local housing cooperatives on boosting household energy efficiency, and €300 million from companies including Philips and Dutch utility Nuon to be invested in other energy-efficient technologies.

Smart grid continues to be in news

The “smart grid” has become the buzz of the electric power industry, at the White House and among members of Congress, according to a report filed by AP.

A company like Cisco believes that the smart-grid infrastructure market size could be worth more than $20 billion a year for the next five years.

“It’s the marriage of information technology and automation technology with the existing electricity network. This is the energy Internet,” reportedly said Bob Gilligan, vice president for transmission at GE Energy.

The Obama Administration has recently announced a new solicitation for around $4 billion in stimulus, funding for new power- transmission technology.

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, there are plans to distribute more than $3.3 billion in smart grid technology development grants and an additional $615 million for smart grid storage, monitoring and technology viability.

According to Max Schulz, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, the irony in the stimulus package’s approach to grid investment is that private industry has long made clear its willingness to spend its own money to fix the grid, as long as Washington allows utilities and transmission companies to do it the right way.

“What the industry actually needs from Washington to fix the grid isn't money, but leadership,” he wrote recently. “That leadership can’t come soon enough. Even with robust energy-efficiency and conservation measures, the U.S. economy will require 30% more electricity by 2030.”

ZigBee Alliance adds new specification

The ZigBee Alliance has decided to incorporate global IT standards from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) into its specification portfolio of low-power wireless networking standards.

As a result of this initiative, ZigBee Smart Energy products will enhance their application capabilities with native IP support, allowing seamless integration of Internet connectivity into each product.

The move will see the strengths of the ZigBee Smart Energy standard getting combined with the ubiquity of Internet standards, ensuring that smart meter deployments currently underway will have a seamless path for continuous upgrades including Internet connectivity.

Through cooperative efforts with IETF, the members will create additional solutions for wireless sensor and control networks as part of the new specification. Internet connectivity is currently provided by existing ZigBee specifications; however, the addition of native IP support will offer tighter integration from wireless devices all the way to large scale utility IT networks.

The resulting specification will further broaden ZigBee’s suite of low-power wireless network solutions to meet the diversified needs of companies in the home, automation, healthcare, commercial building automation, telecommunications and consumer markets.

The deployment of an estimated 30 million ZigBee equipped smart metres is underway in North America.

Echelon to use a first-of-its-kind embedded T-Mobile SIM

T-Mobile USA, Inc. has developed what it describes as a first-of-its-kind embedded subscriber identity module (SIM).

The SIM is designed to withstand challenging environmental factors like temperature, humidity and motion to deliver reliable wireless connectivity, ideal for vehicle telematics and smart grid infrastructure solutions.

T-Mobile USA said the embedded SIM, slightly larger than the head of a pin, will be built of silicon rather than plastic, making it very durable, since too much heat, vibration, or humidity can damage traditional SIM cards.

Among the first to implement the embedded SIM into its M2M systems is Echelon Corp. The companies have formed an alliance to accelerate the adoption of the smart grid in the North American market by reducing the cost of communicating smart metres using Echelon's Networked Energy Services (NES) system over T-Mobile's GSM cellular service.

As part of the agreement, Echelon will utilise a first-of-its-kind embedded T-Mobile SIM within a cellular radio module to enable all the Echelon smart metres on a given low voltage transformer to communicate back to the utility over the smart grid.

Echelon, which has shipped more than 100,000 of its smart metres to U.S. utility owner Duke Energy and more than 1.6 million worldwide, said the partnership with T-Mobile would provide a cost-effective communications tool for the metres. Its metres reportedly cost about $100 apiece excluding installation.

The partnership’s wireless technology will be deployed on low-voltage transformers, which typically provide electricity connections to between four and 10 homes or businesses. Data provided from the transformers to a central collection point at the utility will allow the power provider to easily pinpoint problems in the network and reduce cost and duration of power outages.

A new device to protect New York City’s electrical system

Zenergy Power has been contracted by The Consolidated Edison Company to build and test a smart grid device to improve the stability and reliability of New York City’s electrical system.

The equipment, known as a Fault Current Limiter (FCL), instantly detects and absorbs spikes in power that, left unmanaged, could damage electrical equipment or trigger power outages.

In practice, Zenergy’s FCL is electrically connected to the grid it protects. It allows normal current to pass through unimpeded but, when it senses a fault current, instantly counters the electrical flow. This reaction, created in part by the superconductor in the device, chokes off a potentially damaging electrical spike. Once the fault current subsides, the FCL again allows standard levels of current to flow, protecting the electrical system automatically without human intervention.

This approach has the advantage of being able to absorb long-duration faults or multiple faults occurring in succession.

Con Edison, a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, authorised a project to design, build and test a single-phase FCL of a type that would be applicable to a number of substations within the utility’s electrical system.

Zenergy expects to deliver the prototype by the end of August.

Fault current limiters will be an essential element of the smart grid to maintain reliability and improve its resilience and flexibility, said Pat Duggan, a Con Edison project manager and specialist in fault current limiters.

“This is especially important as the load grows, including the move to electricity as a preferred source for new uses such as plug-in hybrids,” added Duggan.

Tests that Zenergy conducts in its development of the FCL for Con Edison will ensure the device is able to protect equipment from the damaging effects of fault currents that occur on the utility’s 13.8 kilovolt (kV) “feeder system” -- an electrical distribution network that delivers power to customers. At the conclusion of testing, Zenergy expects to extend its designs to other FCLs that are customised for protecting Con Edison and other utilities’ equipment on higher voltage lines of up to 138kV.

$4 billion marked for smart power grid

The Obama Administration has recently announced a new solicitation for around $4 billion in stimulus, funding for new power- transmission technology.

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, there are plans to distribute more than $3.3 billion in smart grid technology development grants and an additional $615 million for smart grid storage, monitoring and technology viability.

“A smart electricity grid will revolutionise the way we use energy, but we need standards in place to ensure that all this new technology is compatible and operating at the highest cyber security standards to protect the smart grid from hackers and natural disasters,” Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said.

The Recovery Act will fund the development of those standards, added Locke.

DOE’s Smart Grid Investment Grant Programme will provide grants ranging from $500,000 to $20 million for smart grid technology deployments. It will also provide grants of $100,000 to $5 million for the deployment of grid monitoring devices.

The draft Funding Opportunity Announcement is for smart grid demonstrations in three areas:

· Smart grid regional demonstrations will quantify smart grid costs and benefits, verify technology viability, and examine new business models.

· Utility-scale energy storage demonstrations can include technologies such as advanced battery systems, ultra-capacitors, flywheels, and compressed air energy systems, and applications such as wind and photovoltaic integration and grid congestion relief.

· Grid monitoring demonstrations will support the installation and networking of multiple high-resolution, time-synchronised grid monitoring devices, called phasor measurement units, that allow transmission system operators to see, and therefore influence, electric flows in real-time.

Each demonstration project must be carried out in collaboration with the electric utility that owns the grid facilities.

CPower raises $10m

Energy management firm CPower has closed its Series B round of financing, indicating that VCs are interested in technology that makes energy grid more intelligent.

This $10.68 million investment was led by a new investor in the company, Mayfield Fund, as well as returning investors, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Expansion Capital Partners, Schneider Electric Ventures, New York City Investment Fund and Consensus Business Group.

The proceeds will be used to accelerate business growth in new geographies and vertical markets, and to continue the development of its turnkey energy management solutions.

The company offers a range of energy management programmes including demand response capacity, reserves and regulation, energy efficiency, peak load management and white certificates.

CPower had bagged $17 million in its Series A funding in 2007.

In another development, CPower has been chosen to support plastics manufacturer Spartech Corporation’s energy conservation programme. The company will use CPower’s energy management demand response solution to reduce electric energy consumption at various facilities in North America.

Spartech has committed to curtail up to 10 megawatts of electricity capacity upon request by the regional transmission organisations responsible for calling demand response events when the grid is under stress. CPower will help manage this process at approximately 10 facilities throughout the U. S.

Initiative taken for new HomePlug specifications

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance, an industry-led initiative that creates specifications and certification logo programmes for using the powerlines for reliable home networking and smart grid applications, has worked on smart grid technology path.

The Alliance has completed its Market Requirements Document (MRD) for HomePlug Smart Energy.

The MRD will guide the development of new HomePlug specifications. It will help in creation of a new class of powerline communications products that offer lower cost, low power consumption while also being fully interoperable with the current HomePlug AV standard and the forthcoming IEEE 1901 standard - at data rates tailored to meet the anticipated future requirements of smart energy management.

Through its Smart Energy Initiative, HomePlug is focusing on adopting communications and networking technologies to help consumers monitor and reduce their energy consumption. It is actively collaborating with utility companies and the ZigBee Alliance to help build the Home Area Network ecosystem.

The Alliance has also announced the addition of Gigle Semiconductor, Intellon Corporation, NEC Electronics Corporation and SPiDCOM Technologies to the organisation's Board of Directors.

BPA seeks additional smart grid partners

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has issued its second request for potential partners for smart grid projects that could qualify for federal stimulus money.

The Portland-based non-profit federal electric utility is hoping to tap into some of the $4.5 billion to be allocated from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act for smart grid technologies.

Even though the Department of Energy (DOE) announcement is still in draft form, BPA is moving forward with the request as a proactive step to help bring a Smart Grid project to the region.

“Collaboration is key for this project,” said BPA’s VP of energy efficiency, Mike Weedall. “We are working to finalise which utilities will participate in a proposal to DOE, and now we need to get other types of partners on board.”

The utility is looking for manufacturers, hi-tech companies and other stakeholders to commit to capital investments and matching fund contributions. In 2006, BPA partnered with DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to advance the technology through the Olympic Peninsula GridWise Demonstration project.

BPA markets more than a third of the electricity consumed in the Pacific Northwest. It operates a high-voltage transmission grid comprising more than 15,000 miles of lines and associated substations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

Cisco gears up for smart grid market

Cisco Systems Inc. sees a $100 billion opportunity in communications equipment for upgrading aging electrical infrastructure to a digital smart grid.

Marie Hattar, vice president of marketing in Cisco’s Network Systems Solutions group, told CNET that the smart grid network will be “100 or 1,000 times larger than the Internet,” saying that virtually every home has electricity and many of them don’t have Internet access.

Cisco believes the smart-grid infrastructure market size could be worth more than $20 billion a year for the next five years, although some have called the projection overly optimistic.

“The opportunity is real,” reportedly said Judy Lin, the general manager of Cisco’s ethernet switching technology group. “Smart-grid is one of the top priorities and key market adjacencies for Cisco.”

Cisco’s Smart Grid solutions will address critical points within the energy infrastructure: from data centres and substations, through neighborhood-area networks, to businesses and homes.

The company will provide solutions for efficient, IP-based backhaul communications for smart metres that will integrate proprietary solutions into the overall smart grid platform. Cisco’s Home Energy Management and Business Energy Management solutions will help optimise energy demand, use and cost by providing greater access to data and analysis tools.

Last month, Cisco announced its partnership with the city of Miami to launch a $200 million Energy Smart Miami project. That initiative will bring smart metres and solar power systems to the city, as well as adding plug-in hybrids to the city’s vehicle fleet, and encourage the adoption of energy-reduction tools like home energy use dashboards, smart appliances and smart-metre thermostats to pilot programmes in 1,000 city homes.

Utilities to test Google’s PowerMeter gadget

Google has confirmed partnerships with eight national and international energy companies to allow consumers to access data about their energy usage through Google’s PowerMeter gadget.

Google PowerMeter receives information from utility smart metres and energy management devices and provides customers with access to their home electricity consumption right on their personal iGoogle homepage.

Over the past several months, Google has been looking to partner with utilities that are installing (or have already installed) this equipment in their customers’ homes.

Its partners are: San Diego Gas & Electric® (California); TXU Energy (Texas); JEA (Florida); Reliance Energy (India); Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (Wisconsin); White River Valley Electric Cooperative (Missouri); Toronto Hydro–Electric System Limited (Canada); Glasgow EPB (Kentucky).

Google PowerMeter is an opt-in service and users must sign up to participate. All energy data received by Google PowerMeter will be stored securely, and users will be able to delete their energy data or ask their utility to stop sending data to Google PowerMeter at any time. Google PowerMeter is not widely available yet.

EnerNOC secures over $100m of potential revenue

EnerNOC has secured over $100 million of future potential revenue in the PJM Interconnection (PJM) market as a result of the 2012-13 Reliability Pricing Model Base Residual Auction (BRA).

This future potential revenue is for demand response capacity to be delivered from June 1, 2012 through May 31, 2013.

According to EnerNOC, between its new and existing resources, EnerNOC captured 35% of the total quantity of demand response capacity that cleared in the BRA.

With the exception of the capacity that EnerNOC will deliver to Allegheny Power under a previously announced contract, all of EnerNOC’s new capacity in the BRA cleared in higher-priced, constrained regions.

After the first quarter of 2009, the company increased megawatts under management by approximately 300, a significant amount of which resulted from sales efforts in the PJM Interconnection region, bringing the company’s total megawatts under management as of the date of this release to over 3,000 across more than 5,000 customer sites.

In the first quarter, the company signed seven new long term utility contracts, three in new States for the company, Arizona, Colorado, and Idaho. And it captured more than 60% of a competitive RFP opportunity with four investors on utilities in Maryland. In aggregate, EnerNOC expects this long term utility contract wins to represent over $120 million in combined potential revenue to EnerNOC.

US smart meter projects on track: Itron

The company continues to work on its deployments for major utilities in the US.

Itron Inc has said that the economic recession has not affected deployment of the company’s $1.4 billion in smart meter contracts with four major U.S. utilities.

According to a report filed by Reuters, Itron chief executive Malcolm Unsworth said projects with Sempra Energy’s San Diego Gas & Electric, CenterPoint Energy Inc and Edison International’s Southern California Edison “are all on plan according to what they originally proposed”.

Itron has a fourth contract with DTE Energy unit Detroit Edison which is expected to begin in 2010.

The company also continues to improve its offerings in this sector. Recently, Itron signed a joint marketing agreement with Verizon Wireless for development of secure, two-way communications that support utilities’ access to energy usage data and advance their smart grid projects.

Operating on Verizon Wireless’ network, the Itron OpenWay Cell Relay now allows utilities to more quickly collect, measure and manage energy data, while providing a supply of power without having to build and operate proprietary communications networks.

EnergyAustralia signs a deal with IBM

EnergyAustralia says the project, a part of its initial investment of $170 million in its smart network roll-out, will help it stay at the forefront of the global intelligent network transformation.

EnergyAustralia has signed an agreement with IBM for the implementation of an energy network monitoring and control solution.

A key project within EnergyAustralia’s overall intelligent network programme, the Distribution Monitoring and Control (DM&C) project involves the roll-out of 12,000 sensing devices throughout the electricity distribution network, creating a smart grid.

As per the agreement, IBM will design and build the system IT architecture to support the project, in which sensing devices will connect with EnergyAustralia’s operational systems using a combination of fourth generation and existing technologies.

According to IBM, this network will carry the necessary data for EnergyAustralia to reduce outages through faster fault location and preventative maintenance and, to work towards managing distributed energy sources such as solar and storage devices.

Ember secures $8 million in funding

The company now has raised $89 million in total.

Ember Corporation has closed an additional $8 million in funding from its primary venture capital investors and strategic partners.

Polaris Venture Partners, GrandBanks Capital, RRE Ventures, Vulcan Capital, DFJ ePlanet Ventures, New Atlantic Ventures, WestLB Mellon Asset Management and strategic partners such as Chevron Technology Ventures and Stata Venture Partners participated in the latest round of funding.

Smart meters now being equipped with ZigBee-standard Ember radio chips and protocol software are serving as energy management gateways between utilities and consumers, said Ember chairman and Polaris Partner Bob Metcalfe.

The company, referring to projections from research firm, In-Stat, mentioned that the market for 802.15.4/ZigBee devices is expected to reach as high as 292 million units in 2012, up from about seven million units in 2007.

The company also announced the expansion of its sales channels with the addition of new distributors in Australia, New Zealand, India and Hong Kong, People's Republic of China which are emerging as key markets for ZigBee-enabled smart meters.

EnergyHub closes Series A financing

The company is now focusing on its product development as well as the implementation of pilot programmes in the US.

EnergyHub, a home energy management solutions provider, has closed a Series A round co-led by .406 Ventures and Physic Ventures. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

The company will use the proceeds from this financing to support continued product development and to implement pilot programmes with utilities across the US.

According to .406 Ventures, EnergyHub is providing “a much needed two-pronged approach to decreasing per capita consumption”. The company offers consumers control of their energy use while enabling utilities to better manage their territories.

EnergyHub’s solution, which integrates in-home devices, stand-alone displays, and web-based software, gives consumers real-time information and control over their energy usage. Consumers can access data and control their home from the Internet or a mobile device.

Landis+Gyr on track to complete its 280,000-meter project

The company began deploying its Gridstream two-way smart grid communications network at electric utility Austin Energy last year.

Landis+Gyr is on schedule to complete the 280,000-meter project, currently undergoing at Austin Energy, in August this year.

More than 165,000 two-way meters have been installed so far, and integration with the utility’s meter data management system is underway. The two companies are testing access to interval usage and metering data, and will soon begin testing other advanced features, such as remote disconnect and load management.

Landis+Gyr is providing support services for the deployment of advanced meters and turn-key network hardware upgrade as part of its managed services agreement with Austin Energy, a utility which serves nearly 400,000 electricity customers in and around Austin, Texas.

The company began deploying the Gridstream two-way RF mesh network as part of an expanded management contract with Austin Energy that was signed last year. The deployment will enable the utility to leverage its network for smart grid and demand response applications, including in-home networking, and distributed generation and automation.

Gridstream focuses on maximising the effectiveness of energy management assets through the seamless integration and flow of technology and information.

FERC steps up smart grid development

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has come with a proposed policy statement and action plan that would help set the “rules of the road” of a modern grid.

The proposed policy statement seeks public comment on standards for four priority issues critical to the smooth functioning and operation of the Smart Grid.

After weighing public comments, FERC plans to adopt a final policy statement providing guidance to the electric power industry on standards for:
· Cyber security;
· Communications among regional market operators, utilities, service providers and consumers;
· Ensuring that the bulk power system operators have “wide-area situational awareness” with equipment that allows them to monitor and operate their systems; and
· Coordinating operation of the bulk power system with new and emerging technologies for renewable resources, demand resources, electricity storage and electric transportation systems.

Prioritising the development of key standards will speed up the process of achieving an interoperable smart grid, said Commissioner Suedeen Kelly. Kelly said the proposed policy will require the sharing of information associated with smart grid deployments with the Smart Grid Clearinghouse being developed by the Department of Energy. “This will help to demonstrate the real benefits that investing in a smart grid can bring to the public,” said Kelly.

As per the plan, smart grid advancements will apply digital technologies to the grid, and enable real-time coordination of information from both generating plants and demand-side resources.

Related links: FERC

Smart grid industry should adopt Security Development Lifecycle: study

A study has highlighted that smart grid technology is susceptible to common security vulnerabilities such as protocol tampering, buffer overflows, persistent, and non-persistent rootkits, and code propagation.

These vulnerabilities, according to IOActive, a provider of application and smart grid security services, could result in attacks to the smart grid platform, causing utilities to lose momentary system control of their advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) smart meter devices to unauthorised third parties. This would expose utility companies to possible fraud, extortion attempts, lawsuits or wide spread system interruption.

Joshua Pennell, president and CEO, IOActive, recommended that the smart grid industry should follow a proven formal Security Development Lifecycle, as exemplified by Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing initiative of 2001, to guide and govern the future development of smart grid technologies.

IOActive, which verified significant security issues within multiple smart grid platforms, emphasised that if security is not addressed in the design and implementation of these emerging technologies, it may prove cost prohibitive to address them once the devices are fully deployed in the field.

In terms of deployments, it shared that over two million smart meters are being used currently in the US and it is estimated that the more than 73 participating utilities have ordered 17 million additional smart meter devices.

Related links: Security, Utilities, Advanced Metering Infrastructure, Smart Meters

Accenture to forge connection between utilities and city authorities

Accenture has taken an initiative to accelerate the introduction of smart grids by connecting utilities and city authorities that are committed to deploying the same.

Called The Accenture Intelligent City Network, the initiative connects utility executives and metropolitan leaders to exchange knowledge and practical experience related to planning, challenges and advantages of smart-grid technology.

The focus will be on creation of blueprints for the deployment of smart grids, including the integration of smart grids with broader investments in intelligent infrastructures, such as smart buildings and transportation, as well as new technologies and emerging standards.

Accenture believes that city authorities are in the best position to coordinate with the public- and private-sector stakeholders to transform the energy consumption habits of local communities.

Initial members of the Accenture Intelligent City Network include Xcel Energy, East China Grid Co., a Chinese transmission company; Russian Interregional Distribution Grid Company of Centre (MRSK of Centre), which will be creating an “intelligent” city in Belgorod in collaboration with the regional government; Dutch utility Alliander N.V. and the City of Amsterdam.

Mike Carlson, Xcel Energy’s vice president & chief information officer, said that energy management, customer service and environmental management strategies can all be enhanced with smart-grid technologies and through a partnership between utilities and city and state regulatory leaders.

Related links: Accenture, Utilities, Intelligent infrastructure, Xcel Energy, energy management

Pepco Holdings opts for GE’s smart meters

Electric utility Pepco Holdings, Inc., (PHI) has chosen GE’s smart meters for use in the deployment of its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) in the state of Delaware.

Installation of the GE meters is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2009 in Delaware.

PHI has chosen to work with GE at a stage when the utility is working on its vision of changing the relationship with its customers.

Joseph M. Rigby, president and chief executive officer of PHI, said with new digital smart meters and the smart grid, PHI’s utilities will be able to provide up-to-date energy information and tools that will help its customers manage their energy use and costs.

Communications technologies within GE’s smart meters will also help PHI detect and better respond to power outages, further improving the energy experience for PHI consumers.

Related links: Utilities, Advanced Metering Infrastructure, Smart Meters

Getting a quick response during utility infrastructure outages

SkyBitz has worked on a solution for disaster recovery teams to get a quick response during utility infrastructure outages.

The solution, based on SkyBitz’s Smart Sensor Tracking management solution, allows utility companies to leverage real-time information about the location, status and environmental conditions of their assets. This includes the deployment of teams to remote locations during network outages, as well as efficient selection, retrieval and redirection of assets.

The disaster recovery solution provides an active communication channel between critical mission command and control systems and teams and assets in the field through bi-directional messaging capabilities. The SkyBitz satellite-based solution has a ubiquitous coverage and operates in remote areas that lack terrestrial coverage.

The solution can be used to comply with FEMA cost recovery requirements.

According to the company, the SkyBitz solution is available and compliant with the objectives of the recently signed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Title XIII funding for smart grid and improvements for reliability and recovery from disruptions and integration of renewable generation.

The company believes that initiatives like smart grid, automated metering infrastructure and demand response can all benefit substantially from investments in remote asset management, condition monitoring and metering.

Related links: Utilities, Advanced Metering Infrastructure, Smart Meters

“Demand response currently accounts for over 20 gigawatts”

Comverge Inc.’s chairman, president and CEO Robert Chiste has highlighted that demand response and energy efficiency provide the “fastest, cleanest and most economic” megawatts.
Chiste also pointed out that regulators and legislators at the Federal and State level are encouraging and approving funding for increased investment in energy efficiency and demand management.

According to Chiste, who made these observations during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call, the demand response and energy efficiency opportunity has the potential of far greater impact on energy independence than other alternatives such as solar and wind.

“In fact, wind and solar projects have slowed considerably because the financial and transmission constraints in the current install base of solar power in the United States is about 2 gigawatts,” said Chiste. “By comparison, demand response currently accounts for over 20 gigawatts or ten times the size of the entire solar installed base in the United States.”

In the recent past, the US industry witnessed the signing into law of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and provisions to modernise the U.S. electricity grid.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contains specific provisions for the establishment of a $4.2 billion grant programme that will support the rollout of smart grid and smart metering projects across the country. Smart metering solutions provide utilities with a two-way flow of data required to manage energy use, efficiency, demand response and network protection. Consumers benefit from improved usage information and with it, the ability to reduce overall energy costs and carbon footprints.

Consert opts for Marlabs as its technology partner

Consert, Inc. has chosen Marlabs to build a smart grid energy management solution, which will allow a utility to better manage overall energy usage.

Marlabs stated that such an integrated smart grid solution - benefiting both the utility and its consumers – “will be a first for the industry”.

According to Consert, a specialist in designing and implementation of intelligent energy distribution and management solutions, the solution from Marlabs will not only provide savings of up to 15 percent to families and small businesses, but actually allow distributing utilities to lower demand peaks.

Marlabs provides solutions that enable utilities to make the transition to the smart grid and implement demand management technologies.

Other than Marlabs’ systems integration experience and software engineering expertise, Joseph W. Forbes, Jr., COO, Consert also referred to the fact that Marlabs, as an IBM Regional Systems Integrator, could help the company to effectively leverage IBM technologies was also a reason behind going ahead with the pact.

Jeff Holden, VP, Marlabs, said, “Based on real-time two-way response techniques, the system will create a virtual power plant, promote green renewable energy, and improve efficiency of the grid.”

£4.7 billion needed for power grid

A study has indicated that Britain needs to invest up to 4.7 billion pounds to upgrade its electricity grid by 2020 to accommodate new power generation, including renewables and nuclear plants. Among the extensions needed to the grid will be high-voltage subsea cable links between Scotland and England, according to the report by the Electricity Networks Strategy Group.

Mike O'Brien, the energy and climate change minister, said it was vital to build a grid that was "fit for purpose" so that Britain could cut carbon emissions and make supply more secure. "This is a massive long-term investment opportunity and this upgrade work will help support jobs across the low-carbon economy," he added.

In Scotland, the report suggests between 8GW and 11GW of new transmission capacity could be opened up, with one of the key projects being the Beauly-Denny line rebuild, which has been subject to a long-running public inquiry. As per the information available, plans for a £780million series of major investments designed to carry green wind, wave and tidal power from the north of Scotland south to England were outlined.

The UK Government’s Electricity Networks Strategy Group wants an upgrade to the Dounreay to Beauly to Kintore line costing £180million and a strengthened east coast line costing £150million to follow the completion of the controversial proposed Beauly to Denny line. A second wave would include a Caithness to Moray reinforcement costing £450million.

Chris Stubbs, director at environment consultancy WSP, said the £4.7bn bill highlighted the “worryingly high cost” of embracing new energy generation and that the consumer or taxpayer would end up paying.

Ofgem has announced it intends to approve the funds for the pre-construction work on specific transmission projects. It is also developing proposals to make the regulatory regime capable of meeting the renewable challenges.

A call for spending $4.5 billion on smart grid in a rational way

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has reportedly said it could be wasteful for the Energy Department to spend $4.5 billion in matching funds provided in the economic stimulus bill to create a digitised, conversant “smart grid” if the investment is made in technology that becomes obsolete or if the public rejects or underutilises the technology.

“Is it possible to expect that this programme can spend $4.5 billion in two years in a rational way?” Murkowski said recently. “We first need to develop standards for the smart grid programme before we start just throwing money at it.”

A report filed by nytimes.com highlighted that smart grid operation standards have not been designated yet despite a provision in the 2007 energy bill calling for the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology to come up with standards with the help of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other organizations so that the technology can easily communicate on the same platform -- a concept known as interoperability.

That lapse combined with the general lack of public knowledge about the smart grid and how to manage energy in real-time could be a recipe for failure, said Murkowski, who has already stated that for the most part, the amounts of money allocated to programmes specified in the bill are completely unprecedented.

Murkowski acknowledged there is money in the legislation that would benefit Alaska, but she said a short term cash infusion doesn’t outweigh the long term financial burden the legislation places on future generations and state and local governments.

Utilities in the US recommended to focus on consumer education

Even as Americans are concerned about energy costs and show interest in new energy options, yet this interest is not yet translating to action - and utilities can improve communication with customers, according to the findings of a research report released by Oracle.

Oracle, which had surveyed 604 U.S. consumers and 200 U.S. utility managers for its `Turning Information into Power’ research report, found that 94 percent are concerned with the energy costs of their primary residence and 95 percent are interested in receiving detailed information on their energy use. But only six percent of respondents have installed some type of renewable energy source in the last 12 months.

For their part, utilities believe the smart grid is critical to meeting impending energy needs and are taking first steps.

· 91 percent of utility managers believe it is critical that the U.S. adopts smart grid technologies. They selected “improving power flow management” and “supplying customers with the tools to monitor and reduce energy use at home” as the top two benefits.
· 41 percent of utilities have assessed the opportunity for smart grid technologies and 16 percent have begun implementation.
· Utility managers believe “upfront consumer expenses” (42 percent) and a “lack of consistent industry technology standards” (30 percent) will be the biggest roadblocks to maximising benefits of the smart grid.

Getting a quick response during utility infrastructure outages

SkyBitz has worked on a solution for disaster recovery teams to get a quick response during utility infrastructure outages.

The solution, based on SkyBitz’s Smart Sensor Tracking management solution, allows utility companies to leverage real-time information about the location, status and environmental conditions of their assets. This includes the deployment of teams to remote locations during network outages, as well as efficient selection, retrieval and redirection of assets.

The disaster recovery solution provides an active communication channel between critical mission command and control systems and teams and assets in the field through bi-directional messaging capabilities. The SkyBitz satellite-based solution has a ubiquitous coverage and operates in remote areas that lack terrestrial coverage.

The solution can be used to comply with FEMA cost recovery requirements.

According to the company, the SkyBitz solution is available and compliant with the objectives of the recently signed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Title XIII funding for smart grid and improvements for reliability and recovery from disruptions and integration of renewable generation.

The company believes that initiatives like smart grid, automated metering infrastructure and demand response can all benefit substantially from investments in remote asset management, condition monitoring and metering.

Related links: Utilities, Advanced Metering Infrastructure, Smart Meters

Pepco Holdings opts for GE’s smart meters

Electric utility Pepco Holdings, Inc., (PHI) has chosen GE’s smart meters for use in the deployment of its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) in the state of Delaware.

Installation of the GE meters is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2009 in Delaware.

PHI has chosen to work with GE at a stage when the utility is working on its vision of changing the relationship with its customers.

Joseph M. Rigby, president and chief executive officer of PHI, said with new digital smart meters and the smart grid, PHI’s utilities will be able to provide up-to-date energy information and tools that will help its customers manage their energy use and costs.

Communications technologies within GE’s smart meters will also help PHI detect and better respond to power outages, further improving the energy experience for PHI consumers.

Related links: Utilities, Advanced Metering Infrastructure, Smart Meters

Accenture to forge connection between utilities and city authorities

Accenture has taken an initiative to accelerate the introduction of smart grids by connecting utilities and city authorities that are committed to deploying the same.

Called The Accenture Intelligent City Network, the initiative connects utility executives and metropolitan leaders to exchange knowledge and practical experience related to planning, challenges and advantages of smart-grid technology.

The focus will be on creation of blueprints for the deployment of smart grids, including the integration of smart grids with broader investments in intelligent infrastructures, such as smart buildings and transportation, as well as new technologies and emerging standards.

Accenture believes that city authorities are in the best position to coordinate with the public- and private-sector stakeholders to transform the energy consumption habits of local communities.

Initial members of the Accenture Intelligent City Network include Xcel Energy, East China Grid Co., a Chinese transmission company; Russian Interregional Distribution Grid Company of Centre (MRSK of Centre), which will be creating an “intelligent” city in Belgorod in collaboration with the regional government; Dutch utility Alliander N.V. and the City of Amsterdam.

Mike Carlson, Xcel Energy’s vice president & chief information officer, said that energy management, customer service and environmental management strategies can all be enhanced with smart-grid technologies and through a partnership between utilities and city and state regulatory leaders.

Related links: Accenture, Utilities, Intelligent infrastructure, Xcel Energy, energy management

Smart grid industry should adopt Security Development Lifecycle: study

A study has highlighted that smart grid technology is susceptible to common security vulnerabilities such as protocol tampering, buffer overflows, persistent, and non-persistent rootkits, and code propagation.

These vulnerabilities, according to IOActive, a provider of application and smart grid security services, could result in attacks to the smart grid platform, causing utilities to lose momentary system control of their advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) smart meter devices to unauthorised third parties. This would expose utility companies to possible fraud, extortion attempts, lawsuits or wide spread system interruption.

Joshua Pennell, president and CEO, IOActive, recommended that the smart grid industry should follow a proven formal Security Development Lifecycle, as exemplified by Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing initiative of 2001, to guide and govern the future development of smart grid technologies.

IOActive, which verified significant security issues within multiple smart grid platforms, emphasised that if security is not addressed in the design and implementation of these emerging technologies, it may prove cost prohibitive to address them once the devices are fully deployed in the field.

In terms of deployments, it shared that over two million smart meters are being used currently in the US and it is estimated that the more than 73 participating utilities have ordered 17 million additional smart meter devices.

Related links: Security, Utilities, Advanced Metering Infrastructure, Smart Meters

FERC steps up smart grid development

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has come with a proposed policy statement and action plan that would help set the “rules of the road” of a modern grid.

The proposed policy statement seeks public comment on standards for four priority issues critical to the smooth functioning and operation of the Smart Grid.

After weighing public comments, FERC plans to adopt a final policy statement providing guidance to the electric power industry on standards for:

· Cyber security;
· Communications among regional market operators, utilities, service providers and consumers;
· Ensuring that the bulk power system operators have “wide-area situational awareness” with equipment that allows them to monitor and operate their systems; and
· Coordinating operation of the bulk power system with new and emerging technologies for renewable resources, demand resources, electricity storage and electric transportation systems.

Prioritising the development of key standards will speed up the process of achieving an interoperable smart grid, said Commissioner Suedeen Kelly.

Kelly said the proposed policy will require the sharing of information associated with smart grid deployments with the Smart Grid Clearinghouse being developed by the Department of Energy.

“This will help to demonstrate the real benefits that investing in a smart grid can bring to the public,” said Kelly.

As per the plan, smart grid advancements will apply digital technologies to the grid, and enable real-time coordination of information from both generating plants and demand-side resources.

Related links: FERC

“Smart metering will revolutionise energy management and grid reliability”

The US industry has welcomed the signing into law of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and its ambitious provisions to modernise the U.S. electricity grid.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contains specific provisions for the establishment of a $4.2 billion grant programme that will support the rollout of smart grid and smart metering projects across the country. Smart metering solutions provide utilities with a two-way flow of data required to manage energy use, efficiency, demand response and network protection. Consumers benefit from improved usage information and with it, the ability to reduce overall energy costs and carbon footprints.

Terming the development as a “huge victory for forward-looking utilities and consumers”, Richard Mora, CEO of Landis+Gyr North America said, “National demand for electricity is growing three times faster than power resources are being added, making energy conservation critical. The federal government has now joined in the drive to build a smart and dynamic grid infrastructure.”

“Make no mistake, smart metering will revolutionise energy management and grid reliability across the country,” Mora said.

Landis+Gyr pointd out that the potential benefits are enormous. A recent Brattle Group study found that just a five percent drop in peak demand nationally would eliminate the need for installing and running some 625 infrequently used peaking power plants, translating into annual savings of approximately $3 billion. The Department of Energy recently estimated that if the US grid were just five percent more efficient, it would be the equivalent of eliminating the fuel and greenhouse gas emissions of 53 million cars.

Talks of developing smart grid gain momentum in the US

Even as many states in the US have initiated adoption of policies to move towards efficient transmission systems, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif has poined out that the nation needs a national framework for planning, developing and financing transmission infrastructure.

According to chron.com, Congressional leaders in the US pushing to modernise the nation’s electrical transmission system signaled they want to put the federal government in control of decisions normally left to state authorities, from regulating electrical rates to deciding where to place power lines and poles.

Also, Democratic congressional leaders and the Obama administration recently indicated that that they will push for greater federal authority to locate electric transmission lines.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he will soon introduce legislation that gives federal regulators authority to override states on electric grid placement decisions as part of a package of energy proposals the Senate is expected to take up in the coming weeks, reported AP.

Pelosi also called for expansion of the nation’s power transmission grid and development of a “smart grid” that allows increased efficiency and access to remote wind and solar energy resources. She said addressing the grid issue “is essential to all that we do” to promote renewable fuels.

BP Solar to work with Comverge

BP Solar has selected Comverge to develop data acquisition and deployment solutions for stored energy.

As per the agreement, Comverge’s recently announced Apollo integrated demand response platform, AMI enabling technology, and information command center technology are going to be used.

The new contract with BP Solar calls for Comverge to integrate its advanced metering infrastructure technology utilising its advanced PowerPortal In-Home Display.

Comverge highlighted that it is becoming generally recognised that, because of the uneven nature of solar and wind generation, demand response programmes can act in concert with these alternative energy supplies to `level’ capacity.

Developing interfaces that provide solar production and other system information, BP Solar will have the option to integrate demand response using ZigBee enabled intelligent thermostats and digital control units.

Onsite systems data will be acquired and communicated offsite for performance monitoring, control, utility and customer information portals, according to Comverge.

RESA calls for freedom to choose retail electric supplier

The Retail Energy Supply Association (RESA) has testified before the Connecticut General Assembly to oppose three bills that combined will eliminate a customer’s right to choose their energy supplier.

The Association also mentioned that the bills would also establish an electric procurement structure that will shift cost responsibility from private investors to Connecticut ratepayers.

Specifically, RESA members testified in opposition to: (1) H.B. 6507, which would repeal customer choice for Connecticut residential and business customers with maximum demands below 500 kilowatts effective January 1, 2010; (2) H.B. 6510, which would establish a state power authority; and (3) H.B. 6512, which would replace the customer choice structure repealed by H.B. 6507 with a "managed portfolio" electric procurement structure heavily dependent on ratepayer-backed medium-term and long-term contracts.

Describing the adoption of some of the bills as a backward step for Connecticut energy customers, Jay Kooper, President of RESA, said, “What’s more detrimental is the plan to replace the current structure with a failed one-size-fits-all electric procurement structure that, in the past, has exposed Connecticut ratepayers to billions of dollars in stranded costs stemming from utility investment decisions that have done little to contain costs or improve electric system reliability.”

EnerNOC posts $106.1m in revenues in 2008

EnerNOC, Inc. ended 2008 with $106.1 million in revenues. This represents a 74 percent year-over-year growth.

The company’s network delivered over 100 percent performance on average based on nominated versus delivered capacity in more than 100 demand response events, according to its CEO, Chairman, and Co-Founder, Tim Healy.

“Our attractive applications in combination with our stable grid operator and utility customer base and our own financial strength and visibility give us confidence in the following 2009 corporate objectives,” said Healy, who added that the company expects its revenues to grow approximately 55 percent over 2008 to a range of $155 to $170 million.

Through the first seven weeks of 2009, the company has signed two new utility contracts in Arizona and Colorado worth over $35 million in combined potential revenue. It has added over 500 new megawatts under management to its demand response network, and has also developed an MBCx pipeline that is stronger than its internal projections for this point in time.

EnerNOC recently entered into an eight-year contract with Public Service Company of Colorado, an Xcel Energy company, to provide up to 44 megawatts of demand response capacity. The company highlighted that states like Colorado and Nevada are at the forefront of developing market dynamics that allow utilities to benefit financially from increased investments in demand response and energy efficiency.

Avoiding voltage collapse on transmission and distribution lines

smartelectricnews.com Special : Interview with Jack McCall, Director Business Development - HTS T&D Systems, AMSC Power Systems

American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) identifies the U.S. power grid market as one of its core growth drivers.

Recently, in its third quarter (ended December 31, 2008) results, AMSC shared that more than $27 million of its $46 million in third-quarter bookings were for its D-VAR Smart Grid solutions. With these new orders, the company now has more than $175 million out of the total of $602 million in backlog that it expects to recognise as revenue in fiscal 2009.

Commenting on plans for this year, Jack McCall, Director Business Development HTS T&D Systems, AMSC Power Systems told smartelectricnews.com: “We are focused on increasing global sales volumes for our D-VAR and SVC reactive compensation solutions. We also will be completing our prototype Secure Super Grids system for Consolidated Edison in 2009.”

McCall spoke in detail about preventing blackouts, AMSC’s Smart Grid D-VAR and Static VAR Compensator (SVC) solutions, and much more. Excerpts:

smartelectricnews.com: With reference to your company's technologies, can you provide an insight into what sort of progress has been made when it comes to preventing blackouts and relieving congestion on existing transmission lines?

Jack McCall: Superconductor power cables offer tremendous power handling capacity combined with very low impedance, making them an ideal solution to addressing grid congestion, particularly in urban areas or where right-of-way is limited. Superconductor cables are also being deployed in NYC in a configuration called Secure Super Grids that allows for a unique method to interconnect substations as a means of increasing grid reliability and preventing blackouts.

On overhead transmission lines, utilities are increasingly looking to install real-time monitoring systems, reconductoring and using other methods of increasing line thermal limits. Often, they find that this is only increasing amperage ratings and any increased power transfer may be limited by overriding voltage stability concerns. AMSC D-VAR and SVC systems provide real-time voltage stability and VAR support necessary to assure that this increased ampacity translates into more power transferred.

smartelectricnews.com: How efficiently are voltage problems being sorted out today?

Jack McCall: Reactive power compensation is necessary to stabilise voltage, relieve power grid congestion, improve electrical efficiency, and prevent blackouts in power grids. AMSC’s Smart Grid D-VAR solutions detect and instantaneously compensate for voltage disturbances by dynamically injecting leading or lagging reactive power into the power grid.

D-VARs are being used in a wide range of applications, including voltage regulation and grid reliability, optimisation of power transfer capacity on stability-limited transmission networks, and reactive power support for wind farm grid interconnection. These solutions allow wind farm developers to meet the dynamic voltage requirements being adopted by countries around the world to protect the grid from the variable voltage levels stemming from wind farms.

AMSC recently announced that National Grid will deploy a large-scale, turnkey D-VAR solution to ensure reliability of the local power grid it manages under an agreement with Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). Including this latest deployment, AMSC has received orders for over 60 STATCOM or Static Compensators power grid solutions worldwide showing these solutions are now coming of age. In total, AMSC’s D-VAR customers include a total of more than 20 electric utilities and 40 wind farms worldwide.

smartelectricnews.com: How does AMSC's SVC provide many benefits at the transmission, distribution and even end-user level?

Jack McCall: AMSC's Static VAR Compensator (SVC) solutions eliminate voltage sags and flicker, giving electric utility companies and manufacturing operations a cost-effective way to safely connect large electrical loads to the local power grid. AMSC’s SVC systems are highly portable, modular and can be field-modified, thereby reducing the costs normally associated with upgrades. They routinely solve problems caused by starting large motors, metal shredders and crushers, sawmills, pump or pipeline stations, shipyards, coal mines, feed plants or kindred processes. These solutions also solve arc furnace flicker problems and are utilized to stabilize power transmission grids.

By using an SVC, electric utilities can eliminate voltage sags and flicker issues caused by such problematic electrical loads without making larger permanent or fixed investments in their power system. SVC solutions offer customer-side benefits as well by providing a more stable voltage supply and a higher power factor to the end user. In many cases, the availability of an SVC will permit an end customer to further expand their facility without impacting other customers located on the same circuit.

smartelectricnews.com: There are devices in the marketplace that can optimise new and existing transmission and distribution lines. What new trends have you witnessed in this arena from AMSC's perspective?

Jack McCall: Our D-VAR and SVC solutions help to optimise existing transmission and distribution assets. Because our solutions eliminate voltage instabilities, power grid operators can oftentimes increase power capacity of their existing T&D assets, providing a very rapid return on investment.

smartelectricnews.com: Can you describe the role of superconductor power cables and AMSC’s Secure Super Grids technology in a smart grid?

Jack McCall: Superconductor power cables and AMSC’s Secure Super Grids technology meet each of the following Smart Grid criteria detailed by the Department of Energy: 1) Accommodate all generation and storage options, 2) Provide power quality for the digital economy, 3) Optimise assets and operate efficiently, 4) Anticipate and respond to system disturbances self-heal, and 5) operate resiliently against attack and natural disasters to resist attack.

AMSC’s Secure Super Grid (SSG) technology is a “system-level” superconductor cable solution that fulfills these criteria, which are vital to enhancing over-taxed and aging power grids in the U.S. and around the world.

AMSC’s SSG technology increases both the capacity of T&D infrastructure and the fault current handling capability of dense urban circuits. This solution utilizes customised superconductor power cables and ancillary controls to deliver up to 10 times more power than conventional copper cables while at the same time suppressing power surges - or fault currents - that can result in critical outages including widespread blackouts. Superconductor cables create resilient, self healing power grids that can survive attacks and natural disasters. HTS cables can increase transmission efficiency and significantly enhance the flow of power under city streets to enable, for instance, widespread adoption of PHEVs. Uniquely, AMSC’s SSG technology also allows for the construction of multiple paths for electricity flow in metropolitan power grids to ensure system redundancy when individual circuits are disrupted due to severe weather, traffic accidents or willful destruction.

High-capacity, very low impedance superconductor power cables generate little to no magnetic field. The very high power capacity and small footprint of superconductor cables makes them much easier to site, particularly in dense, urban areas. As such, the compact size and low environmental impact of HTS cables offers new ways for grid planners and operators to upgrade and increase the capacity of electric distribution networks.

HTS cables have been well demonstrated at electric utilities and are now being deployed in the grid. Over the past two years, three of these cables have been energized in the United States. Stand-alone fault current limiters based on superconducting materials also offer a new vista in grid security and technical control of system operating parameters.

smartelectricnews.com: How can superconductor power cables be utilised to transport renewable energies from remote areas to highly populated urban areas where power is needed?

Jack McCall: We believe superconductor power cables will play a big role in the mission to efficiently transport renewable power to the load center. While much of the long-haul power transmission from large renewable generation sites over the next several years will be accomplished with overhead power lines, as that load approaches cities, it must be carried underground. Superconductor cable technology is able to carry this power more efficiently and in a much smaller space than conventional copper cables. We also believe that direct current (DC) superconductor power cables will eventually play a role in long-haul power transmission.

Intelligent agents to enhance open communication and self-healing

Interview with Dr. Maher Chebbo, VP Utilities EMEA, SAP

smartelectricnews.com Special

An emerging technology area facilitating the development of smart-grid infrastructure is the use of intelligent agents, which are increasingly being used to participate in electrical utilities' demand response programmes.

These devices combine components for sensing, computing, device control, and communication in order to optimise energy usage.

It is said that these intelligent agents interact with each other in a more localised fashion before they interact with the centralised utility grid. When agents in a group interact, they can analyse the predetermined reduction programmes for each customer and react accordingly. This autonomy provides greater efficiency and is more cost-effective than a purely centralised system.

Going forward, Dr. Maher Chebbo, Vice President Utilities for Europe ,Middle East and Africa (EMEA), SAP AG, who presented during Intelligent Demand Response for Electricity Summit 2009 held in Amsterdam recently, says the intelligent agents will include more ICT and Electronics and a result they will further help in open communication and self-healing processes.

A fundamental capability of a self-healing grid is its ability to prevent or contain major disturbances. The vision of a "self-healing" smart grid is feasible using a distributed infrastructure for monitoring and control.

Utilities now acknowledged that today's distribution grid is more than an interconnected system of generating units, power lines, substations and transformers that deliver electricity to customers. Smart Grid refers to a modern, intelligent electricity transmission and distribution system that incorporates traditional and advanced power engineering to enhance grid performance and support a wide array of functionality for customers and the economy.

And technologies that help save energy at households include:

· Time of use Pricing Information
· Dynamic Pricing signals
· Smart Thermostat
· Home Energy management Systems like devices.

"These technologies help peak demand reduction up to 40 percent plus in some cases," says Dr. Chebbo.

Two-way communication

For a utility to monitor the power used by its customers, then to transmit demand-response commands to a customer's automated energy management system, there must be a two-way communication.

The utility receives the usage information from the customer's meter, and can then send messages, via email or telephone, informing them of the need to reduce power. During demand response events, the utility can activate automatic controls to reduce air conditioning, lower lighting levels, or momentarily turn off appliances – usually with an override option by the consumer.

On the two-way communication process, Dr. Chebbo said utilities companies send tariffs and contract information + price signals to the consumers through Smart Meters and Internet.

"Consumers will change their options (if their contract allows) on the Smart meters and through the Internert Self Services (also SMS or mobile transactions could be used). Demand Response is one of the scnearios that are enabled by Smart Metering Infrastructure," said Dr. Chebbo.

One of the critical components of communication systems for demand response includes software, which is used to perform the various tasks required to run smart grid networks and demand-response applications.

"There are different kind of software required for the smart grids and demand response : the technical software like SCADA (they have to evolve to become smart grids compliance), the management software (like SAP ERP, Customer Information system, Asset Management, Smart Metering Application scenarios), the technical software for management the Smart metering Infrastructure (Meter Data Unification System) and they have to talk to each other in real time and interoperability is key," said Dr. Chebbo.

The industry has already witnessed the development of turnkey "energy intelligence" software to electric utilities for use in residential applications. These offerings include software, hardware, and "smart
meters" that help control energy load. For instance, hardware products include meters with Internet capabilities, which make it possible for clients to access their usage records on demand, and software offerings include programmes, which allows customers to monitor their meters, automate usage reduction, and receive alerts and grid demand status.

On procuring such solutions, Dr. Chebbo recommended: "The ones who should be providing a platform for smart grids and demand response should be system integrators with a good knowledge of the industry, rather than a single software vendor."

Enabling consumers to know how their behaviour affects energy consumption

Energate has introduced a new solution in Consumer Connected Demand Response (CCDR).

This solution, according to the company, will enable utilities to engage their customers and deploy technology which will integrate seamlessly with AMI and the smart grid as it is built.

It builds from advanced in-home consumer options and supports multiple communication technologies from the home to utility load management software.

CCDR offers a variety of options for utilities and their customers, including ZigBee Smart Energy profile certified smart thermostats, load control switches, energy display, and web portal; communication options (broadband connectivity, FM digital radio, and support for AMI interoperability); utility application options (load management systems including one-way direct load control or two-way DR).

Commenting on the CCDR solution, Niraj Bhargava, CEO, Energate said: "It is an ideal offering to let utilities deploy Demand Response today, while building their smart grid infrastructure for tomorrow."

"Energate's strength in AMI interoperability and in-home devices gives the utility peace of mind that short term DR benefits are supportive of long term smart grid strategies."

Utilities are responding to smart grid strategies: survey

A research study has indicated that global utility executives have embraced smart grid strategy as a platform for fundamental business process transformation initiatives that span the entire energy value chain across generation, T&D and customer service operations.

The study, designed to analyse the smartgrid strategies of leading utilities around the world, has been sponsored by Ventyx and conducted by The McDonnell Group.

Of those interviewed, 87 percent indicated the formal establishment of a smart grid initiative at their company, with the majority indicating that these efforts had been formalised in the past year and roughly one third indicating formalisation in the past two to three years.

"The utility industry is responding to regulatory and business improvement opportunities from smart grid strategies," said Ventyx VP of marketing, Andy Bane.

The executives in this study see an opportunity to fundamentally realign the relationship between supply, demand, efficiency and environmental objectives in support of intelligent utility enterprises, said Bane.

The study sample included five of the top 15 utilities in North America by residential revenue, two of the top five US public power utilities, three of the six largest global utilities by total end consumer count, as well as utilities that serve customers in more than half of the states in the US, three Canadian provinces and several European countries.

An initiative to create a unified AMI and HAN solution

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is collaborating with the ZigBee Alliance and the HomePlug Powerline Alliance to develop a common language for home area network (HAN) devices to utilise advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).

The groups will work in cooperation with the many utilities already supporting ZigBee Smart Energy and will look for ways to further expand the smart grid by creating a standard communication approach between AMI systems and HANs, as well as a common set of certification procedures.

Development efforts of the initiative will center on expanding the ZigBee Smart Energy public application profile.

The initiative will enhance the capabilities of Smart Energy to incorporate new features, support ZigBee wireless and HomePlug wired devices, and accelerate the development and certification of HAN devices capable of plugging into the Smart Grid such as thermostats, pool pumps, water heaters, appliances and plug-in vehicles.

"EPRI's involvement in this effort will focus resources and bring together a strong coalition whose work to establish the standard for Smart Energy HAN devices will accelerate the deployment of the Smart Grid," said Bob Heile, chairman, ZigBee Alliance.

"Smart Grid is not a fad; smart is the future of the electric grid"

A survey featuring utilities in North America has indicated that there is clearly an increasing regulatory acceptance of AMI and a need to ascertain how a smarter grid will improve utility services for consumers.

The North American utility industry is now facing growing political, societal and regulatory pressure to produce energy with less environmental impact and to help consumers use energy more efficiently. To meet this challenge, industry regulators are beginning to consider the role of a Smarter Grid, stated Capgemini, as it released the results from the first Smart Grid and Renewable Energy opinion survey of energy regulators across North America.

The findings were as follows: 38 percent of respondents already have regulations that require an AMI deployment, an additional seven percent reported that they are allowing deployments without regulations, while 22 percent report additional analysis is either underway or required; 48 percent of respondents favor the recent formation of the NARUC-Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Smart Grid Collaborative, while an additional 31 percent felt more time is needed before they can judge. Eighteen states have already joined the Collaborative.

The Capgemini survey was conducted in conjunction with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and Canadian Association of Members of Public Utility Tribunals (CAMPUT) in an effort to develop a comprehensive perspective on Smart Grid and renewable energy policy in North America.

"Smart Grid is not a fad; smart is the future of the electric grid," said Frederick Butler, president of NARUC.

Even as regulators are clearly intererested in Smart Grid and increased energy efficiency, they are not certain that the benefits outweigh the cost for customers at this point: Commissioners have not yet formed a consensus about the values of AMI (the cost of AMI may exceed direct operational savings causing regulators to rely on case-specific filings not general industry valuations); Most regulators are not ready to share the real-time costs of energy with all classes of customers: More than half (51 percent) of the respondents do not support real-time pricing for all customer classes and only nine percent do.

"Utility regulators are in the very early stages of an education and valuation process," said Roy Ellis, energy, utilities and chemicals regulatory relations leader at Capgemini.

Ellis added,"In most cases, this process is a complicated effort to view a cleaner more efficient grid through a prism of existing laws, regulations and market dynamics that were designed to promote the rapid expansion of a least-cost, highly-dependable grid using carbon-based fuels. Interestingly, the speed with which both renewables and the smarter grid take hold may be the result of a growing political belief that a rapid move to clean energy is necessary, and the only way to make the move quickly is with an equally rapid enablement of a Smart Grid."