08 May 2012
Smart meter deployment is charging ahead in the US, focusing on customer behaviors and demand reduction, but is it time to step back, take a breath and look to other smart technologies to ensure the success of the smart grid?
What happened
Ron Chebra, vice president, Management & Operations Consulting, DNV KEMA Energy & Sustainability wrote an article “Should advanced metering infrastructure take a back seat to distribution automation?” for Smart Grid Sherpa. In this article, Chebra points to the huge amounts of money invested in Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) in North America that has been economically justified by the promise of demand reduction and customer behavior change. He then...
24 Feb 2012
In India, the Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (BERC) chairman has made a strong case for power transmission through a smart card grid, to help regulate electricity supply to the energy-starved state.
What happened
In February 2012, PowerEngineering.com reported that Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (BERC) Chairman, U. N. Panjiar pushed for the use of a smart card grid for power transmission. Panjiar said electricity transmission, through smart card technologies, would regulate power supply and prevent the theft of the commodity.
Background
According to The Times of India, the state of Bihar faces an acute power crisis after the breakdown of four power units in the eastern region...
29 Nov 2011
A continuing black-eye for how US utilities handle Smart Grid conversions. The City of Boulder in Colorado, US has voted to convert its electric infrastructure from private to public ownership. The private utility, Xcel Energy had spent a lot of money attempting to make Boulder the world’s first Smart Grid City. It seems Xcel should have spent...
What Happened
One of the world’s first smart grid cities, designed to prove that smart grid technologies could deliver value to customers, has created a political, and eventually economic, dispute between one of the bigger publically-owned utilities in the US, Xcel Energy, and one of the most progressive, technology-friendly communities in the US, Boulder, Colorado, resulting in bad news for all concerned.
Background
Xcel Energy, an electric utility serving eight Southwest and...
23 Nov 2011
The UK is significantly renovating its electric infrastructure (Smart Grid.) The renovation will manage intermittent, renewable energy generation and the future deployment of electric vehicles.
Along with renewables, the UK is envisioning a bigger role for electric transport. To support these technologies, the country needs to upgrade its infrastructure and energy sector. The government budgets £200bn (US$312.8bn) to rebuild the country’s electricity infrastructure, according to the Energy Minister, Charles Hendry.
There are 6 major gas and electricity suppliers, providing 95% of the power for commercial customers. There are other independent operators, but the...
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