We need all the ‘smart’ we can get

Published Friday, 25th February 2011

Hello Greenbangers, and happy Friday!

There’s no slowdown in developments in the smart grid/smart cities sector, and that’s great news. With the sustainability challenges facing us becoming ever more apparent (just look at the dramatic rises we’re seeing in oil and basic food prices globally), we need all the smart we can get … and the sooner, the better.

Which is why we were especially encouraged this week by the news from smart-grid platform provider Silver Spring Networks. The California-based firm has taken upon itself to do what utility companies should have started doing long ago: making the case for smart-grid technology through a public education campaign. Had utilities made an effort to do this on their own, they might have been spared some of the ongoing resistance they’re seeing from consumers and public officials.

Smart about cities

On the Greenbang research front, we’re getting ready to roll out a new report on brand leadership in smart cities. Featuring the Greenbang Smart Matrix, our unique measure of capabilities and communication, this report examines the leading technology, infrastructure and services companies seeking to “own” the smart-cities space. Our analysis reveals some surprising insights into which firms are doing best at that so far, and why. Stay tuned for our release date.

Sign up as a member

If those kinds of insights are important to you and your organisation, you should consider signing up as a Greenbang member. Membership provides you with access to our research and analyst services focused on the smart-cities sphere. You can learn more about how it works here.

We’re also planning our next webinar, a look at the implications of the UK’s feed-in tariff scheme to be led by research analyst Raphael Raggatt. The webinar will delve into some of the findings revealed by Raph’s in-depth report on the feed-in tariff, which we released in January.

We’ll have plenty more news announcements coming in the weeks and months to come. Meanwhile, check out some of Greenbang’s latest thoughts about smart cities at our Insight section.

Thanks for reading Greenbang!

Shirley

(Senior research analyst)

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Smart cities:

Cities: Getting smarter, not brilliant yet

The challenge of creating a truly sustainable city is, to quote Winston Churchill, “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” So far …

http://www.greenbang.com/cities-getting-smarter-not-brilliant-yet_16507.html

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Energy:

Building-integrated PV: Its time has come

The use of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems has been around for a long time (16 years since the first commercial-scale system installed in the UK). However, innovation of …

http://www.greenbang.com/building-integrated-pv-its-time-has-come_16497.html

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Smart grid:

Time to make a better case for metering

Ongoing disputes in several US states indicate that the battle over smart meters is far from done. Fights are taking place over everything from …

http://www.greenbang.com/time-to-make-a-better-case-for-metering_16454.html

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Sustainability:

‘Market failure’ keeps economy brown

Can a green, smart and sustainable society also be one with a growing economy? The United Nations’ Environment Programme (UNEP) says …

http://www.greenbang.com/market-failure-keeps-economy-brown_16440.html

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