photovoltaics
A new $50 million US Department of Energy (DOE) program aims to “help the nation reclaim its competitive edge in solar manufacturing.” The SUNPATH (for “Scaling Up Nascent PV At Home”) program is the second solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing Initiative (PVMI) in the DOE’s SunShot initiative, which aims to reduce
smart metering
Energy control networking firm Echelon will work with Holley Metering Limited to develop advanced smart metering products for the massive China market. Holley Metering expects to ship 10 million meters into China and international markets this year. Under its agreement with Echelon, the two companies will collaborate to develop products
demand response
NorthWestern Energy, one of the largest providers of electricity and natural gas in the Upper Midwest and Northwest US, plans to enlist the cloud-based services of Tendril for its smart grid demonstration grant program. The utility aims to use Tendril Energize and Tendril Connect to engage with customers, enable energy
efficiency
A new smart-grid industry group aims to promote the benefits using distribution automation and smart meters to improve voltage conservation for utilities. The Smart Grid Voltage Conservation Alliance (SGVCA) is being launched by charter members Elster, Entergy, ABB and Survalent. Quanta Technologies will work with the alliance to help validate
metering
A rollout of smarter water meters is aimed at reducing waste in Delhi, the second-largest city in India. Working with Larsen & Toubro — India’s largest construction firm — metering company Itron plans to provide 250,000 residential water meters as part of an infrastructure upgrade project by the Delhi Jal
Better education and workforce training programs are vital to the successful deployment of a smarter energy grid, according to a new report from the GridWise Alliance. “The US Smart Grid Revolution: Smart Grid Workforce Trends 2011,” examines how the continued development and deployment of smart-grid technology affects the electric energy
networking
3e Technologies International (3eTI) is offering a new wireless platform to help federal and commercial building operators better control their systems to manage energy consumption. 3eTI’s EnergyGuard platform is based on a real-time energy monitoring and control system developed by the company that has helped to reduce energy consumption
renewables
A Colorado-based smart-grid company has received $2 million in federal stimulus funds to help continue to develop and market its software platform for utilities. Green Energy Corp. received the loan through the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office Revolving Loan Fund. The funding will provide working capital for Green Energy Corp
wind energy
In its largest power transmission order ever — worth around $1 billion — ABB will supply a power link for the Dutch-German transmission grid operator TenneT that will connect offshore North Sea wind farms to the German mainland grid. The project will deploy the world’s largest offshore HVDC (high-voltage direct current)
networking
Energy control networking company Echelon has obtained its 100th patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office. The newest patent applies to a method of constructing a communications transformer for high reliability in energy control network applications, and at significantly lower cost than previously possible. Echelon’s energy control networking
green buildings
Buildings throughout China could be made more energy efficient by taking a cue from some of the most innovative green building projects that have recently been developed in the country. In a new report, The Climate Group China identifies ways to boost energy efficiency through four case studies of green
home energy management
EnergyHub has launched a new software platform for utilities designed to help cut home energy consumption without reducing comfort. The Mercury cloud-based smart thermostat service targets utilities, cable and television service providers, home security companies and device manufacturers. The service uses advanced analytics and user interfaces to optimize thermostats and
