water
How can water utilities keep supplies flowing even when demand is at its highest? FreeWave Technologies and Rockwell Automation are banking on wireless communications and controls. FreeWave, which makes radios for critical data transmission, is teaming up with Rockwell Automation, to design and implement a comprehensive SCADA (supervisory control and
renewables
A new World Economic Forum report argues that scaling up renewables takes more more than public and private infrastructure: it also requires a more flexible regulatory framework and improvements in the electricity grid. “Developing Renewable Energy Capacity” was launched ahead of the coming World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape
energy storage
Utility companies have long been in the business of generating energy, but storing energy is another matter. We could soon start seeing that change, though, as electricity utilities begin rolling out a number of stimulus-funded energy storage projects across the US. With the growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions, increase
photovoltaics
Japanese solar-cell manufacturer Kyocera has supplied about 6 megawatts (MW) of multi-crystalline silicon solar modules for a large-scale solar power plant near Turin, Italy. It’s Kyocera’s largest installation in Italy, with 13,920 215-watt modules and 12,900 high-power 235-watt modules at the plant. Operated by Italian company,
feed in tariff
The Canadian province of Ontario is fast becoming one of the leading sustainable regions in North America, with the government now investing in a fund to give families and businesses more control over how and when they use electricity. The $50 million investment will support the growth and development of
smart metering
How do you grab a chunk of the smart-grid action if you don’t want to spend time building your market from the ground up? You buy a company that’s already done so, of course. That, according to a Reuters news report, is what GE appears to be considering.
energy storage
Here’s an encouraging development in the area of grid-based energy storage: Beacon Power is nudging closer toward construction of its second flywheel energy storage plant, now that it’s received approval from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to proceed to the second of three phases of Smart Grid
smart metering
Brazilian utility Light S.A. (Light) will deploy Elster’s advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) solution to help increase energy efficiency, conserve resources, give customers more control over services and enhance distribution to residents who currently don’t have electric service. Light, which serves the state of Rio de Janeiro, plans
smart buildings
Scientific Conservation Inc. (SCI), a building energy management firm based in San Francisco, has received more than $19 million in funding from GE and Triangle Peak Partners LP. GE’s investment follows its decision to choose SCI as one of its GE ecomagination Challenge winners for energy innovation. GE Capital
smart metering
Utility management technology provider Sensus has released a new transceiver designed to enable more flexible two-way communications for natural gas meters. The Sensus SmartPoint GM transceivers can be easily installed on existing residential, commercial or industrial meters, according to the company. The technology enables system-wide data collection and monitoring for
lighting
Some 30,000 street lights in France were equipped with Echelon’s energy control networking technology last year, helping communities to cut lighting-related energy use by up to 45 per cent, according to the company. The street lighting solution includes Echelon’s power line signaling technology for distributed control, Echelon
Most people don’t dispute that our electricity and water systems could be made far more efficient and modern, which explains why the smart-grid industry has taken off so quickly in the past year or so. But why is our infrastructure inefficient? More and more, the answer to that seems
