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While relatively new, the smart water market is growing as a "similar and parallel market" to the smart grid segment of the electric utility industry – and significant investments in smart water solutions are expected over the next five years. A new report from IDC Energy Insights predicts worldwide utility industry spending on smart water solutions will be $3.3 billion by 2016, reflecting a growth rate of 18.7%. Those smart water solutions are technology-based approaches to help water utilities cut water losses, improve water conservation, deal with aging infrastructure, automate water quality monitoring and more – all very much like the smart grid solutions for the electric utility industry. The investments addressed in the report include IT, smart meters and sensors, communications, data management, analytics and associated services and software. "Water utilities and technology vendors alike must understand the dynamics of the smart water market to be successful in achieving their goals," stated Rick Nicholson, group vice president, IDC Energy Insights. Click headline to read more--
In the last 11 years, much progress was made in Nigeria in the area of voice telephony leading to over 105 million active lines, emergence of four active Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) networks, several Unified Access Service Licence (UASL) operators and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operators. Despite Nigeria’s success achieved with voice telephony, the country performed below expectation in the area of broadband. Recently President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated a Presidential Committee on Broadband Development to come up with a proactive broadband development roadmap that would see Nigeria emerge a digital economy in the next few years by developing critical infrastructures, local content capabilities and capitalise on the country’s abundant intellectual resources in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) field. Click headline to read more--
From energy traffic light systems to fridges that can track our BMI, technology is transforming the way we connect to our homes. British Gas is leading the way in the journey towards a Smart Energy Future with a range of revolutionary new products. Click headline to read more--
As smart metering deployments continue to grow, one of the distinguishing characteristics of projects has been the choice of AMI communications provider. Shipment information from the Q1 GTM Scott AMI Market Tracker shows Silver Spring Networks, Itron and Sensus dominating the AMI communications market. From the perspective of meter hardware, the market is controlled primarily by Landis+Gyr, GE, Itron, Sensus and Elster. As noted in our previous report, The Smart Grid in Europe: 2012-2016, the radial structure of the North American electrical grid, as well as less stringent wireless communications standards, have made radio frequency (RF) communications the preferred choice in North America, in contrast to Europe, where power line carrier (PLC) is more ubiquitous. It comes as no surprise that the three vendors that have shipped the greatest number of communication cards, both cumulatively and in Q1 2012, have relied on wireless RF technology, with Silver Spring and Itron utilizing a mesh topology over public spectrum and Sensus employing a point-to-multipoint architecture on a licensed spectrum. PLC-based solutions have gained limited traction in the United States, with Aclara and Landis+Gyr accounting for the majority of the limited market, though Duke Energy had maintained a contract with Echelon until October 2011. Click headline to read more and access hot links--
British Gas is to recruit 1,000 new workers over the next two years under a programme to roll out "smart" technologies across the country. The new workers will undertake the firm's apprenticeship training programme before joining the 1,200 field-based staff already working on energy efficiency schemes. The recruits will help replace meters with ones which give information on energy use in homes and businesses. British Gas managing director Phil Bentley said: "Today, more than ever, Britain needs investment from strong, innovative companies like British Gas in jobs, technology and new skills. "The British Gas apprenticeship programme for Smart Energy Experts shows our commitment to growing the green economy. "Our customers will see the benefits too. Every one of our Smart Energy Experts is focused on helping our customers improve their energy efficiency and save money." Click headline to read more--
LeafLink is a smart phone app which enables you to control your Nissan Leaf in multiple ways. It enables you to control the A/C so it can cool shortly before you go out to get in it (so that you are not burnt by scorching summer heat). You can also turn on the heater before going out to the Leaf so that you don’t have to sit in the cold. LeafLink also enables users to start the charging process or set a charger timer remotely. It also tells you the driving range with or without the air conditioner on, as well as the state of charge (often called SOC). One benefit of the charge timer is that it enables users to take advantage of TOU (time-of-use) electricity pricing. Electricity is sometimes cheaper at night in the United States, so the Leaf can be programmed to charge at least every night during what are called off-peak hours. Click headline to read more--
We worry about electric cars the way Woody Allen worries about death. Nearly everything seems like a threat: their expensive batteries, excessive weight, and, scariest of all, their potential to leave us stranded somewhere we don’t want to be. But let’s not leave all the anxiety to electric car owners. The rest of us need to start worrying about what will happen if enough people buy these things and try to charge them at the same time: The blackouts will start rolling faster than a Tesla at the race track. While no one can argue that electric cars have the potential to do a lot of good for the air and the planet, they also push utilities toward a reckoning with the so-called smart grid. Electric grids as we know them today -- many of which are already stretched to the limit -- simply are not designed to handle the load. As more governments encourage the use of electric cars through mandates, tax breaks, and other mechanisms, utilities will need to figure out how to deliver power to those cars reliably and efficiently -- without cutting further into already razor-thin profit margins. Not an easy task when you consider that the utilities will need to do more than put power through a wire; they must also service (and perhaps create) an electric version of the gas station network that has been in place for 100 years. Click headline to read more and access hot links--
A small British company appears poised to solve the global warming and energy crises with a machine that makes gasoline out of water vapor and carbon dioxide snatched from the air. It sounds too good to be true, but over the last two months, a small refinery operated by Air Fuel Synthesis produced just over a gallon of petrol that can be dumped into existing engines. Within two years, the company hopes to build a larger plant that can generate a ton of gasoline per day. The technology could conceivably enable any country that uses it to become energy independent. Communities that have abundant sources of renewable energy, such as solar, wind or wave power, but few means to store it, would be able to use such a refinery to preserve the energy in a liquid form. Peter Harrison, the company’s chief executive, said the gasoline doesn’t have “any of the additives and nasty bits found in conventional petrol.” Harrison aims to produce the fuel on a “refinery-scale” within 15 years. Click headline to read more--
Malaysia is set to gain potential market for technology-based goods from Egypt’s growing economy and access to the northern African markets through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) and Egypt Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT). According to a press release, bilateral and potential multilateral cooperation would also create new markets and economic groupings that would benefit both parties. “This collaboration is part of MTDC’s international initiative, to promote cooperation on technology transfer and commercialisation with several countries especially from the OIC,” MTDC chief executive officer (CEO) Norhalim Yunus commented at a luncheon organised by MTDC. The collaboration would benefit both parties as Egypt, which was still relatively new in the technology-business ecosystem, and MTDC’s experience in managing commercialisation funds, technology ventures and several technology centres, would open up opportunities to explore new developmental stages of the technology business said ASRT president and assistant Minister of Scientific Research of Egypt, Professor Maged Al-Sherbiny. Besides opening up opportunities to explore the technology business, the collaboration would benefit both countries in enhancing the capacity of relevant agencies to implement and manage technology development and commercialisation programmes. Click headline to read more--
Toyota is going hydrogen for its California campus. This week Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) activated a new 1.1-megawatt hydrogen fuel cell generator at its Torrance headquarters campus. The fuel cell will supply approximately half of the electricity for six headquarter buildings during peak demand, while producing zero emissions. Designed and built by Ballard Power Systems, the proprietary Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) stationary fuel cell is, according to Toyota, the largest PEM fuel cell of its kind. The fuel cell is powered by hydrogen gas fed directly from a pre-existing industrial hydrogen pipeline, also a first for this technology. This direct power source allows Toyota to reduce utility grid electricity usage during peak power demand. The same hydrogen pipeline also supplies a hydrogen filling station adjacent to the TMS campus used to fuel Toyota’s and other manufacturers fuel cell hybrid vehicle fleets. “Supporting alternative energy sources like hydrogen supports Toyota’s overarching commitment to lessen our impact on the environment and drive forward innovative technology,” said Bob Daly, TMS senior vice president. “Not only will this new hydrogen fuel cell generator reduce the environmental footprint of our headquarters campus, but it showcases the power and potential of hydrogen as a fuel source.” Click headline to read more--
Science Applications International Corp. has won a 10-year contract from United Power to provide advanced metering infrastructure solutions for a 10,000 meter pilot project and to implement the SAIC Smart Grid as a service offering, according to an SAIC statement. “SGS will provide the direct advantage of on-demand meter reads, as well as improved billing accuracy and more detailed outage information, and the capability for United Power to offer customers a web portal to view and manage energy consumption,” said SAIC Senior Vice President of Smart Grid, Kenneth Stewart. SAIC began building the infrastructure in July. Once operational, the SGS will provide advanced metering infrastructure for on-demand meter reads as well as improved billing and outage alerts for more detailed outage information. The service will also enable United Power to offer customers a web portal to view and manage energy consumption. Click headline to read more--
The electric and plug-in hybrid car industry is learning the lesson of the mobile phone makers. Instead of allowing a plethora of incompatible charging plugs to sprout up, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International hopes to forestall confusion by settling on one charging plug design for North America. SAE has selected the J1772 combo plug as the standard, which uses paired couplers to allow for both AC and DC charging using the same plug. Published this week, the SAE International decision marks the first official charging standard for North American cars. According to SAE, it was the result of consultation with 190 “global experts” from the automotive, charging equipment, utilities industries and national laboratories. Click headline to read more and view pix--
Honeywell International Inc. (HON), a U.S. maker of thermostats and electronic controls, cut peak power use in buildings by as much as 36 percent during a U.K. trial of “smart” energy-saving equipment in a network run by SSE Plc. (SSE) The kit, installed in three buildings in Bracknell, southern England, helps reduce electricity use by dimming or switching off lights and heating when they’re not in use, Scott Petersen, Honeywell’s business development director for smart grids in Europe, said today in a phone interview. Utilities are seeking ways to curb demand for electricity at peak times when the U.K. grid is stretched to capacity. Smart technologies, such as meters that monitor usage and voltage- control equipment to prevent power surges, may help cut costs as the government calls for 110 billion pounds ($176 billion) to upgrade generating plants and distribution networks by 2020. “It doesn’t make sense to keep installing larger grid assets which are oversized for demand for 80 percent of the time and you only need for 20 percent of the time,” Petersen said. “We’re looking to avoid that and prove you can use a more simple solution that’s a fifth of the cost and defer that investment by a number of years.” Click headline to read more--
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The government’s massive infrastructure drive has gone from simple planning to the first stages of implementation, but help is needed in getting some of the projects going, delegates to the Presidential Infrastructure Investment Conference heard on Friday. President Jacob Zuma said the government was developing an Infrastructure Development Act to boost its work in implementing the 18 strategic infrastructure projects identified by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission (PICC). “We are reallocating and aligning scarce funds to the build programme,” said Mr Zuma. “(We) are also seeking innovative funding mechanisms to address the full package of projects.” Mr Zuma warned that infrastructure on the scale needed to transform the economy will “not come cheap”. “The cost of the strategic infrastructure projects (SIPs) is estimated at about R4-trillion over the next 15 years. Some of this cost includes projects that the private sector will need to pay for, such as industrial projects connected to infrastructure.” This marks a change from Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s cost estimate of R3.2-trillion earlier this year. Mr Zuma said the government will invest about R844bn in the programme in the next three years. Click headline to read more--
Participants of the latest edition of GITEX, the Middle East's leading consumer computer and electronics trade show, were highly impressed by Abu Dhabi's ongoing efforts to transform itself into a digital society. The Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre (ADSIC), the government entity overseeing the emirate's ICT agenda, was commended for implementing strategic ICT programs that support good governance, enhance public services and overall welfare, and fuel economic and commercial growth. Marking its appearance at GITEX, ADSIC conducted presentations on four of its core e-service initiatives, namely the Abudhabi.ae e-Government Portal; the 24-hour Abu Dhabi Government Contact Centre (800 555); the Jobs Abu Dhabi website; and the Abu Dhabi Spatial Data Infrastructure (AD-SDI) program. ADSIC explained that as a business gateway to the ICT sector of the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MEASA) Region, GITEX is an important platform to learn about the latest ICT developments, network with potential technology partners, and expose the Centre's personnel to technological advancements and best practices. Moreover, ADSIC regarded GITEX as an ideal channel to showcase Abu Dhabi's full commitment to ICT-powered development and growth. Click headline to read more--
As part of an eight-year $20 million investment created for utilities attempting to justify the cost of their smart grid projects, Australia-based wide area sensor network developer TPX Energy has unveiled a platform that it is calling a "smart grid/smart cities ecosystem that unlocks proprietary AMI networks." The company explains that the TPX Gateway bolt-on technology will let utilities build hybrid AMI that utilize excess AMI capacity to deliver unlimited distribution automation and smart cities services. The AMI to DA gateway allows utilities to install virtually any radio frequency metering communication module with a standard serial, RS232, RS485 connection to securely extend their mesh, WiFi, WiMax, wireless M-Bus and cellular AMI networks, according to TPX. In addition, the company says that the platform offers 35 services ranging from crisis management and risk routing to mapping simulation of forest fires, floods and tsunamis months in advance or in real time. The services can be further expanded into water, transportation and gas asset management.
As one might expect, twists and turns in the A123 Systems bankruptcy and sale have yet to play out, and these appear to include Chapter 11 might just have made the company more desirable. This was portrayed today by the president of Wanxiang Group Corp.’s U.S. operations to Automotive News who said it may still want to buy A123 and bankruptcy protection eliminates certain legal risks it had already sought to insulate itself from in previous negotiations. The Chinese company’s U.S. head gave brief commentary on U.S. politics and said also it may still pursue its purchase despite a deal announced Tuesday to sell to Johnson Controls, Inc. “Bankruptcy court is like a filter that lets a dirty big boy covered with mud go through it and turn himself into a clean boy,” Ni said to Automotive News. “Even though the boy may become smaller, he doesn’t have the obligations he used to have.” Click headline to read more--
Low-carbon economy is a low power consumption, low emission-based economic model, but they are heavy crusher industries, especially the production scale of China’s crushing machine to medium and small enterprises, technology behind the cause of the low labor productivity, energy high consumption, pollution, low cut-throat competition and a series of problems, it has also become a problem in China in a very long time in the crusher industry is a major problem. Low-carbon age is a new era of social progress, crusher including cone crusher industry to change the mode of development, independent innovation and structural adjustment, the crusher industry into a resource-saving and environment-friendly industry. Low-carbon economy refers to the concept of sustainable development under the guidance through technical innovation, system innovation, industrial restructuring, new energy development and other means to minimize energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, achieve economic and social development and ecological environment protection a win-win economic development patterns. So as a traditional industry crusher industry, how to adapt to the development of new low carbon era situation? Click headline to read more--
For the couple hundred lucky Model S owners out there, you can now start charging up at Tesla’s first six Superchargers in California for free. These puppies are now live — in Folsom, Gilroy, Tejon Ranch, Barstow, Coalinga and Hawthorne — and Tesla held ribbon cutting ceremonies at some of them on Friday afternoon. Last month Tesla announced that it had kicked off its plan to offer free fast charging (30 minutes) at select locations throughout the U.S. The Superchargers are powered by solar technology, developed by solar installer SolarCity (Tesla CEO Elon Musk also is an investor and the Chairman of SolarCity). The chargers will enable Model S owners to drive from San Francisco to L.A., or the Bay Area to Tahoe, just stopping once to charge for 30 minutes. Click headline to read more--
“As the world is passing through a revolution in information and communication technology, the federal government is widening up broadband penetration across the country”, Nigeria’s Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo made the disclosure on Tuesday, October 16, 2012, while addressing stakeholders at the Forum Opening Conversation of the ongoing International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Telecom World Forum 2012, holding in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Mohammed Sambo, while speaking on behalf of the Nigerian President stressed that for the real sector to function efficiently as well as prosper, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure must be available, adding that the federal government has successfully launched the NigComSat–1R Satellite – a hybrid satellite for broadcast, telecommunications and navigational services with footprints in over thirty – five African countries, parts of Europe and parts of Asia in 2012. He added that the satellite system would be used to accelerate broadband penetration to difficult terrains and provide improved speed and quality of service. The Vice President further said that in agreement with the national policy on ICT, Nigeria is set to harness the potentials of the ICT industry and has made broadband a priority policy. He explained that the Government of Nigeria is committed to achieving this objective, saying like many other governments, it is convinced by the fact that broadband appliance extends into many areas like health, education, finance, trade, governance and security. Click headline to read more--
Smart grid and meter applications in Europe are having to compete with other services for radio frequencies, raising questions over grid stability and value for money. All wireless technologies transmit and receive information across airwaves known as the radio spectrum, an increasingly crowded resource essential for services from mobile phones to wireless internet and TV and radio broadcasting. Utilities are installing smart meters to help to manage peak power demand, while smart grid services are being expanded to enable real-time monitoring and automated remote control. Some of that communication will be across fixed wires, including power lines; the rest will be wireless. To do this, utilities argue that they should be allocated free dedicated spectrum. As things stand, frequencies can be reserved for particular applications through competitive auctions of exclusive licences, or there is the option of regulated, unlicensed use. So far, smart energy operators have chosen between purchasing licences or using unlicensed wavelengths in an ad hoc approach. The European Commission estimates the spectrum's annual value at 200 billion euros ($259 billion) or more in Europe, leading some grid operators and utilities to argue that they cannot compete with mobile phone companies to acquire licences. They say that doing so would involve passing on heavy costs to energy consumers. Click headline to read more--
Who's inking smart grid contracts? Who's winning VC money? Who's getting shout-outs for milestones and innovations? This week's list of smart grid winners has all that and more. Scroll down and onto page 2 to see for yourself. Click headline to read more--
A team of elephant researchers from Stanford University has transformed a remote corner of southern Africa into a high-tech field camp run entirely on sunlight. The seasonal solar-powered research camp gives scientists a rare opportunity to quietly observe, videotape and photograph wild elephants at Mushara waterhole, an isolated oasis in Etosha National Park in Namibia. "One of the really special aspects of solar energy is that it allows us to be in this incredibly remote area that's closed to tourists and is off the grid," said lead researcher Caitlin O'Connell-Rodwell, an instructor at the Stanford School of Medicine and a collaborating scientist at Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology. She is also co-founder of Utopia Scientific, a non-profit organization that promotes awareness about science, conservation and public health. "We get to watch elephant society unfold before us in a very quiet environment -- no generators, no people, no vehicles," she added. Click headline to read more--
The Onion kicked off its first spoof of the TED Talks in its new series Onion Talks, and the subject is one that cleantech watchers will know dearly: cars that run on compost. If I saw this talk at a cleantech or sustainability conference, I would think it was real. Seriously. It’s so subtle. All cleantech entrepreneurs and investors out there should watch it. Click headline to read more and watch the video--
Canadian consumers clearly want to be engaged with smart grids – but they want to know more about what value these technologies can deliver, a new survey from SmartGrid Canada and the Independent Electricity System Operator has found. The favorability levels for smart grids and smart homes among respondents were 68 percent and 69 percent respectively. However, only 27 percent indicated they had at minimum a basic knowledge of smart grids and 40 percent claimed they had at least some understanding of smart homes. The online survey was conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion, a VisionCritical Practice, in English and French, with responses collected from more than 2,000 Canadians in September, 2012. According to the survey Canadian awareness levels of smart meters are higher than those in the U.S., which can be attributed largely to the large scale smart meter deployments in Ontario and British Columbia. Further, 72 percent of Ontarians indicated they have changed their energy use in response to time-of-use rates, with a slighter lower percentage (69 per cent) believing that these efforts are having an impact on their bills. However, only 17 percent of Canadians outside of Ontario indicated they would like to make the switch to time-of-use rates, but more than half were interested in learning more about variable pricing options. Click headline to read more--
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