Siemens Industry Inc., Atlanta, signed an agreement to acquire all of the stock of eMeter Corp., San Mateo, Calif., a provider of smart grid software for electric, gas and water utilities. The company will be part of the Smart Grid Division of the Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Sector. eMeter recently announced a distribution agreement with HD Supply Utilities, Atlanta.
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Archive for the ‘Smart Grid’ Category
Siemens to acquire provider of smart grid software
HD Supply inks deal to sell smart meters
eMeter, San Mateo, Calif., a developer of smart grid management software, and HD Supply Utilities, Atlanta, will work together to market eMeter’s Smart Grid Appliance as a component of HD Supply Utilities’ GridAdvance, an integrated, end-to-end smart grid solution. The Smart Grid Appliance brings smart meter data management solutions to meet business and regulatory demands of utility customers.
In a press statement announcing the agreement, Lisa Caswell, worldwide V.P. of alliances for eMeter said, “By combining eMeter’s expertise in meter data management software and HD Supply Utilities’ extensive relationships with North American utilities, eMeter can further support the growing demand for smart energy services. We’re excited to work with HD Supply Utilities and demonstrate how smart meter data management can be seamlessly integrated with utilities’ existing Smart Grid infrastructure.”
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5 million smart meters now feeding information to utility grid
The Department of Energy recently reported more than five million smart meters have been installed nationwide as part of American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-funded efforts to accelerate modernization of the nation’s electric grid. “To compete in the global economy, we need a modern electricity grid,” said DOE Secretary Chu. “An upgraded electricity grid will give consumers choices and promote energy savings, increase energy efficiency, and foster the growth of renewable energy resources.”
Nearly 90 percent of the meters installed to date are in Florida, Texas, California, Idaho, Arizona, Oklahoma, Michigan and Nevada. Two of the biggest ARRA funding recipients were Florida Power & Light Co., Miami, which received $200 million to deploy 1.8 million smart meters, and CenterPoint Energy, Houston, which received $200 million in ARRA funding for a fully integrated advanced metering system and Web portal access to over 2.2 million customers and installation of advanced monitoring and distribution automation equipment.
Eaton receives fed grant to develop microgrid for U.S. military bases
Eaton Corp., Cleveland, will receive a $2.4 million federal stimulus grant to develop a microgrid to help military bases better manage power and storage while reducing their carbon footprints. The project is intended to achieve an uninterrupted power supply, independent of commercial utility power, for critical mission and support functions on military bases. The first year of the 18-month project, administered through the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), will focus on research and development activities at Georgia Tech University, the University of Wisconsin and Eaton’s Innovation Centers in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. Eaton and the university research teams will also demonstrate how the new system can operate independent of a civilian grid while balancing the use of solar, wind and natural gas backup power, and storing energy for future needs. The final six months of the project will focus on research and development activities and a demonstration project at Fort Sill, Okla. According to the 2009 Defense Department Appropriations Act, U.S. military installations consumed 3.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2008, enough to power 350,000 households and spent $4.1 billion on energy and fuel.
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Just Say No…To Smart Meters?
According to this New York Times article, some California residents are protesting the use of wireless smart meters because of concerns about how Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) uses that information and health concerns. According to that article, “The health concerns about the smart meters focus on the phenomenon known as “electromagnetic hypersensitivity,” or E.H.S., in which people claim that radiation from cellphones, WiFi systems or smart meters causes them to suffer dizziness, fatigue, headaches, sleeplessness or heart palpitations.”
GE Energy Services Acquires Metering Company for UK Market
GE Energy Services, Atlanta, has acquired Remote Energy Monitoring, Ltd. with operations in the United Kingdom and Australia. This acquisition enhances GE’s ability to address the European Union’s goals for a lower-emission, higher efficiency energy infrastructure. Remote Energy Monitoring’s software and hardware technologies allow consumers and utilities to better monitor and manage their energy usage. The modular design of their solutions makes them field upgradeable, enabling utilities to integrate new capabilities in the future without the time and expense of switching out meters.
“Advanced software, flexible systems and robust communications are critical elements in modernizing our infrastructure to meet the world’s energy needs,” said Bob Gilligan, vice president—digital energy for GE Energy Services. “The accelerating pace of change of the energy industry demands flexible, cost-effective solutions that can be modified to meet the changing needs.” Details
GE to Market Home of the Future at CES Electronics Show in Vegas
GE is promoting its portfolio of energy-saving products for the home at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. On display will be the company’s smart meters, energy-efficient lighting, electric vehicle charging station and a small, residential wind turbine. Details
Rexel’s Nedco to sell Lumismart lighting controller throughout Canada
Bright Negawatts Inc., Toronto, a manufacturer of energy efficiency, conservation and demand management products and solutions, announced an agreement with Nedco, a division of Rexel Canada Electrical Inc., to be the national distributor of the Lumismart ILC (Intelligent Lighting Controller) in Canada.
The Lumismart ILC, developed by Toronto-based Cavet Technologies, is a Smart Grid-enabled lighting controller that provides microprocessor-driven adaptive control of lighting circuits to reduce power consumption by at least 30% without replacing any existing lamps, ballasts or fixtures. Following 12 years of development, the Lumismart ILC received Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certification this week. Details
Siemens adds EV chargers to smart grid efforts
Siemens Energy, Inc., Orlando, Fla., has launched a new line of EV charging stations, including systems for residential, public and commercial applications. The units include integration into the Smart Grid and will be handled with Siemens’ other smart grid offerings.
“The easy-to-use stations provide multiple power options, integrated aesthetics and ergonomics with ruggedized construction,” the company said. Siemens’ UL listed electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) line includes wall-mountable, community multi-level and community multi-level II models. The company’s wall-mountable charging station is a 7.2-kW single-output station designed for residential and light commercial applications. Siemens’ public outdoor charging stations will be available in single Level II and multi-level designs. The multi-level charging stations incorporate a dual power output configuration, allowing both Level I and Level II outputs to deliver energy simultaneously.
Siemens’ EV charging stations will integrate Coulomb Technologies’ ChargePoint Network, which includes 24/7 driver assistance, the ability to locate a charging station from any smart phone, the ability to detect charging station availability from a smart phone or Google Maps, EV trip mapping and driver billing. Further, the ChargePoint Network provides Siemens charging station owners remote management, flexible billing, fleet management, maintenance and other on-demand software applications.
In addition to the charging stations, Siemens provides integration of EVs into the utility grid with advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), load shifting through demand response (DR) programs, and the addition of generation capacity to handle widespread EV adoption – giving consumers options while avoiding service disruptions. Details
HD Supply adds new vendor to bolster its suite of smart-grid solutions
Sequentric Energy Systems, LLC, Wilmington, N.C., inked a deal with HD Supply Utilities, Atlanta, the largest distributor of utility products in North America, to distribute its Sequentric Energy Systems product line, which provides two-way communication between the electric utility and a homeowner’s electrical loads, such as appliance, electronics, HVAC system and electric-vehicle charging system.
Sequentric said in a press release that its Internet Protocol-based products and software systems provide electric utilities with a wide range of proven, cost-efficient smart grid options. By enabling demand, consumption and information management with a variety of control and storage innovations, Sequentric’s technology empowers a utility company to create custom network-based smart grid solutions that can benefit the utility as well as its customers.
The press release also said Sequentric products will be an integral part of HD Supply Utilities’ smart grid technology solution suite, which includes hardware, software and services comprising total, end-to-end demand response solutions, from generation source to in-home smart appliances.
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