IBM

Keeping The Lights On: Data Overload And Its Impact On Storage In The Smart Grid

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Information is the lifeline of a businesses’ sustainability. With a rapidly changing business climate, evolution of technology, new policies and regulation as well as the emergence of new competitors, energy and utility firms are turning to data to create new business models – a model that incorporates past, current and future predictions. Not too long ago, the process of aggregating raw data was fairly logical and straightforward, however today, it is complex, costly and time consuming. As the growth of unstructured data continues to escalate, so too are the pressures for CIOs to gain better insight, confidently predict outcomes and take actions that stand out amongst a crowded marketplace.

The amount of data generated by the Smart Grid is astounding. For example, smart metering inevitably increases the amount of meter data utilities must handle – generating on average 50 bytes of data per hourly read. Additionally a synchrophasor– a phasor measurement unit that tracks electrical waves across the power grid to monitor the health of the system- takes readings sixty times a second. This adds up to four-hundred ninety-four megabytes a day, one-hundred seventy-six gigabytes of data a year per synchrophaser. Today there are a number of devices in addition to smart meters being used in the energy and utilities industry to collect data, including line default detectors, sagometers which generate 12 readings per hour at 50 bytes per read and storage devices such as batteries that produce 100 byte reads per hour. Together, these devices create an astronomical amount of data. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 7, 2011 at 10:30 AM

‘Everything Is Changing So Fast’

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Customers are dealing with information overload by turning to friends, family and social networks in energy as much as they are for every other decision set they face.

In an effort to understand how the industry’s engagement with its customers has changed and is set to change further, IBM took to the streets of New York City with a camera crew. The customers they interview in this video are a mere microcosm of the company’s massive global consumer survey conducted each year. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 26, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Europe’s Smart Grid Journey

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Once just a far-fetched idea, smart grid is now touching almost every country in Europe.

Though only a few European countries–Malta and Italy–have deployed a country-wide large scale smart grid, many utilities in Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scandinavia, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Cyprus and Israel are beginning to test the new technology and assess its potential for long term cost-savings, two IBM executives working in the continent told Breaking Energy. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 19, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Whole New Meaning For ‘Smart City’

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What if technology could tell you things you never knew?

IBM’s newest System Dynamics for Smarter Cities will use digital analytics software to predict the long-term outcomes of government policies and assess potential cascading and unexpected impacts. Portland city Mayor Sam Adams was the first to jump on the opportunity and will begin using the data for policy making, he announced to the city on Monday. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 9, 2011 at 10:10 AM

International Electricity Woes

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“Due to a temporary shortfall in generating capacity, some JPS customers may experience a disruption in their electricity supply today, Tuesday, July 19, 2011, up to 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.”

This was the warning from the Jamaican Public Service Company. It illustrates a problem that many developing countries are facing as electricity consumption grows faster than development of new generation. The strain is now increasingly being coupled with higher electricity prices as countries struggle to stay on top of loads. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 3, 2011 at 3:10 PM

The Top Ten Ways We Waste Energy And Water In Buildings

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Last week, one third of the country saw thermometers hit triple digits. Across the nation, air conditioners are cranking and sprinklers are chugging away as millions continue to seek relief from the summer heat.

While grateful for the welcome relief provided by utilities, many of us are increasingly mindful of the precious resources we are tapping. Just looking around at the buildings where we live and work, it is all too easy to identify ways we waste energy and water. In fact, it has been estimated that we throw away as much as 30-50% of the energy and water that flows into our buildings. Multiply that by the nearly 5 million buildings in the US alone and I’m sure you’ll agree we have a big opportunity to better conserve energy and water. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 26, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Looking To Past, Future For Heat Beating Methods

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Electric utilities and consumers are getting creative in their efforts to cut back electricity use as it spikes in response to an all-consuming heat wave that has spread across the country to settle across the heavily-populated Northeastern states.

Demand response programs, in which companies and consumers are asked to cut back on electricity use through established mechanisms like turning off extraneous lights or limiting elevator service, have already been in effect as the Northeast dealt with spiking power demand on July 21. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 22, 2011 at 11:45 AM
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