“Smart City” initiatives and technologies have already captured the imagination of the water industry. Slowly, they are starting to capture their investment dollars, too. Data sensors, smart metering and cloud-based analytics software offer water utilities unprecedented access to real-time information about consumption, system demand and pressure points, according to Jeff Neemann, Solution Lead for Smart… Keep reading →
Have you ever heard of a synchrophasor? It may sound like a word out of science fiction, but these mailbox-sized devices are already changing the electrical grid as we know it. The grid was born over a century ago, at a time when our needs were simpler and our demand much lower. More complex needs are… Keep reading →
At Tuesday’s New York Energy Week Smart Grid Roundtable discussion, experts from various perspectives talked about how smart metering and new data sources are changing power grid operations, customer engagement and revenue structures. Price signals are key to altering customer behavior with regard to energy consumption, but a smart meter alone may not be enough… Keep reading →
They just sit there most of the day and night, storehouses of electricity, doing nothing. So in an era of increasing renewable energy penetration, why not use electric vehicles and their batteries to help make way for more variable renewable energy? It’s an idea that’s been kicked around a lot, and now the Chinese are getting… Keep reading →
The electricity sector and its incumbent electricity companies are undergoing an unprecedented, challenging but nevertheless critical transformation – a transition towards a more climate-resilient, less carbon-intensive power system which ends up “closer to the customer”. The widespread penetration of renewable energy sources into the electricity supply mix along with a constant push for more innovative… Keep reading →
Courtesy of the team at Jones Oil
In its goal of pursuing statehood, the Islamic State became an oil state at the worst time. When international oil prices were trading closer to $100/bbl, it’s estimated that IS could have been making $6 million a day from black market oil sales. The oil price decline is altering the way IS conducts its business… Keep reading →
The smart grid has been slow to materialize for a combination of factors including investment challenges, but 2014 featured some important advances. “But these challenges also helped define the opportunities for companies, utilities and regulators working on building the next stage of smart grid — a “smart grid 2.0,” if you will. From building on… Keep reading →
Businesses that want to go green often worry about whether they can recoup the expense of adopting new technology. In many cases, green tech is very affordable. Your business could even save money by adopting some of the following technologies. Thin-Film Solar Cells Many businesses would like to disconnect from the grid so they can… Keep reading →
Making the power grid smarter and more efficient is becoming a necessity as aging infrastructure requires upgrading, distributed generation sources proliferate and utilities adjust business models to address climate change and other new realities. But when incorporating smart meters and other new technology into the power grid, it’s imperative these devices can “talk” to one… Keep reading →
