Duke Energy is turning to cellular networks as the backbone for its smart grid. The utility detailed the network plan in a white paper released earlier this month, and revealed one of the most aggressive uses of cellular networks by the utility industry in the U.S. Read more »
The undercover smart grid player Digi International is about to get a lot less undercover. On Wednesday, telco giant AT&T said it has partnered with Digi to offer home and building energy applications for the 13 million smart meters that connect to AT&T’s wireless network. Read more »
A wireless smart grid networking tech that is supposed to be able to reach many miles with little infrastructure and at a low price point, is ramping up funding. That would be startup On-Ramp Wireless, which has raised $11.5 million of a planned $15 million round. Read more »
The smart grid industry’s focus is now shifting to the true purpose of the smart grid movement: applications that will improve the efficiency, reliability and versatility of the electric grid. This report analyzes six key smart grid application trends that will help shape the industry landscape in the years to come: distribution automation, data analytics, demand response, carbon management, home energy management and electric vehicles. The applications that prevail in this new arena will define the smart grid experience for industrial, commercial and residential customers. Along the way, new business opportunities that arise from these applications will become available for the providers of software, systems, devices and services, and enhance customer awareness and control of energy consumption. Companies mentioned in this report include Echelon, Google, EnerNOC, ZigBee and Microsoft. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Is the greentech industry headed for a breakout year or is it retrenching for hard times to come? The first three months of 2011 provided evidence that could support both assertions, with a big rise in venture capital investment and a big drop-off in global energy financing. Solar power remained the largest green technology sector in terms of venture capital investment, while in the world of electric vehicles, GM’s Chevy Volt hybrid and Nissan’s all-electric Leaf — the first two mainstream plug-in vehicles — hit the showroom floors in significant numbers. Meanwhile the smart grid sector’s relative dearth of VC investment was more than made up for by the massive round of acquisitions. Companies mentioned in this report include NRG Energy, Microsoft, Silver Spring Networks, Tesla and BrightSource Energy. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The smart grid firm that has championed using cellular networks for utilities’ smart grid projects, SmartSynch, has raised another round of $25.67 million in debt and options out of a planned $33.37 million round, according to a filing Wednesday morning. Read more »
Could we see an apps store for smart meters take off in the future? SmartSynch, the company championing cellular smart meters, is trying it out with Qualcomm’s Brew MP operating platform. Read more »
Less than 1 percent of U.S. households now use prepay electric meters. But SmartSynch and PayGo want to make them as common as prepaid mobile phones. Read more »
Greentech marked its best year ever in 2010, and part of that is thanks to the wealth of activity across sectors during the fourth quarter. Global investment in clean energy surged, and while wind power remained the biggest greentech area, solar power saw the fastest growth. The energy efficiency sector appears to have more room for smaller players to make their mark amidst a rapidly maturing market. Meanwhile, China’s stance as a growing greentech giant continued to complicate its relationship with the United States. Companies mentioned in this report include General Electric, Intel, ZigBee, iControl, People Power and EnerNOC. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Grid Net, the smart grid software maker, has officially moved beyond the wireless standard WiMAX and this morning announced that its software now supports the 4G wireless standard LTE (Long Term Evolution), the dominate next-gen wireless standard embraced by U.S. telcos. Read more »
Smart grid trade show GridWeek is wrapping up in Washington D.C., but the hard work of integrating all the hardware and software on display has just begun. Read more »
Cell phone makers and carriers often like to tout their “green” accomplishments — like the bright green Reclaim phone partly made from bioplastic (yeah, that’s corn). But phone companies are also making some more serious moves. Here’s 10 ways that phone companies are going green. Read more »
Look out, smart meter startups with IPO dreams — the granddaddy of power metering is plugging into the public markets. Elster Group, the German electric, gas and water metering giant founded in 1848, announced this week that it was filing to go public. Read more »
Who’s trade marking smart grid terms, tag lines, and products? Read more »
While the debate between using public and private networks for utility smart grids rages on, here’s the perspective of Tropos’ co-founder: Most utility smart grid needs will be fulfilled by private networks, but there is still an important role for public cellular networks to play. Read more »
Last week we listed 10 reasons why utilities want to build their own smart grid networks. This week Stephen Johnston, the CEO of SmartSynch, lays out these 10 reasons why utilities want to use public (cellular) networks for smart grid deployments. Read more »
In the second quarter of 2010, greentech startups scored record venture capital and increased spending despite a weak economy. Solar power retained its lead in greentech venture financing, while global investment for clean energy asset financing fell. China, meanwhile, underscored its rising might in the greentech industry, raising billions of dollars in green energy financing. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
One of the first trials by a utility to use public wireless networks for the smart grid has now turned into a full-fledged deployment. Texas New Mexico Power plans to expand its smart grid project, which connects 10,000 smart meters via AT&T and SmartSynch, to 231,000 meters. Read more »
Sure, your company’s smart grid tech might be the slickest on the market, but don’t expect that to guarantee success in the industry. According to a report out this morning from Lux Research, which predicts the smart grid market will be a $16 billion opportunity by […] Read more »
One of the largest smart grid infrastructure players and one of the largest U.S. phone companies are linking up. AT&T and Silver Spring Networks, a 7-year-old company that sells smart grid networking gear to utilities, have announced a deal this morning by which Silver Spring will […] Read more »
The folks at MIMO are all excited about their two new USB-powered monitors that can add extra functionality to any system. The little screens are tailor-made for the netbook crowd as you can hook one of these puppies up and do a lot of things while […] Read more »
President Obama has called for the installation of 40 million smart meters and 3,000 miles of transmission lines. That means 2009 could be the year that we finally start seeing real attention being paid to “Power Grid 2.0” — basically turning the electrical grid of the […] Read more »
Microsoft has surprised a few folks with the release of Seadragon Mobile for the iPhone. Yes, it is only available for the iPhone which I’m sure surprised quite a few partners making Windows Mobile phones. Seadragon Mobile is a showcase for some amazing technology that allows […] Read more »
Two startups aiming to see utilities use public wireless networks, not proprietary ones, for smart grid deployments joined forces today. SmartSynch, a Jackson, Miss.-based company founded in 1998, said it has bought up Applied Mesh Technologies (or AppMesh), a two-year-old company based in Macon, Ga. The […] Read more »
Smart energy has become a household term, but smart energy technology still has a long road ahead before it actually reaches most U.S. households. However, the residential market is ripe with opportunities (and challenges) for both established and new technology innovators to revolutionize the ways in which we use energy. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Last August SmarthSynch CEO Stephen Johnston told us the company would likely be looking to raise more funds in 6-12 months. Right on schedule, his smart metering startup has raised $20 million in a round of funding led by a new huge investor, Credit Suisse. This […] Read more »
Adobe has announced a new version of Acrobat Connect Pro – their high-end web conferencing and eLearning solution. The tool (which you might remember in its original incarnation as Macromedia Breeze) is positioned for educational and medium-to-large business use. New features in this release include integration […] Read more »
Now that I have spent a little time using Office 2008 for the Mac I felt it only fair to share my brief impressions of the new office suite. I can’t only bash the parts I don’t like and not give Microsoft credit for the good […] Read more »
Well, whaddya know. After we asked, earlier this month, who watches TV shows online, research firms TNS and The Conference Board have piped in with an answer: Roughly sixteen percent of American Internet households watch TV broadcasts online. “Although online television viewing is still not a […] Read more »
Okay, so I’ve spent some time messin’ with the new Blackberry 7100t, and while it has some well-implemented features, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ll never own one. My biggest complaint? Why in hell would the benevolent folks from the north (read RIM) decide to […] Read more »
