Silver Spring Networks

Smart grid VC funding has been “extremely weak”

Investments by venture capitalists into smart grid companies — or firms that are adding digital intelligence to the power grid — has remained “extremely weak” over at least the last three quarters, according to research firm the Mercom Capital Group.

Utilities embrace Green Button energy data project

Nine more utilities, and three large energy vendors, announced support on Thursday for the Green Button project, which enables utility customers to download their energy consumption data with a click of a button and also use that data for energy-saving apps.

Silver Spring raises $30M from Hitachi

While smart grid networking company Silver Spring Networks announced last week that it had partnered with Japanese giant Hitachi, more details of the financial deal are now public. According to a filing, Silver Spring has raised $30 million in an option and debt from Hitachi.

Sprint pushes its wireless network for smart grid

Not all cellular network traffic comes from our cell phones and gadgets; a growing amount will come from machines using these networks to communicate, including the utilities that provide you with power and water. Spring announced a host of new smart grid partnerships on Thursday.

Opower hires CFO, considering IPO down the road

Energy software startup Opower has hired a chief financial officer, Thomas Kramer, and is mulling over a potential IPO down the road. Kramer was previously the CFO at Cvent, and created the eCommerce strategy for Boston Consulting Group.

Looking for a big cleantech IPO in 2011? Forgetaboutit!

A massive selloff of stocks back in August raised the possibility of a closing IPO window for cleantech companies. But if you were hoping for a more uplifting prognosis since, then you’re out of luck — at least for the rest of the year.

Duke Energy embraces cellular for smart grid

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.

On the road to IPO, Silver Spring’s on an upswing

In an updated filing, smart grid company Silver Spring Networks reported its latest financial filings for the past six months ended June 30, 2011. The results show steady financial progress for Silver Spring Networks, which indicated its plans in July to go public.

Why Internet companies are abandoning home energy plans

Throughout 2009 and 2010, Internet companies like Microsoft, Google and even router giant Cisco launched experimental software and hardware to help building managers and home owners monitor and control their energy consumption. But now these firms are abandoning those plans. Why?

Cisco to ditch building and home energy management

Cisco plans to move away from selling its building and home energy management products, the router giant announced via blog post on Wednesday afternoon. The move follows both Microsoft’s and Google’s decisions to shut down their energy management software products.

Did the greentech IPO window just slam shut?

In the first half of 2011, a variety of cleantech firms both filed for IPOs and made their debuts on the public markets. But in the wake of the market sell-off this week, that IPO window could be swiftly shutting.

Ray Lane: Kleiner is not moving away from greentech

While there’s been a perception that Kleiner Perkins has moved away from greentech investing, Kleiner Partner Ray Lane told me in an interview that Kleiner is not pulling back and is expecting 6 to 8 IPOs out of its cleantech portfolio in the coming two years.

Smart Grid

Adding digital intelligence — software, computing, communication networks — to the power grid.

Silver Spring Networks IPO: What you need to know

Silver Spring Network’s IPO filing is basically the first time we’ve been able to get a peek under the hood of the nine-year-old company, which has been a leader in the smart grid network industry. Here’s what you need to know from Silver Spring Network’s S-1.

On-Ramp Wireless ramps up funds for smart grid

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.

The Evolution of Home Energy Management

Tendril Networks is finally seeing some of its dozens of utility pilots blossom into full-scale commercial deployments numbering in the millions of homes. But where does Tendril’s classic model of in-home devices linked to smart meters fit into today’s brave new world of home energy management?

Mapping the Move to ZigBee 2.0

Moving from the current wireless standard ZigBee to the next-generation ZigBee standard dubbed “Smart Energy Profile 2.0” is going to be a very big deal for utilities, and smart grid firms. Now we’ve got three months to map out the transition.

Making the Grid Smarter By Tagging It

Can the power grid get smarter without using additional communication networks, like cellular or radio frequency? As it turns out, yes, according to Power Tagging, which makes hardware, and software to help utilities monitor and keep tabs on the grid via the power line itself.

Silver Spring & Control4 Team Up For Smart Homes

Silver Spring Networks, which builds smart grid networks for utilities, today announced a reseller partnership with Control4, a startup that provides home automation gear and services. This deal between the two leaders in these spaces shows how the smart home sector is maturing.

Despite Hurdles, Smart Meters Still Ramping Up Fast

Despite some setbacks, the U.S. smart meter push is continuing at a stimulus-fueled pace. Pike Research reported Monday that more than 90 U.S. utilities have 57.9 million smart meters planned and on the way.That’s 7.9 million more than eMeter counted up.

The Future of the Smart Grid: Applications

With the smart grid focused conference GridWeek convening in Washington D.C. this week, you can expect a lotta noise about the latest products and plans from smart grid-minded firms. But look to one area to stand above the rest in terms of development and innovation: applications.

Well-Funded GridPoint Replaces Founding CEO

GridPoint has replaced founding CEO Peter Corsell with a veteran of the software and communications industries. The thrice-reincarnated smart grid startup has $220 million, tons of acquisitions and a lot to prove.

Smart Grid Woes Move to Illinois, ComEd

A state court has ruled that the IC was wrong to allow utility Commonwealth Edison to pass on certain costs to its customers, including the $5 million passed on to customers in 2008 for a smart grid pilot project now getting underway.

Meter Granddaddy Elster Seeks IPO

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.

Here Come the Open Smart Grid Software Players

Now that the smart grid appears to be settling around Internet Protocol and open standards, software developers are emerging and taking a crack at making applications that are interoperable over networks and can enhance the power grid — like smart grid software developer Grid2Home.

What IPV6 Really Means for the Smart Grid

The way that smart grid companies have been recently touting “IPV6,” you’d think the geeky numbering system was the next hot killer app. It’s not: praising IPV6 today is like a group of librarians in the 80s swooning over the Dewey Decimal system.

Cisco’s Smart Grid Plans For Arch Rock

There’s been plenty of digital ink spilled about Cisco’s purchase of Arch Rock, and its partnership with Itron. But there are other aspects to Cisco’s big smart meter push that bear some study, including the future of Arch Rock’s data center tech.

Cisco Buys Up Arch Rock for the Smart Grid

Cisco’s smart grid assault continues. This morning, the networking giant announced that it plans to acquire Arch Rock: a startup which has been selling wireless network products for data centers and buildings and announced its first smart grid wireless network product based on open standards.

Cisco & Itron Partner for Smart Grid A-Team

Networking giant Cisco and the largest smart meter maker Itron have teamed up to offer a serious smart grid force to be reckoned with. The companies say they have formed a “strategic alliance” whereby they will collaborate on smart grid network technology.

AT&T vs. Verizon, Smart Grid Edition

The battle over subscribers and market share between the two phone company giants AT&T and Verizon has now solidly moved onto the smart grid. The latest move from AT&T comes this morning with a partnership with smart grid firm Current Group.

Enter California's Smart Grid Task Force

You know a problem has gotten out of hand when there’s a task force created to address it. Today PG&E and partners announced the creation of the “Smart Grid Task Force” that will tackle an area that has been sorely needed for the smart grid: public education.

It's a WiMAX Smart Grid World In Australia

One of Australia’s first commercial-scale smart grid projects is moving forward, and it’s leaning heavily on the high-speed next-generation wireless standard WiMAX. Partners include GE, IBM, and WiMAX software provider Grid Net.

The Battle Over the Next-gen Open Smart Grid

Will the smart grid eventually follow the path of the Internet with truly open standards? Several up-and-coming companies are betting that the answer will be a resounding “yes” and are looking to sign up customers that see the vision of the open standards-based smart grid.

Clean Tech Sets Q1 VC Record: IPOs Await

Clean technology investment has kept up its recession-beating pace so far this year. Will the front-running startups in the field find an exit? The cleantech sector shows continuing momentum — and that’s just what longtime VC investors need.

Earth2Tech's 10 Greentech IPO Picks

There’s already 19 green IPOs on deck this year. Still more greentech firms have been rumored to be eying the public markets for some time. Here’s our 10 picks for which greentech startups could be next to file this year in the U.S.:

Google Rewrites Docs, Makes Them Quicker & Richer

Google today is unveiling a rewritten Google Docs, tweaked to present information in real time as well as to enable better syncing across browsers — the goal being to persuade CIOs that instead of upgrading to Microsoft Office 2010 they should switch to Google Docs.

10 Things Outta the Smart Grid World of DistribuTECH

Distributech, the once-sleepy power grid trade show, has been transformed into a high-profile smart grid showcase over the past couple of years — this year’s show in Tampa, Fla. is no exception. Here’s 10 things you should pay attention to coming outta Distributech this year.

The Daily Sprout

Silver Spring Networks Appoints CFO: Smart grid startup Silver Spring Networks today announced the appointment of Warren Jenson as Chief Financial Officer…

IBM Smartens Grid Down Under

Startups like GridPoint, eMeter and Silver Spring Networks are all pulling in funding to make the power grid smarter. But tech institutions,…

CDN Price Wars Dim Limelight

I have often alluded to the brutal price wars that are raging in the content delivery network business, driven largely by the…

The iPhone Site

Remember when computers didn’t have internet access? When it was fun to say “five and a quarter” or brag about having a…

Greed, Lies, and Broadband

Karl Bode: If you thought dirty tricks were reserved for presidential politics, you should try wiring your town with fiber optic cable.…

Vultures lurking over Adelphia

Adelphia Communications will soon go on the auction block, and will likely attract many buyers, according to this report. Apart from the…

08/04/2004 The VoIP Daily

PC magazine say VoIP finally worth a look. Alternatively, a story that makes advertiser quite happy. Painless VoIP set-up! No I am…