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.…
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Obama administration unveils programs to build the smart grid
As expected, at an event at the White House on Monday, Obama administration officials unveiled a slew of programs and initiatives that will aim to help add information technology to the power grid to make the grid more efficient and more secure.…
Read MoreLandis+Gyr — Anatomy of a Smart Meter Company for Sale
Landis+Gyr is on the auction block, and General Electric, Toshiba, Honeywell and ABB are rumored to be in the bidding. Why the interest? Whoever buys Landis+Gyr will be getting the company's extensive smart metering and distribution grid management technology to work with, and its extensive roster of moneymaking projects.…
Read MoreDigi’s Quiet Smart Grid Play: From the Network to the Cloud
Quiet smart grid player Digi International is already providing networking for some of the best-known names in the industry, and it’s aiming to move into the emerging world of cloud-based smart grid services and applications as well.…
Read MoreOpportunities and Challenges for Energy Market Deregulation
Deregulated energy markets, with companies competing with one another for customers, could be great places to test technologies and services to get customers engaged with their utilities. Whether that will lead to them saving energy at the same time is less clear, however.…
Read MoreToday in Cleantech
I’m wrapping up my visit to Houston for the Texas Electricity Professionals Association‘s fall conference, and thought I’d share some more information…
Read MoreThe State of Deregulation (Competition) in Power Markets
California’s grand experiment with power market deregulation ended with a bang in 2001, when Enron-engineered rolling blackouts. But in Texas, power market deregulation — or competition, as folks down here prefer to name it — is in full swing.…
Read MoreToday in Cleantech
What’s going on in the world of competitive electricity markets? To find out, I’ve come to Houston, where the Texas Electricity Professionals…
Read MoreWhy Texas is the Smart Meter Market to Watch
The Lone Star State may lag behind California in its number of smart meters deployed, but it’s taken a lead in regulations and funding. And those are just a couple items in a long list of reasons why, despite one or two cost barriers, Texas may emerge as the leader in smart meter deployment.…
Read MoreWhy Texas is the Smart Meter Market to Watch
When it comes to the future of smart meters, don’t look to California — set your eyes on Texas. The Lone Star State lags California in sheer numbers of meters deployed, but has taken a lead in supporting them with regulations and funding.…
Read MoreHow to Deal With: I’m Not Paying For That Smart Meter
In most states utilities raise electricity rates in order to pay for the installation of new gear like smart meters -- so consumers basically cover the cost of the upgrade. But some consumers and PUCs aren't so happy about those terms.…
Read MoreOpt-Out: The Biggest Little Words in Home Energy Management
What if the most successful home energy-saving technology ends up being the one people have to opt out of? Utilities can sign customers up for programs automatically, unless they actively choose not to join. Companies targeting the home energy management space should remember this powerful tool.…
Read MoreFinally Some Good News for Smart Meters: Texas Lawsuit Tossed
In a wave of bad news for smart meters this summer, finally some good news: A Texas Civil District Court judge dismissed a class action lawsuit against Oncor that accused the utility's new smart meters of overcharging customers.…
Read MoreToday in Cleantech
Good news for smart meters — a Texas state judge has dismissed a class action lawsuit against Oncor accusing the utility’s new…
Read MoreVimeo Now On iPhone, iPad and Roku
Vimeo is expanding the availability of its online video site with a new universal player that will work on iPhone and iPad mobile devices, as well as a channel on Roku broadband set-top boxes. The site is also adding a "Watch Later" feature to its player.…
Read MoreBaltimore's Smart Meter Project Is Back On Track
After weeks of testimony, Baltimore Gas & Electric has gotten itself back into the good graces of Maryland state regulators. The utility announced Monday that the Maryland PUC approved the redrawn project on Friday, meaning BG&E won't have to return a $200 million DOE stimulus grant.…
Read MoreToday in Cleantech
Baltimore Gas & Electric had some good news for smart meter boosters. The utility announced Monday (PDF) that state regulators have changed…
Read MoreToday in Cleantech
Here we go again. After getting shot down by the Maryland Public Service Commission, Baltimore Gas and Electric is resubmitting a plan…
Read MoreThree Tips from EcoFactor’s Smart Grid Playbook
It's imperative that smart grid firms start wooing consumers, and EcoFactor's consumer-friendly approach to monetizing its technology looks very promising. Here are three tips from the home energy management firm's playbook for other startups eyeing subscriptions.…
Read MoreIn the Heart of Texas, a Wind Power Transmission Snag
Nobody likes high-voltage transmission lines running through their backyards, not even in the energy-loving heart of Texas. Recently a group of landowners (the Heart of Texas Landowners Coalition) persuaded the state’s regulators to force utility Oncor to reroute a $100 million transmission line around their property.…
Read MoreGreen:Net: 5 Questions With IBM’s Smart Grid Exec Allan Schurr
Allan Schurr, Vice President of Strategy and Development for Energy & Utilities at IBM, has his finger on the pulse of IBM's efforts to tie together the various chaos of systems that will make up the smart grid.…
Read MoreSmart Thermostat Software Startup EcoFactor Raises $3.5M
When four-year-old EcoFactor, which makes software that intelligently manages connected thermostats, officially launched last November, a lot of folks took notice -- Apparently including investors. EcoFactor announced this morning that it has raised another $3.5 million from RockPort Capital Partners.…
Read MoreTexas Smart Meter Backlash Spits Out a Lawsuit
The fisticuffs over smart meters in Dallas, Tex. has morphed into a good ol' American lawsuit. The Dallas Morning News has been covering the story and reports that a couple filed a lawsuit on Friday accusing Texas utility Oncor of fraud.…
Read MoreIt's Come to This: Citizens Against Smart Meters
The backlash against the smart meters installed in Texas by utility Oncor doesn’t seem to be dying down. Actually the protesters are…
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