Grid Net Announces Cisco Investment, accelerates market development

Grid Net, a global leader of real-time Smart Grid and Smart Home software platforms for utilities, their partners and their customers, announced that Cisco has made an equity investment in the company.

Grid Net intends to use the proceeds from this investment to promote its real-time, all-IP, secure, reliable, extensible, end-to-end Smart Grid network infrastructure solutions. In addition, the investment highlights the two companies’ shared vision of creating an energy infrastructure for the 21st century that is built on open standards and helps utilities scale for more effective, efficient electricity transmission and distribution.

The financing will be used to accelerate its cooperative efforts around product development, marketing, customer engagement, industry standards, and regulatory Smart Grid initiatives. Improved coordination and integration of advanced communications and smart grid networking technologies will foster solutions that remove the inherent risks and uncertainties associated with deploying single-vendor proprietary technologies.

Grid Net has built an ecosystem of partners that include GE, Intel, Motorola, Clearwire and others to develop and deploy market-leading Smart Grid solutions worldwide.

Earth Hour - Lights off for 1 hour

The World Wildlife Fund’s now annual Earth Hour campaign is great way for individuals to take a stand against climate change. Something as simple as switching your lights off for one hour can make a visual statement of your support for the global sustainability movement.

Last year’s event saw such world famous landmarks as the CN Tower in Toronto, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, and The Eiffel Tour flick the switch on their illumination, not to mention the millions of people across the world who did the same on a smaller scale.

Earth Hour 2010 takes place Saturday, March 27th at 8:30 p.m. your local time.

ZigBee and Wi-Fi Alliances to Collaborate on Smart Grid Wireless Networking

The ZigBee Alliance and the Wi-Fi Alliance announced an agreement to collaborate on wireless home area networks (HAN) for Smart Grid applications. The initial focus of the collaboration will be ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0, which is the next-generation energy management protocol for Smart Grid-enabled homes based on today's successful ZigBee Smart Energy Profile. The ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0 is expected to operate over Wi-Fi technology as a result of the collaboration.

The two organizations will identify opportunities to use ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0, capitalizing on the unique strengths and capabilities of their respective technologies. This will expand the utility of the HAN in the management of energy consuming or producing devices, a crucial part of Smart Grid efforts now underway. ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0 was selected last year by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as an initial interoperable standard for HAN devices.

For more information, click here.

Grid Net Welcomes Austin Energy CIO as new Chief Strategist

Grid Net, a global leader of real-time Smart Grid and Smart Home software platforms for utilities, their partners and their customers, announced the new appointment of Andres Carvallo as EVP and Chief Strategy Officer. Andres will work closely to help shape and drive the company’s product strategies, and will work with rest of the leadership team to propel the already rapid and successful establishment of Grid Net and its products and solutions into new customer engagements and markets. Andres will be responsible for the company’s branding, messaging, partnerships, marketing, commercialization, support and solutions efforts, worldwide.

Andres brings to Grid Net more than 24 years of experience in the energy, telecommunications, computer, and software industries. Having held executive management positions since 1992, he has been responsible for the successful development and commercialization of over 40 products, in companies ranging from start-ups to market leaders such as Philips Electronics, Digital Equipment Corporation, Borland, and Microsoft.

Most recently, Andres was the chief information officer at Austin Energy, the 9th largest public power utility in the nation providing low cost reliable power to the capital city of Texas, with annual revenues over $1.3 billion, servicing 410,000 premises representing approximately 43,000 businesses and 1.2 million consumers.

Andres was recently a keynote speaker at the SMART Energy Summit in Austin, Texas and the CONNECTIONS 2009 Conference in Santa Clara.

GE veteran takes over as new CEO of smart grid company

Smart grid company Trilliant has landed a new CEO – Andrew White, a 30-year veteran of General Electric who most recently headed GE's New Energy Ventures.

Trilliant recently announced that White was taking over the top job from former CEO Bill Vogel, who founded the company and will remain as a senior vice president of strategic development.

As a provider of communications gear for about 200 utilities including Ontario, Canada's Hydro One, Trilliant is among a number of companies helping utilities network millions of smart meters being deployed across the continent.

Trilliant also makes hardware and software for managing in-home energy usage, a business that could see a lot of competition from startups including Tendril Networks, Energate and Onzo, as well as potential competition from major appliance and building automation control giants.

Trilliant makes communications gear that goes inside smart meters made by other companies – which means that it has a business relationship with GE, as well as other smart meter makers like Itron, Landis+Gyr and Sensus.

To view the full article, click here.

Consumers growing more aware of Energy Consumption

One key finding from Parks Associates energy research is that consumers are growing more aware about their energy consumption. Eighty percent of U.S. households are interested in learning more about how to cut their energy costs (although this interest does not equal a desire or need to learn about smart grids, which will be discussed later). Over one-half already have a programmable thermostat, meaning the majority of U.S. households have at least one energy-saving device in their home.

If current utility plans come to full fruition, U.S. households will soon have many more energy-saving options through AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) deployments. Utilities have deployed over 13 million smart meters, with plans to install 50 million more over the next five years. Predictably, other firms are eyeing this space for new market opportunities, hoping to build off this new bedrock technology and create more avenues for service and product opportunities in the home.

Click here to sign up to read Parks Associates Home Systems Newsletter.

U.S. Electronic Systems Contractors optimistic about business prospects in 2010

On average, U.S. home systems integrators, who have had revenues fall for the past two years, expect sales to pick up by more than 9% in 2010 over 2009, according to Home Systems: Channel and Consumer Monitor.

This report includes results of a fourth-quarter 2009 survey of integrators installing home controls, entertainment systems, and energy management solutions, conducted as a joint effort from international research firm Parks Associates and the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA).

Home Systems: Channel and Consumer Monitor reports that integrators continue to generate two-thirds of their revenue from A/V systems but many integrators plan to diversity in 2010 by adding lighting controls and solar panels to their 2010 offerings. Approximately 40% of integrators plan to begin installing photovoltaic solar panels, and another 38% are seeking more information on this product category to determine its viability. In addition, the trend toward more retrofit projects, which accounted for 63% of 2009 revenues, will continue.

Visit www.parksassociates.com for more information on Home Systems: Channel and Consumer Monitor.