Control4, NV Energy to begin EMS rollout in June

The first real-world smart grid rollout of home energy management systems will take place this year in Nevada, according to home control company Control4.

Control4 will provide Nevada’s NV Energy with 20,000 of its EMS 100 energy management systems, which consist of a 5-inch EC-100 touchscreen display and a WT-100 wireless thermostat. The rollouts will begin in June 2011, likely in southern Nevada, and continue through 2012.

NV Energy customers voluntarily participating in NV Energy’s programs will be able to access and use the data collected by smart meters to wisely manage energy in their homes. The EC-100 energy controller’s color touchscreen interface will provide up-to-the-minute feedback on their electricity consumption and costs. The system will analyze their electricity usage and accommodate additional energy management applications and load controllers on their home area network.

According to Control4, the EMS 100 can also directly control some lights, such as turning off outdoor lighting. The system contains radios to connect to the two-way smart meter, a ZigBee-based radio to communicate with smart appliances, and a Wi-Fi radio for the home network. Plug-in modules and other devices will allow control of a variety of home systems.

For the complete article, please click here.

Direct Energy Becomes the Newest Sponsor for Smart Energy Summit 2011

Parks Associates welcomes Direct Energy, the largest competitive retailer in North America of electricity and natural gas, home services, energy efficient solutions and more, as the newest sponsor for the 2011 Smart Energy Summit in Austin, Texas.

Direct Energy is one of North America’s largest competitive energy suppliers with approximately 6,000 employees. They are active in upstream production (electricity and natural gas) and downstream delivery. Direct Energy helps customers effectively manage all of their energy needs.

For more information about the company, visit http://www.directenergy.com/

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Burbank Water and Power Selects Tropos Wireless Mesh Network for Smart Grid Communications

Tropos Networks, the leader in high reliability outdoor wireless IP networks, was selected by Burbank Water and Power (BWP) as a key element in their Smart Grid network of networks. To improve service and empower its 51,000 electricity customers to use energy wisely, BWP is implementing comprehensive Smart Grid systems across the utility’s entire coverage area. Tropos’ GridCom® architecture will be used as the high performance wireless distribution area network, providing secure connectivity for multiple utility Smart Grid applications.

Key goals of the Smart Grid initiative include enabling customer energy efficiency and demand response, improving operational efficiencies, reducing CO2 emissions, supporting Plug-In Electric Vehicles (PEVs), and integrating renewable energy sources to meet California’s mandate of 33 percent renewable power by 2020.

Upcoming Smart Grid program phases include full AMI deployment to all customers, distribution automation, demand response, thermal energy storage systems at select customer sites, and new control systems. Several retail services are planned that utilize the Smart Grid to enable energy efficiency, demand management and other programs that will give customers greater information and control over energy usage. BWP does not expect to raise rates to fund the program; instead, it will cover costs with the SGIG, cost reductions related to operational efficiency improvements, and selling services utilizing excess capacity on its communication systems.

For the complete article, please click here.

Oncor Joins IBM's Global Intelligent Utility Network Coalition; Furthers Smart Grid Collaboration

IBM announced that Oncor, a Texas-based utility that delivers power to more than 3 million homes and businesses, has joined the Global Intelligent Utility Network Coalition. This group of utilities works to further the adoption of smarter energy grids around the world and now collectively serves more than 115 million energy consumers globally.

The coalition's first collaborative effort was the creation of a Smart Grid Maturity Model (SGMM), a tool that benchmarks current progress and plans long term smart grid programs. More than 70 utilities have taken the SGMM assessment to date, and since the GIUNC donated the SGMM to Carnegie Mellon's Software Engineering Institute last year, it continues to be an effective method of evaluation for utilities around the world.

New projects include:
-Ways to understand the effect on emissions due to Smart Grid deployment. The group has developed a Smart Grid Carbon Model (SGCM) that allows utilities to analyze different carbon levers due to various smart grid investments.
-Issues related to integrating distributed energy resources. The group recently completed an extensive study on Microgrids and is now shifting its focus to studying grid impact and business strategy related to electric vehicles.
-The wants and needs of the consumer related to smart grid based on learnings from current pilot projects. The group is identifying customer behavior when given certain options, types of technologies that they are likely to adopt and how they perceive service value.
-Methods that evaluate regulatory models. In order for regulators to make more informed decisions, the coalition is also developing a system dynamics model that captures all the business case benefits that Smart Grid enables including improved reliability, grid efficiency improvements, renewable energy, CO2 emissions reduction, electric vehicle adoption rates and customer conservation.

For more information, click here.

Direct Energy Business Busts Myths About Electricity Rates in Pennsylvania

With the rate caps falling off in PPL’s service territory in January 2010, many business owners and managers are finding they have more questions than answers about their electricity options.

Myth: If I buy my electricity from a retail energy provider there is no way for it to reach my business, as the utility manages the wires.
Fact: The utility is responsible for the wires coming into your building, and for maintaining electrical services. However, a retail energy provider can provide the electricity being transmitted over those wires.

Direct Energy Business has signed up thousands of customers in PPL, and recently unveiled their VIP Friends and Family Program. This program allows large commercial and industrial customers to offer their employees discounts when they sign up to receive their electricity from Direct Energy Residential.

For the full press release, click here.