grid

Citysearch, the local-business guide that competes with Yelp, has added search engine optimization services to its ad network to help advertisers better target their campaigns.

Released Monday, CityGrid Complete adds an SEO and SEM (search engine marketing) layer to the CityGrid advertising network that was launched in January. CityGrid works with over 500,000 advertisers to distribute ads to over 140 million unique Web users on over 100 Web sites.

The new SEO and SEM layer comes through a partnership with Web marketing firm OrangeSoda.

Citysearch has also launched a Web-based tool that will enable advertisers to monitor and manage … Read more

Ten companies pushing to build a pan-European offshore power network that could help cut carbon emissions and cost customers over 20 billion euros got together in London on Monday.

The Friends of the Supergrid (FOSG) brings together companies that want to build the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) infrastructure together with those that hope to develop, install, own, and operate it.

Building interconnectors to link offshore wind farms across the North Sea from Sweden and Denmark to Britain could cost 15 billion to 20 billion euros, according to a report commissioned by Greenpeace, in addition to the tens of billions … Read more

There's nothing like living off-grid for a while to make you aware of your environmental and energy footprint. During a family vacation to Belize last week, I got a flavor for what's needed to function, albeit at a leisurely pace, when you're far beyond the reach of power lines.

This was a special trip, mostly paid for by my wife's company as a gift for 20 years of work. So we made the most of it, traveling to some seriously nice spots with an eye toward experiencing the great natural resources of this small Central American … Read more

IBM sees strong market potential for "smart grid" power distribution systems in China as the country seeks ways to use energy more efficiently.

Technology giants including Google, Cisco Systems, and Microsoft are investing heavily in smart grids, intelligent power-distribution systems designed to be more responsive and interactive than today's traditional power grids.

In terms of countries, China, the world's biggest greenhouse-gas emitter, is investing the most. Beijing plans to invest $7.3 billion in smart-grid projects in 2010, more than the United States, according to Zpryme, a market research firm in Austin, Texas.

China is far … Read more

More than 70 percent of U.S. electric utilities have implemented, or have plans to implement, wind and solar projects within the next three to five years, despite concerns about when they will pay off, according to the results of a survey released this week by Black & Veatch.

About 79 percent of survey participants said their utility had a wind power project already in development or planned within the next three to five years, while 73 percent said the same of solar projects.

The investment choice makes sense, given the fact that wind energy ranked second as the technology … Read more

BOSTON--Even the most enthusiastic supporter of the smart grid realizes that there's a limit to how much consumers want to actively manage energy use. Instead, most consumers would rather just "set it and forget it," much like they do with programmable thermostats.

Consulting company Accenture on Wednesday here opened the doors to a trailer that serves as a smart-grid demonstration, modeled on the experience of Xcel Energy's SmartGridCity program in Boulder, Colo. Giving consumers more awareness of their energy consumption through an energy monitor or Web site, as is the case with the Boulder pilot, should … Read more

Corrections made at 8:20 a.m. PT to number of Twitter followers and number or regions it works in.

Just like you need an accountant to navigate the tax code, you need an agent to get a good deal on solar panels, according to One Block Off the Grid.

The San Francisco-based start-up on Thursday announced that it has secured a series A funding round of $5 million from New Enterprise Associations to expand its operations. It follows angel funding it raised a little over one year ago.

One Block Off the Grid seeks to make it cheaper and … Read more

Utility companies around the world will spend $21 billion by 2015 to improve cybersecurity for the world's electrical smart grid, according to a report released Thursday by Pike Research.

As the industry has increasingly built up smart grids to better control and regulate electrical power, the threat of cyberattacks has become a greater concern. Dangers ranging from terrorist attacks to hackers to accidents to natural disasters could cause substantial damage.

To better safeguard the grid, utilities will spend a total of $21 billion over the next five years. The business segment that services this market will likely see revenue … Read more

Good old-fashioned guilt and frugality might go a long way toward helping the U.S. reduce its carbon footprint.

Converting the U.S. electricity grid to a series of smart grids would have a significant impact on carbon emissions from utilities mainly because the shift would tend to change people's usage habits, according to a report released last week by the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).

Researchers at PNNL's Electricity Infrastructure Operations Center (EIOC) used real-time U.S. electric grid data, advanced software, modeling computation, and data from existing smart-grid projects to determine whether, … Read more