grid

WASHINGTON--Now that the federal government has authorized spending billions of dollars for transmission line construction and renewable-energy efforts, it may expand its authority over how interstate transmission lines are built.

President Obama on Tuesday signed the so-called stimulus bill into law, providing what Obama's climate czar Carol Browner called on Tuesday "an amazing down payment" on smart grid technology, renewable-energy production, and other efforts to create energy efficiency.

Questions remain, however, as to whether the Energy Department and other government agencies will be able to overcome a complex regulatory maze to spend the funds quickly and appropriately, … Read more

The Maui Electric Company and General Electric are joining up to test a unique smart-grid technology on the Hawaiian island's electrical grid.

The Maui, Hawaii, project includes the usual smart-grid tech: developing a substation with battery storage capability to remove and store excess electricity generated from connected wind and solar energy sources. The electricity supply is then released from the substation to the main power grid when it's needed during peak usage times.

Many companies are interested in smart-grid energy technology. Google wants users to confront their home energy use appliance by appliance. IBM is jockeying to be a key supplier for smart-grid tech … Read more

Google now wants to organize your home's energy information.

The search giant on Tuesday muscled into the burgeoning smart-grid software business, showing off a prototype Web application that displays home energy consumption broken down by appliance. The software uses so-called smart meters, which can communicate home energy consumption back to utilities every few minutes.

The driving idea behind the Google PowerMeter iGoogle gadget--and nearly all smart-grid companies--is that giving consumers access to more detailed home energy data will lead to lower usage. There are dozens of smart-grid trial programs now going on, offered through utilities.

Engineer Russ Mirov, one … Read more

The Green Grid, a group of IT industry leaders including heavyweights like AMD and Hewlett-Packard, unveiled a new standard for measuring data center efficiency at the second annual Green Grid Technical Forum in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday.

The white papers released by the consortium have been advising companies on how to properly measure, quantify, analyze and report on PUE (power usage effectiveness) and DCiE (data center infrastructure efficiency) since 2007.

"At the 2009 Technical Forum, attendees will walk away with actionable information to help measure energy consumption and significantly improve energy cost savings," Larry Vertal, director of … Read more

Smart-grid start-up Tendril is using a classic computer industry game plan in a bid to create the equivalent of the Windows operating system for a 21st century electricity grid.

At an industry conference, the Boulder, Colo.-based company will announce that third-party companies have developed software applications that work with Tendril's in-home smart-grid software and devices.

The basis of Tendril's partner program is a set of technical specifications, or application programming interfaces (APIs), for both its software, which talks to utilities' back-office systems, and for its Zigbee-based energy-management hardware.

It's not clear that unlocking Tendril's products … Read more

Content network Glam Media announced on Thursday that it has acquired AdaptiveAds, a company specializing in the targeting and optimization of display ads. Glam Media claims that its acquisition of AdaptiveAds will help it solidify its offering in the advertising market. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but Glam did say disclose plans to open an office in Mumbai, India, as part of the acquisition.

PokerVibez, a service that allows users to play poker but get to know each other in the process, has launched in private beta. According to the company, users can sign up for the … Read more

House Democrats on Thursday revealed details of a massive legislative effort they said would inject new life into a flagging U.S. economy, thanks to a combination of $825 billion in tax cuts and new government spending.

The sprawling, 258-page draft bill includes $32 billion in electric power upgrades, sometimes known as "smart grid" technology, $6 billion for expanded broadband Internet access, and $20 billion for health care information technology.

"The economy is in a crisis not seen since the Great Depression," said letter published Thursday by Rep. David Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat who heads the … Read more

If Daniel Yates, founder and CEO of Positive Energy, hits his goal this year, he'll unplug the equivalent of 75,000 homes.

The Arlington, Va.-based company late last month revealed that it has raised $14 million from New Enterprise Associates to build up its software service designed to cut home electricity use.

Because of the recession and a growing interest on cutting wasted energy, efficiency is expected to be one of the most active areas in clean tech. Already there are dozens of smart-grid outfits that make Internet-connected meters, networked appliances, or in-home displays.

Positive Energy is taking … Read more

WASHINGTON--When politicians are doling out trillions of tax dollars in bailouts and so-called stimulus spending, nobody should be surprised if the line of businesses queuing for cash snakes all the way around the Capitol building. The latest idea: more spending on smart grids.

The idea of a smart grid is an alluring one: A far more intelligent electric power system that takes advantage of technological developments to deliver power in a more optimal, energy-efficient way. A household dishwasher could decide to turn on when prices are low at off-peak times, and plug-in electric cars could feed power back into the grid … Read more