grid

Envisioning the Electric Grid, Circa 1964

Check out these great illustrations from the 1960's, possibly done by Henry Drefuss' office, envisioning how the aesthetics of the electric grid can be improved. These are from a little-known book called Power Styling, commissioned by United States Steel. The book introduces the concepts this way:

“The problem of locating electric power structures and lines is becoming increasingly difficult. The public is sensitive to and critical of the appearance of such facilities which traditionally have been designed on a function-reliability-safety-initial low cost basis with little consideration given aesthetics. Remedial measures taken during or after erection are usually of limited … Read more

GE, VCs offer $200 million in smart-grid challenge

General Electric and four venture-capital companies are putting up $200 million to award entrepreneurs for coming up with innovative ways to modernize the electricity grid.

At an event at San Francisco, the companies launched the "GE Ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid," a competition designed to cultivate smart-grid technologies. The money is being made available by GE, Emerald Technology Partners, Foundation Capital, Rockport Capital, and Kleiner, Perkinsk, Caufield & Byers, each of which are investing in green-technology start-ups.

"This challenge is about collaboration and we are inviting others to help accelerate progress in creating a cleaner, more efficient … Read more

Report: By 2015, $45 billion spent on smart grids

Governments and private interests worldwide are expected to increase investments in smart-grid technology, spending a total of more than $45 billion by 2015, says a new ABI Research report released Thursday.

Smart grids are electrical grid systems with two-way communication tools attached on both the utility and user ends to facilitate better energy efficiency practices. The integrated computerized systems enable real-time monitoring of electricity generation, distribution, and use. They can do things like warn utilities of peak demand geographically so accommodations can be made, or advise consumers of off-peak hours for running non-essential appliances. They can even notify connected "smart" appliances in the home … Read more

Google-backed smart grid now on TV 'white space'

The smart grid for Plumas-Sierra County, Calif., is now operating via the television broadcasting system's "white space," software and service supplier Spectrum Bridge announced Wednesday.

The TV white space spectrum is the portion of unused broadcast TV channels that became available with the national switch from analog to digital TV broadcasting.

The space is prized because it can provide a venue for data exchange rates significantly faster than the current standard Internet Wi-Fi, and can be broadcast for extended distances and through obstacles, making it ideal for use in smart grid communications.

For years, Dell, Google, Microsoft, Motorola, and others lobbied the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to open up the space … Read more

Smart grid security to become multibillion-dollar industry

Investment in security for smart electrical-grid systems will grow tremendously over the next five years, according to a report released Wednesday by Pike Research.

With the U.S. electrical grid--and other national grids worldwide--poised to become smart systems with integrated communications, the possible threat of sabotage has become an obvious concern. To that end, the U.S. government has set aside funding to develop security protocols. Others are following suit.

Between 2010 and 2015, the report predicts, about 15 percent of all smart grid investments will be spent on cybersecurity. This will represent a total global investment of $21 billion … Read more

Money trumps security in smart-meter rollouts, experts say

In a rush to take advantage of U.S. stimulus money, utilities are quickly deploying thousands of smart meters to homes each day--smart meters that experts say could easily be hacked.

The security weaknesses could potentially allow miscreants to snoop on customers and steal data, cut off power to buildings, and even cause widespread outages, according to a number of experts who have studied the meters and looked into smart-grid systems. A new paper out of the University of Cambridge highlights privacy concerns from smart meters, as well as security risks caused by linking home-area networks, of which smart meters … Read more

Audi launches Le Mans iPad app

Owners of the iPad are getting a racing exclusive. Audi of America and SkyGrid today launched the 24 Hours of Le Mans Experience. The application provides the latest news and high-definition multimedia as it unfolds in France this weekend.

Audi teams have won the storied competition eight of the past 10 years of the race that dates back 87 years.

"Audi has been at the forefront of finding innovative ways to share its performance story and brand momentum," said Scott Keogh, chief marketing officer of Audi of America. "Our partnership with SkyGrid will now deliver that experience … Read more

Wire-crawling robots could inspect power lines

Robots that look like 1950s UFOs could start shimmying along thousands of miles of power lines in North America in the next few years. The high-wire acrobats would check for cable defects and problems like overgrown trees, eliminating the need for some human inspection, according to researchers at the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute.

The prototype cable crawler is designed to be 140 pounds and 6 feet long, and moves on rollers at an average speed of about 3 mph. It will be able to navigate around pylons by using special cables.

The crawler will be covered by solar panels, … Read more

Australia going smart-grid

Newcastle, in the state of New South Wales, will be the first Australian city to move onto a smart grid in what the government says could be a nationwide change.

The announcement, made Monday, is part of Australia's "Smart Grid, Smart City" initiative involving the collaboration of several Australian government ministries, private contractors including GE Energy and IBM Australia, and Energy Australia, one the country's leading electricity utilities.

The project's initial $100 million rollout, to take place "mid 2010," will include the central business district of Sydney as well as the towns of … Read more

Smart-grid companies feel growing pains

If you think utilities will swiftly adopt smart-grid technologies, consider the story of GridPoint.

Despite being only seven years old, the high-profile energy start-up has adjusted its strategy a few times and made a string of acquisitions. At first, it planned on selling home energy management systems and batteries to consumers, then shifted its focus to selling smart-grid equipment to utilities, such as software to manage home energy or charge electric cars.

Last week, GridPoint announced that it has signed a deal to supply energy management software and hardware to the United States Postal Service, which has set a goal … Read more