Smart Grid Archives

Modernized grid cuts carbon, energy costs

Carousel Most Popular Policy February 27, 2014

The UK government has set out its vision for how to modernize the energy grid for better efficiency, lower carbon emissions and improved energy security. The “Smart Grid Vision and Routemap” was released today by the Smart Grid Forum, a body created by the Department of Energy and Climate... Read more

People prefer ‘smart grids’ with local energy

Carousel Energy February 26, 2014

There are lots of different ways to define the “smart grid,” but a new study shows people prefer an approach that promises to reduce their energy expenses and lets households generate a significant amount of their own electricity. “Scenarios for the Development of Smart Grids in the UK,” a... Read more

Tampering scandal hits Malta’s smart-grid ambitions

Carousel Investment February 20, 2014

Malta’s smart-grid ambitions are taking a hit in light of an emerging scandal over what appears to be systematic tampering with smart meters. The Malta Independent today reported that a ninth employee of the Enemalta utility has been suspended on suspicions of meter tampering. The first eight employees were... Read more

Tiny island in Azores moves to greener, smarter microgrid

Energy December 13, 2013

When it comes to renewable energy, too much of a good thing has in the past been a problem. Germany, for example, has brought online a massive capacity for wind and solar power. On especially windy or sunny days, though, it’s discovered that its new wealth of renewable supplies... Read more

Big ‘liquid batteries’ could mean a better, cleaner grid

Energy July 17, 2012

“Liquid batteries” could provide the answer to the large-scale energy storage challenges of a smarter, cleaner electricity grid. A grid-scale switch to cleaner power such as wind or solar would require some form of energy storage to ensure the lights stay on even when the sun isn’t shining or... Read more

Do people have a right to be inefficient?

Policy March 14, 2012

Do people have a right to be inefficient? If that sounds like a strange question, it’s one we’re likely to encounter more often as energy prices keep rising, carbon reduction requirements grow stricter and utilities work to make grids smarter. In the US especially, where a certain proportion of... Read more

Do smart meters make electricity customers happier?

Policy February 16, 2012

Democracies and automobile windshields both work a whole lot better when they’re transparent, and the same appears to be true for utility bills. One of the key arguments in favor of smart electricity meters is that they give users greater insights into how much energy they’re using, when they’re... Read more

Oslo’s 65,000 streetlights to get an IQ upgrade

Smart Cities September 22, 2011

The streetlights in Norway’s capital city are on track to become a whole lot smarter, with networked controls that will enable targeted dimming to conserve energy, automatic switching and easier identification of problems and failures. The improvements were set in motion when Oslo officials approved a contract with the... Read more

International Battery to supply storage for Swedish utility

Smart Cities September 7, 2011

Allentown, Pennsylvania-based International Battery will supply its lithium-ion phosphate batteries for an energy storage system being developed by ABB for a Swedish utility. The energy storage system will be part of the power distribution network for Falbygdens Energi AB, a subsidiary of Göteborg Energi AB. ABB’s grid-tied distributed energy... Read more

Israeli Smart Grid group receives R&D funding

Smart Cities August 15, 2011

The Israeli Smart Grid (ISG) Consortium has received funding through the MAGNET R&D program run by the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor. The consortium, which was spearheaded by CEVA — a licensor of silicon intellectual property platform solutions and digital signal... Read more