Filed under: Smart Grid
The University of Minnesota’s “Smart Grid Sandbox” is getting some nice nods from high places – such as the IEEE, the world’s largest professional association advancing technology for humanity. According to the IEEE…
The University of Minnesota has built a microgrid at its Morris campus that is a microcosm of what eventually could be the norm everywhere. The campus, highly reliant on locally generated renewable energy, is almost self-sustaining in terms of energy and net-zero in terms of carbon. The next step will be to reduce energy use and improve efficiency, with the introduction of time-of-day pricing schemes.
For folks who are in the Morris area at all, I think we all envision wind and wind turbines as great opportunities in that area, but that’s not all that’s happening…
Today, the Morris campus’s renewable energy resources include a biomass gasification plant fueled by crop residues from nearby farms, solar thermal panels, a solar photovoltaic system, and two 1.65MW wind turbines. Even before the second turbine was installed last February, wind was meeting half of the campus’s needs; now it can provide 70 percent on average, and 100 percent on exceptionally good days.
December 20, 2011
Thanks to those who attended the Intro to Smart Grid session today. We have posted the slides and the recorded session online:
Slides:
August 11, 2011
Broadband & Smart Grid launching is launching in Washington. According to CivSource it will reach more than 170 communities – one is really focused on the opportunities that broadband will mean for smart grid development and use…
In addition to this project, a $38 million pilot project is getting underway in in the city of Pullman, Washington, and the nearby community of Albion which will demonstrate the benefits of smart grid technology. The project, led by Avista Utlity Corp utilizes a jointly developed smart grid solution from Tropos Networks and Itron Inc to demonstrate energy distribution system automation.
The project will provide a smart metering infrastructure for both communities serving Avista’s 13,000 electric and 5,000 gas customers.
The pilot is part of the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project, led by Battelle, which is funded through stimulus grants from the US Department of Energy and matching state funds. The project will take five-years and cost nearly $20 million
July 21, 2011
Last month the Utilities Telecom Council held a Summit on Smart Grid Policy. Here are the various session:
Keynote Speaker: Joe Rigby, Pepco CEO
Session 1: What’s Next in Smart Grid Policy: Leaders Forecast the Big Issues Ahead
Session 2: Managing the Technology Mix: Building, Buying or Sharing Smarter Utility Communications Networks
Lunch with Rep. Rick Boucher, and Afternoon Sessions on Building Customer Acceptance and Interoperability Standards
Session 1 (Day 2): Cybersecurity Requirements: Does Compliance Really Equal Security?
Session 2 (Day 2): Cybersecurity Overload: Meeting the Challenges of Implementation and Communication
Session 3 (Day 2): Managing the Mounds of Data: Get Ready for the New Energy Information Marketplace
Blogger Cassandra Heyne, who focuses on rural telecommunications policy, does a nice job of writing up the sessions.
May 9, 2011
A recent article in Wired caught my eye. Here’s the quick look from the article…
Chattanooga, Tennessee, utility EPB hit two milestones in the last two weeks of 2010: It completed the final touches on one of the fastest internet pipelines in the world, and it activated the first automated switches on its electricity network. The combination constitutes the backbone for a Department of Energy–funded smart grid network that’s expected to save the utility and area businesses tens of millions of dollars annually.
Continue January 28, 2011
