Until recently, Distribution Automation (DA) had been developing slowly. That changed in the past couple years as deployments have been accelerated at many utilities, moving beyond pilot or demonstration projects to (more...)
While I was at the conference, I tried to check my e-mail from my iPhone. Unfortunately, my e-mail wasn’t downloading which is all too common. It usually happens when I am in a crowded area (like the convention center) with many people also accessing wireless devices (iPhones and iPads everywhere). It dawned on me how different the utilities industry really is from other industries. Can you imagine if during peak usage periods, I just may not have power? (more...)
The punch line? Well there isn’t really one. However, it did result in a great dialog about Smart Grid including consumer awareness and where and how smart grid impacts the consumer.
I attended the beginning of the Grid Week Conference in Washington DC this week. The theme for Tuesday’s session was the consumer. The sessions consisted of speakers and panelists from utilities, public utility commissioners, smart grid equipment and service vendors, and consumer advocates. That combination always makes for interesting discussions! (more...)
A few weeks ago I attended the inaugural Distribution Technology and Innovation Summit (DTI) in Las Vegas. The focus of the conference was on the current state of the Smart Grid market with presentations from utilities, trade groups, and state and federal regulators. In the meetings and social receptions, you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting someone who was talking about DOE funding, state regulatory approval and Smart Grid project “definitization”. For those of you new to the term (as I was up until a few weeks ago), definitization is the term the government uses to mean that a contract has been finalized and approved and in this case that the Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) stimulus funds can begin being disbursed to cover approved project expenditures. Until a project has been definitized, the awards amount to nothing more than monopoly money. (more...)