Why IP is the right foundation for Smart Grid and other stories....

1) Why IP is the right foundation for Smart Grid?

Cisco Systems makes interesting case for adoption of IP technologies for Smart Grid. IP, which has proven, scalable, cost-effective, and interoperable communication standards for information and commercial networks around the world can serve as the foundation for Smart Grid. 

2) 10 Cities adopting Smart Grid technology in the USA

According to US News, these 10 cities are leading the Smart Grid movement in the USA. The 10 cities includes, Austin TX, Tempe AZ, Boulder CO, Fort Collins CO, Maui, Sacramento CA, San Diego CA, Washington DC, Worcester, MA and Toronto.

3)  Let's make home as smart as our cars

An interesting article published by TheEnergyCollective provides a thoughtful insight how Smart Car technologies if adopted in Smart Homes can transform our house and lives.

4) U.S. and Russia collaborating on Smart Grid efforts

The USAID alongwith DOE (Department of Energy) is expanding its international collaboration, this time partnering with Russia for energy efficiency and Smart Grid.

5) Let's Make Dumb Building Smarter

40 % of the energy and 70% electricity in the US is consumed by buildings that represents huge opportunity for energy savings resulting $30 to $50 billion in savings. Fortunately, startups like Scientific Conversion, Building IQ, Adura, and Encilium are working on this domain to tap this huge opportunity.

Inaugural GridWeek Asia to be held in India

GridWeek, which is probably the largest and the diverse Smart Grid gathering in the world, is set to organize its extension "GridWeek Asia"  starting from January 2012, announced by its organizer Clasma Events. According  to Clasma Events and its partner IEEMA (Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers' Association), the first event is going to be held on January 18-20, 2012 in Mumbai India in conjuction with ELECRAMA 2012( A flagship event of IEEMA). The President and CEO of Clasma Events quoted, " GridWeek Asia will be the most influential international gathering of Smart Grid players in Asia." The hosting of GridWeek's first event in India signifies the importance of the country in Smart Grid domain. He further noted, Given the rapid growth of India, and the opportunities they have to build a Smart Grid infrastructure from the ground up, there's no better time for a meeting of Smart Grid minds in India."

India is in unique position as it is still building its majority of electrical infrastructure and thus will able to leverage the maximum benefits of Smart Grids. Smart Grid will not just help reduce theft, but also improve the network efficiency, consumer efficiency, and will be able utilize disperse energy resources like wind and solar to its optimum capacity. The country, which has 175,000 MW of installed capacity and is going to add 100,000 MW in next 6 years represent over $400 billion opportunity in building energy infrastructure. Additionally, the National Solar Mission is going to add 20,000 MW of solar energy in next 10 years. 

IEEMA

Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers' Association (IEEMA) is the apex association of manufacturers of electrical, industrial electronics and allied equipment in India. Founded in 1948, IEEMA has over 750 member organisations encompassing the complete value chain in power generation, transmission and distribution. Its membership base, ranging from public sector enterprises, multinational companies to small and medium companies, gives IEEMA a truly national representative character. IEEMA members represent a combined annual turnover in excess of US$25 billion and have contributed to more than 90% of the power equipment installed in India

ELECRAMA

ELECRAMA is IEEMA's flagship event, and today is one of the largest tradeshows in the world focused on Transmission & Distribution equipment, solutions and services. With an anticipated 125,000 visitor footfalls and 1,000+ exhibitors anticipated in 2012, this event provides an ideal partnership venue for a major international Smart Grid conference to bring Smart Grid leaders and discussion to the doorstep of India's massive opportunity.

Clasma
Clasma Events, Inc. is a global event company specializing in strategic conferences at the center of the worldwide energy discussion. Clasma provides a stage for collaboration and cooperation among industry thought leaders at the forefront of the smart energy movement. Focusing on Smart Grid, connectivity, and the new energy economy, Clasma's major events include ConnectivityWeek, GridWeek, and Grid-Interop.www.clasma.com.

GridWeek
GridWeek is the only event with a proven history of attracting the complete diversity of global Smart Grid stakeholders to define strategies for energy business, policy, and solutions. Since the first GridWeek in 2007 (organized in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and other key industry players), GridWeek has become the most prominent strategic gathering of Smart Grid minds, creating a forum to address the most relevant industry topics and set the agenda for Smart Grid advancement.

IBM partners with Bureau of Energy Efficiency for Smart Grid project in India

After Bangalore utility, BESCOM, and West-Bengal, another Smart Grid project has been announced in India, this time its an IBM. IBM, which is aggressively pushing itself in smart technologies and is engaged in various Smart Grid project across the globe, is going to partner with Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)  for Smart Grid project in India. Under the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE), BEE and IBM are collaborating to develop cost-benefit analysis for smart grid activities in India. 

Smart grid, which is combination of many advanced technology, and provides two-way communication between utilities and consumer in real-time, will help improve the whole energy distribution chain. As part of this project, IBM will generate business case for Smart grid and provide relevant tools for measuring Return on Investment (ROI) on smaller projects that are being carried out in the country. IBM will assess smart grid technologies alignment with India's policy and regulatory framework and make each project a viable solution. 

IBM director for communication, India and South Asia, Avinash Joshi commented “There is a huge demand for power grids that are energy efficient, intelligent and secure. Through this collaboration with BEE, our aim is to help overcome inefficiencies in the existing grid and move towards more sustainable energy networks."  Such assessment tool will be very useful in making appropriate decision about Smart Grid projects implementation, as the inviable projects will be identified in advanced and thus save time, money and efforts.

Siemens launches Smart Grid Innovation Idea Contest

It seems crowdsourcing is the game of the day. Companies after companies are using innovative approach to tap the crowd wisdom. After GE's $300 million successful contest, the multinational conglomerate Siemens is following the suit to tap the crowd wisdom. it has recently launched Smart Grid Innovation Contest, where anybody can submit ideas relevant to Smart Grid, the contest is accepting idea till 31st May,2011. It has two categories, the first category is about ideas, which will receive prizes worth euro 15 000 in total. The second category is about university proposal, which will be awarded euro 1 million for grants and research. The interesting aspect of the contest is that not only idea contributors, but the valuable comments contributor will  also receive award.

Details of Award

• Prizes for the 5 best ideas in the Idea Contest (awarded after the end of Phase 1 in July 2011)
• Prizes for the 3 best contributors to the Idea Contest (awarded after the end of Phase 1 in July 2011)
• Prizes for the 10 best university proposals in the Call-for-Proposals (awarded after the end of Phase 2 in January 2012)

Siemens has identified seven core smart grid domain viz. Demand Response, Electro-Mobility, Energy Brokering, Energy Sinks & Energy Storage, Micro-Grid, Virtual Power Plant for the contest. Besides this, other categories covers all the remaining aspects of Smart Grid. The first phase of the contest winner will be decided on 27th July and they will be invited to Berlin for the ceremony. The second phase, which starts on 2th October, 2011 and is focused towards university research will be awarded 1 million euro award in January 2012. So far, the contest has received 153 ideas from 575 members with demand response garnering maximum attention.

Timeline

 Siemens Smart Grid Contest Website : http://www.smartgridcontest.com

Smart Grid Interoperability Standards Project launched in India by IEEE

IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA), a globally recognized standards setting body within IEEE, today officially introduced its globally reputed project, the "IEEE P2030TM Draft Guide for Smart Grid Interoperability of Energy Technology and Information Technology Operation with the Electric Power System (EPS) and End-Use Applications and Loads", in India. Interoperability has been one of the key concerns in building a Smart Grid in India, like in many other regions of the world and the project aims to address this. IEEE-SA's India Standards Interest Group (SIG) announced in February 2011 will work closely with IEEE P2030 Working Group to introduce interoperability standards in India later this year, enabling faster implementation of Smart Grid. 

 

Leveraging the technical breadth of IEEE-SA and its open standards development process, IEEE P2030 will provide a knowledge base for understanding and defining Smart Grid interoperability of the electric power system with end use applications and loads. It will involve the integration of energy technology and information and communications technologies, slated to be among the most important essentials to achieve seamless operation for electric generation, delivery, and end-use benefits that will permit two-way power flow with communication and control.

Dick DeBlasio, Chair, IEEE-SA P2030 Working Group commented, "The approval of IEEE P2030 represents a significant milestone for IEEE, the public, industry and Governments across countries, especially with the global focus on bringing intelligence and standardization to the way energy is transmitted, distributed, managed and kept secure. And it strongly addresses the need to reduce energy transmission's carbon footprint. India is among the most promising and growing Smart Grid markets in the world and we firmly believe that IEEE P2030 will define key elements of a modern, intelligent grid and accelerate progress in making Smart Grid a success in India."

Srikanth Chandrasekaran, Chair - India SIG, IEEE-SA further explained, "IEEE P2030 will provide urgently needed guidelines for Smart Grid interoperability, building on the many technologies used in the electric power system and merging these with communication, monitoring, and analysis technologies and capabilities. Interconnection and intra-facing frameworks and strategies with design definitions are addressed in this standard, providing guidance in expanding the current knowledge base. This expanded knowledge base is a key element in grid architectural designs and operations and leads to a more reliable and flexible electric power system. The IEEE P2030 standards project will support the goal of the India Smart Grid Task Force to coordinate the development of interoperability standards, critical to achieve the Smart Grid vision in India."

About the IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body within IEEE, develops consensus standards through an open process that engages industry and brings together a broad stakeholder community. IEEE standards set specifications and best practices based on current scientific and technological knowledge. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 900 active standards and more than 500 standards under development. For more information see the IEEE-SA website.

About IEEE
IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional association, is dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics.

Top five Smart Grid Trends and other stories

1) Research says SmartMeters safe, but many see need for more study 

Smart Meters, which like other wireless devices uses low radio frequency to transfer information, has made skeptics question how safe it is to human health, though, studies have found no evidence of its adverse impact on human health, more studies are needed to give green signal to Smart Meters.

2) Echelon based Smart Street Lighting Systems Find Success in France

Echelon's Intelligent distributed control solution that is based on Power Line Communication (PLC) technology is helping French Cities save 45% in energy consumption, a similar technology installation that is successful in china as well.


3) Electricity use due to EVs could soar by 1,700 percent by 2020

A report indicates energy usage could rise to 1700 % by 2020  from its present 146 000 MWh to 2.6 million MWh due to Electric Vehicles.


4) Top Five Smart Grid Trends

The article discusses top 5 trends in Smart Grid and what Distribution Automation, which represents $10 billion by 2015, really means


5) LEED to embrace Demand Response

 The US Green Building Council, which created the rating system LEED for Green building, is considering ways to incorporated Demand Response in LEED rating system