I met James McClelland at SAP’s Sapphire conference in Orlando a couple of weeks back.
We had a great chat about utilities, smart grids and the changing role of software for utility companies which I recorded and am publishing here now.
Search Results for: "smart grid"
GreenMonk news roundup 05/19/2009
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BPA seeks more smart grid projects partners – Portland Business Journal:
The Bonneville Power Administration has issued its second request for potential partners for smart grid projects that could qualify for federal stimulus money.
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5 Feasible Renewable Energy Sources
One would expect that — over time — the costs associated with renewable energy would go down. With fossil fuels, costs can only go up as the un-renewable sources dwindle and become more scarce even as demand rises. Here are 5 feasible renewable energy sources that could be developed to help meet world energy needs:
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
GreenMonk news roundup 05/05/2009
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Reducing Carbon Emissions (Oracle Utilities Blog)
Oracle blog post alking up the need for smart grids to support rollout of electric vehicles
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Is China really going green? – Telegraph
At Dabancheng, a few miles outside the city, great forests of windmills stretch to the horizon, their blades beating out a lazy rhythm that belies the sudden urgency with which China’s rulers are now investing in renewable energy.The speed with which China is now ramping up its commitment to alternative energies has caught even the most optimistic analysts by surprise, with new green edicts being issued from Beijing on an almost weekly basis.
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EPA Moves to Regulate Contaminated Runoff From Power Plants – washingtonpost.com
Faced with new evidence that utilities across the country are dumping toxic sludge into waterways, the Environmental Protection Agency is moving to impose new restrictions on the level of contaminants power plants can discharge.
Plants in Florida, Pennsylvania and several other states have flushed wastewater with levels of selenium and other toxins that far exceed the EPA’s freshwater and saltwater standards aimed at protecting aquatic life, according to data the agency has collected over the past few years
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A Dozen Things the Smart Grid Can Learn from the Internet
Balaji Natarajan is a senior IT strategist for Capgemini, focusing on smart grid, mobile computing, and unified communications.
History is a great teacher. The Internet took decades to evolve and take shape. Now upon us is a more critical challenge: how to build and sustain a smarter power grid. The tech community is already starting to initiate significant efforts to address this challenge, but here are some thoughts for how we can learn from the history of how the Internet was built, which will help us move into the fast-lane to tackle this massive task and monumental opportunity.
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A Military Shade of Green | EcoSalon – The Green Gathering
these days, military green is more about embracing green energy and green technologies than the color of a uniform.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
GreenMonk news roundup 05/04/2009
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Greentech Media | Instant Messenger of the Smart Grid
EnerNoc has released software that keeps air conditioners, motors and other devices in constant contact with its network operations center. It’s a first in “presence-enabled” technology for the smart grid, the company says.
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‘Green’ lightbulbs poison workers – Times Online
In China, however, a heavy environmental price is being paid for the production of “green” lightbulbs in cost-cutting factories.
Large numbers of Chinese workers have been poisoned by mercury, which forms part of the compact fluorescent lightbulbs. A surge in foreign demand, set off by a European Union directive making these bulbs compulsory within three years, has also led to the reopening of mercury mines that have ruined the environment.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
April 27th GreenMonk Energy & Sustainability show
I embedded today’s show live on GreenMonk.net on a new page on the site. Moving people to this page will allow me to change the back-end without inconveniencing people, however, it doesn’t appear to be possible for people to login to the chat on this page with their Ustream accounts so instead viewers were labelled “ustreamer-64326” and similar. Those who went to the show’s original Ustream page had no such issues. Need to see if i can fix that!
Had a rich link laden show today!
Here is the chat-stream from the show:
16:31 TomRaftery: Ok, can everyone see & hear me ok?
16:32 TomRaftery: Hello?
16:32 ustreamer-9456: Hello !
16:32 ustreamer-9456: I see you
16:32 TomRaftery: Anyone seeing or hearing me?
16:33 ustreamer-9456: see and hear this is Tish I see 6 others online/
16:33 ustreamer-2665: i got both. yes goiod
16:33 ustreamer-2665: yes
16:34 ustreamer-9456: How do we get a log in with our names?
16:35 TomRaftery: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/greenmonk-energy-and-sustainability-show
16:36 TomRaftery: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/24/andes-tribe-threat-bolivia-climate-change
16:37 TomRaftery: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/21/climate-change-natural-disasters
16:38 ustreamer-9456: just loged in to Ustream to get my name I hope
16:38 Suki_Fuller: Howdy all – on a conf call but no way gonna miss the show
16:39 TolkienLibrary: Hi there all greenmonktv followers!
16:39 TomRaftery: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090417084128.htm
16:41 TomRaftery: http://www.politics.co.uk/news/energy/another-step-towards-kingsnorth-$1290184.htm
16:43 TomRaftery: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/21/renewable-energy-savings
16:44 TomRaftery: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/21/south-korea-enviroment-carbon-emissions
16:45 ustreamer-7847: Primefuson here, finally. Best to all.
16:46 TomRaftery: http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKPEK33615120090420
16:46 TomRaftery: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/04/global_competition.html
16:49 TomRaftery: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8012852.stm
16:50 yellowpark: wow, ustream’s new design chages really suck
16:50 TomRaftery: http://www.physorg.com/news159466841.html
16:51 TomRaftery: http://environment.uk.msn.com/news/headlines/article.aspx?cp-documentid=16254091
16:52 TomRaftery: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103110000&ft=3&f=searchTerm=recession
16:53 ustreamer-2582: Hi Tom, Diarmuid from Cork here. What do you think of the ESB announcment about smart grids . http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0416/breaking41.htm
16:53 TomRaftery: http://venturebeat.com/2009/04/20/arizona-surges-ahead-with-new-1b-solar-plant/
16:55 ustreamer-2582: cheers
16:55 TomRaftery: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/science/earth/24deny.html?_r=3
16:56 TomRaftery: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10225464-54.html?tag=mncol;title
16:59 TomRaftery: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/shai_agassi_on_electric_cars.html
17:00 TomRaftery: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/apr/26/seafood-overfishing
17:03 TomRaftery: http://www.bachelorsdegreeonline.com/blog/2009/100-ways-to-make-your-library-a-little-greener/
17:03 TolkienLibrary: thnxs G Bush… glad I can say this one time in my life
17:03 TomRaftery: http://www.withouthotair.com/
17:06 yellowpark: yes, all the shows were recorded
17:06 yellowpark: cheers tom
17:06 yellowpark: one sec
17:06 Suki_Fuller: I was looking for a sponsor to fly me home to attend!
17:06 yellowpark: just grabbing them
17:07 TomRaftery: homecamp.pbwiki.com/
17:07 yellowpark: won’t let me post it
17:10 yellowpark: icanhaz.com/homecamp
17:10 yellowpark: i cheated
17:10 ustreamer-5464: How much Have I missed
17:10 yellowpark: so you can link to the homecamp videos here icanhaz.com/homecamp
17:10 ustreamer-5464: Oops I’ll watch the recorded vs
17:11 TishShute: thanks Tom great show!
17:11 TolkienLibrary: thanks Tom… very interesting once again… nice way to close my working day!
17:11 Suki_Fuller: As always I learned bunches even though I couldn’t participate with interaction today. Awesome Tom!
17:11 TomRaftery: Thanks everyone for your time, attention & interest
17:11 yellowpark: bye
17:12 joegarde: cheers tom got here late too
GreenMonk news roundup 04/22/2009
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Warning as biggest rivers decline – MSN Environment UK
The world’s largest rivers have declined over the last 50 years, with significant changes found in about a third of them, scientists said.
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Climate change means shortfalls in Colorado River water deliveries
The Colorado River system supplies water to tens of millions of people and millions of acres of farmland, and has never experienced a delivery shortage. But if human-caused climate change continues to make the region drier, scheduled deliveries will be missed 60-90 percent of the time by the middle of this century, according to a pair of climate researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego.
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We Must Seize the Energy Opportunity or Slip Further Behind
nearly 40 percent of China’s proposed $586 billion stimulus plan—$221 billion over two years—is going toward public investment in renewable energy, low-carbon vehicles, high-speed rail, an advanced electric grid, efficiency improvements, and other water-treatment and pollution controls.
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China’s wind-power boom to outpace nuclear by 2020 | Markets | Reuters
China will have 100 gigawatts of wind-power capacity by 2020, a senior energy official said on Monday, more than three times the 30 GW target the government laid down in an energy strategy drawn up just 18 months ago.
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Climate change will overload humanitarian system, warns Oxfam report | Environment | guardian.co.uk
Emergency organisations could be overwhelmed within seven years by the rising number of people in poor countries affected by floods, droughts, heatwaves, wild fires, storms, landslides and other climate hazards.
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Seoul’s huge (£23bn) financial stimulus package pledges 81% for a swath of environmental projects. But activists fear a wave of construction may increase the country’s carbon footprint
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Switch to renewable energy could save £13bn a year | Environment | The Guardian
Britain could save up to £12.6bn a year in imports of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal by 2020 if it embarks on a large- scale programme of energy efficiency and renewable technologies including wind power and biomass
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The Green Issue – Batteries Not Included – NYTimes.com
An interesting article about Better Place and Shai Agassi
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Amazing new windfarms of the future – Science and Health Blog – Mirror.co.uk
The next generation of windfarms may not look like anything we have seen so far.
Turbines of the future could have vertical wings like giant washing lines spinning high above the ocean.
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REpower Systems AG: Press Release
German wind turbine manufacturer now has the most powerful wind turbine in the world in its portfolio with the further development of the model series to the REpower 6M
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More motorway lights to be turned off to cut carbon footprint
The UK Highways Agency is trying to cut its carbon footprint by turning off selected motorway lights around the country
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Major study into the demise of bees is announced | stv News
The number of bees in the UK has fallen between 10 and 15 per cent over the past two years. A new study hopes to help stop the decline.
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Your Industry News – Giant windfarm could be England’s biggest onshore windfarm
AN area of land near Fakenham appears to be in line for what could be the largest onshore windfarm in England.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
GreenMonk news roundup 04/07/2009
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National Grid plans smart grid test in Massachusetts
If all goes as planned National Grid will launch a smart grid pilot programme involving 15,000 customers in Worcester, Massachusetts. It will be the largest and most detailed test of its kind in all of New England. National Grid announced the plan on March 31 and submitted the proposal to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities on April 1.
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EnergyAustralia, Australia’s largest electricity distribution network, today announced an agreement with IBM (NYSE: IBM) for the implementation of an energy network monitoring and control solution.
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E.P.A. Uses Wanted List to Hunt Environmental Law Breakers – NYTimes.com
The E.P.A.’s list, complete with mug shots of the fugitives, was established in December to try to draw attention to serious environmental crimes.
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Antarctic ice shelf half the size of Scotland on verge of collapse | World news | The Observer
A huge ice shelf in the Antarctic is in the last stages of collapse and could break up within days in the latest sign of how global warming is thought to be changing the face of the planet.
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New gum could mean sticky end for mess – CNN.com
British authorities and environmental groups were welcoming the launch this week of the world’s first biodegradable chewing gum, which they say could help save some of the millions spent on clearing up the mess ordinary gum creates.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Oracle’s Turning Information into Power report
Oracle released the results of a research report last week called “Turning Information into Power“.
The report had some interesting findings – from the press release:
Americans are concerned about energy costs and show interest in new energy options.
- 94% are concerned with the energy costs of their primary residence.
- 95% are interested in receiving detailed information on their energy use.
- 76% are interested in renewable energy technologies for their home – and 72% of those respondents state that “reducing personal energy costs” is the most important benefit of renewable energy.
Other interesting findings include:
- When asked to give their utility suppliers a grade on their “current ability to provide detailed, useful information on energy consumption,” only 14% of Americans gave their utility an “A.” When grading themselves on the same question, only 16% of utility managers gave their organizations an “A.”
- While more than half (58%) of electricity and multi-service utilities surveyed currently offer net metering programs – which allow homeowners to generate their own renewable energy or sell it back to their utilities – just 11% of these utilities say their customers are actively pursuing the programs.
This clearly demonstrates a communications issue between the utilities and their customer base.
While on Smart Grids –
- 91% of utility managers believe it is critical that the U.S. adopts smart grid technologies.
- 41% of utilities have assessed the opportunity for smart grid technologies and
- Utility managers believe “upfront consumer expenses” (42%) and a “lack of consistent industry technology standards” (30%) will be the biggest roadblocks to maximizing benefits of the smart grid
There is a lot of interesting information to digest in this report – mainly though it is good news. The American people want more information on their energy use, they are interested in renewables and microgeneration. The renewables, for their part, believe that rolling out smart grids is critical, provide net-metering programs but don’t, as yet, provide detailed useful information on energy consumption in their bills.
Both sides perceive the biggest obstacle to the rollout of smart grids is financial.
Let’s hope that the $11bn pledged to the implementation of smart grids by the Obama stimulus plan will break down some of these barriers.
I hope to be interviewing Guerry Waters, vice president, industry strategy, Oracle Utilities about this report in the coming weeks, if you have any questions you’d like me to put to Guerry, please feel free to leave them in the comments.
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- Smart grid faces major hurdles (businessgreen.com)
- Power to the people (googleblog.blogspot.com)
- Making the Grid Work for Renewable Energy (sciam.com)
- Can the DOE stimulate the smart grid? (arstechnica.com)
- A $2 trillion bet on powering America (money.cnn.com)
- Green news harvest: Credit crisis slams wind, solar (news.cnet.com)
GreenMonk news roundup 03/07/2009
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The smart electricity grid comes home | Socket to me | The Economist
Or so your correspondent believed until he attended Demo 09 in Palm Desert, California, earlier this week. The event, where selected startups are each given six minutes under the spotlight to pitch their product to an audience of investors and industry veterans, is one of the leading launch pads for emerging technologies.
Three presentations at Demo 09 lifted his spirits. One, in particular, made him feel the smart grid might even enter the home before the decade was out.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Energy efficiency in the Enterprise – Chris O’Connor’s Pulse keynote
Chris O’Connor is vice president of Strategy and Market Management for the Tivoli brand within IBM Software Group.
Chris gave a spectacular demo/presentation at Pulse 2009 on energy efficiency in the enterprise.
What set this presentation apart is that Chris gave some great stats (in 2007 data centers consumed 183bn kWh of energy, this cost $15.9bn, and 75% of enterprises have initiatives to reduce energy consumption).
Chris also demo’d some of the hugely effective ways that getting solid realtime metrics around energy utilisation in the enterprise helps reduce consumption, and finally at around 13:45 in the video, Chris tells a fascinating story about how their data center in Austin Texas was suffering from power spikes at 1am every morning, how they identified the cause and solved it.
IBM were good enough to give us a copy of his presentation for posting here.
[Disclosure – IBM paid my travel and expenses to attend Pulse]
Related articles by Zemanta
- IBM hits the Green ball out of the park! (greenmonk.net)
- Existing efficiency measures could cut US energy use by a third (businessgreen.com)
- Top 10 US Cities With the Most Energy Star Rated Commercial Buildings: EPA (treehugger.com)
- Take Eco-Efficiency to a Higher Level (blogs.harvardbusiness.org)
- IBM Says It Isn’t Blowing Smoke About Cloud Computing (blogs.wsj.com)
- Luiz Barroso – Energy Efficient Operations: Some Challenges and Opportunities (itc.conversationsnetwork.org)
- The Green Grid launches new datacenter metrics (insidehpc.com)
- Can a ‘smart grid’ make us energy efficient? (cnn.com)
