Department of Energy - Smart Grid. “Smart grid” generally refers to a class of technology people are using to bring utility electricity delivery systems into the 21st century, using computer-based remote control and automation. These systems are made possible by two-way communication technology and computer processing that has been used for decades in other industries. They are beginning to be used on electricity networks, from the power plants and wind farms all the way to the consumers of electricity in homes and businesses.
They offer many benefits to utilities and consumers -- mostly seen in big improvements in energy efficiency on the electricity grid and in the energy users’ homes and offices. For a century, utility companies have had to send workers out to gather much of the data needed to provide electricity. The workers read meters, look for broken equipment and measure voltage, for example. The “grid” amounts to the networks that carry electricity from the plants where it is generated to consumers. ERCOT Glossary. Smart Grid News - Grid Modernization and the Smart Grid. Plug Into the Smart Grid. PowerMeter - Save Energy. Save Money. Make a Difference.
We launched Google PowerMeter as a free energy monitoring tool to raise awareness about the importance of giving people access to their energy information.
PowerMeter included key features like visualizations of your energy usage, the ability share information with others, and personalized recommendations to save energy. We partnered with device manufacturers and utilities around the world. Many of our partners now have new options available for accessing energy information. We are pleased that PowerMeter helped demonstrate the importance of access to energy information, and created a model for others. We retired the service on September 16, 2011. We continue to see encouraging results about the importance of access to energy data. Momentum is building toward making energy information more readily accessible, and it’s exciting to see others drive innovation and pursue opportunities in this important new market. Monitor Your Home Power Usage by Building a DIY Power Meter Reader - How-To Geek ETC.
Commercial meter readers are expensive; this DIY hack allows you to cheaply monitor your power consumption for a greener tomorrow (and, realistically, a much lower bill).
Paul discovered that his digital power meter sent out a pulse of IR light every time a watt-hour of power was consumed. He built a simple monitoring assembly in a project box that consisted of a small circuit board and a photo transistor. It’s a clever and inexpensive hack (it cost him less $20). You can check out the details of his build at the link below. Don’t have a digital meter? IRMeterMon [via Hack-A-Day] Jason Fitzpatrick is warranty-voiding DIYer and all around geek. SmartGrids: European Technology Platform. Texas Electricity Ratings: The Blog. This morning Direct Energy has announced their purchase of Texas retail electricity provider Bounce Energy.
Bounce Energy, who has consistently been at the top of the Texas Electricity Ratings rankings (currently #1), has easily been the most innovative electricity provider in the country in terms of their online technology/capabilities and their success in reaching out to potential and existing customers through social media outlets.
Additionally, just recently, Bounce made groundbreaking contributions to the electricity space with the launch of their new MyAccount functionality, as well as their Build Your Own Plan functionality. The Build Your Own Plan is the only one of it’s kind in the electricity space, and allows customers to select their own plan term length, the amount of renewable energy in the plan, whether they want automated and paperless billing, and more. All in all, it’s a very interesting day for Texas electricity customers. Smart Meter Texas - Welcome. Smart Texas - Rethinking Energy.