M2M technology is still ahead of us in terms of complete installation into our communities and nation. But companies and businesses are making an effort to push the technology because of its potential for efficiency and financial and power conservation. Berkeley Varitronics Systems (BVS), the leading manufacturer and distributor of advanced wireless solutions and security products to the domestic and international wireless telecommunications industry has released the Squid M2M 3G Cell Tower Tester. This is a handheld receiver that will expedite the 3G modem installation process.

The Squid provides users with a real time display of local 3G carriers’ base stations and their RSSI. Carrier networks and the type of 3G band can also be identified by the Squid, and this provides installers with the proper information when deciding on key installation sites and optimal antenna placement. The Squid also helps them decide upon the best mobile carrier for their site which makes the process far more convenient because now installers don’t have to juggle between several different cell providers to guesstimate which is the best for M2M. A Squid also provides data for UMTS, CDMA, GSM, and GPRS networks. The clear and crisp OLED display, USB port, GPS receiver for time-stamped, geo-located measurements all make it easy to pick the best carrier at a given location when using the Squid. This M2M enabling device can easily be used in order to facilitate Smart Grid technology as well because M2M technology is used entirely in Smart Grid processes. In order to locate an adequate M2M location to use for Smart Grid technology the Squid can be used easily. For more information, see the new M2M Cellular Modem Installations white paper.

The Ecomagination Challenge is a business initiative sponsored by GE to help develop more eco-friendly energy solutions and meet customers’ demands for more energy-efficient products.

Energy is becoming more and more expensive. As such, efforts have to be made not only to save energy but also find more eco-friendly sources. People’s perception of environmentally friendly initiatives has suffered in the past from the idea that eco friendly energies are also much more expensive. Smart grid technologies also suffer from a lack of public awareness and late governmental support. GE’s project intends to promote innovative technologies and continues to invest in Ecomagination R&D. This year’s edition’s theme was “Powering your Home” and five companies were awarded $100,000 each to salute their project and help them develop their businesses.

Among all competitors (950) the company PlotWatt stood out for offering a technology with broad application, true market potential and of course a real eco-friendly impact. The product that awarded PlotWatt the grant is a free application that features cloud-based algorithms to analyze home energy data and provide appliance-level insight. The application helps the customer to save up to 20 percent off electric bills by optimizing the energy consumption and giving recommendations about the house’s energy use.
PlotWatt was founded in 2008 and only counts six employees as of today. However, PlotWatt’s technology is receiving more and more help along its way and the potential success of the application should enable it to expand rapidly so as to serve a large number of customers soon.

Technology is an amazing thing. It makes our lives more convenient in hundreds of ways and it is ever growing. It also has paramount applications in the field of energy conservation. The government is investing in top of the line energy conservation technology which will ultimately create more jobs, stimulate the economy, and save money. Smart Grid technology is among the elite methods of preserving and redistributing energy in an efficient manner. In the process of Smart Grid utilization, our nation’s electric system will move from a centralized, producer controlled network to a less centralized, more consumer interactive model.  However, integration will be only more and more expensive as the costs of new generation and delivery infrastructure increases and climbs sharply. According to The Battle Group, which is a consulting group that specializes in finance, regulation, and economics, the infrastructure alone will require payments of $1.5 trillion over the next 20 years. These numbers make the reality of Smart Grid deployment unlikely, but popular awareness has been heightened by projects of all sizes. People will demand more control over their energy choices if they know what’s possible in the energy conservation realm. Just inform the people what they pay for and how they can pay less–that’ll start a movement and create zealousness of sorts.

The Smart Grid represents the creation of a near-term marketplace in the tens of billions of dollars. Technological assistance, like Smart Grid technology, is needed anywhere energy performance can be enhanced, efficiencies gained or innovations enabled. It needs popular awareness however. The Smart Grid opens the door to consumer choice while reducing the cost of delivered electricity. It also makes other already present natural energy producing methods like wind and solar more effective sources for clean and renewable energy. So how do we make this much needed step in energy conservation a reality? Federal and State legislation can have an enormous impact on the speed and efficiency of Smart Grid deployment, and the people can coerce the politicians. The Obama administration has recently unveiled a plan called: “A Policy Framework for the 21st Century Grid: Enabling Our Secure Energy Future.” The steps towards deployment have been taken, but popular awareness is still necessary to make the plan a complete reality and part of our society. Although the complete inculcation of Smart Grid technology is far away, if city after city employs the technology, the macro idea will not seem so far fetched and distant.

Today, the Obama Administration unveiled a new plan entitled, “A Policy Framework for the 21st Century Grid: Enabling Our Secure Energy Future”. Its main objective is to require an upgrading of the existing electrical grid and the acceleration of the deployment of smart grid technologies across the US. A $250 million loan, funded by the Recovery Act, will support 141 current smart grid technology projects and promote their results. The goal is to encourage more states to adopt smart grid policies (25 states already have) and to streamline different approaches into a unified scheme that will lead the clean-energy economy by example.

The White House’s plan aims to achieve four main goals:

• enable innovation
• increase investment to modernize the grid and help cut utility bills
• give consumer more reliable information and greater control over their energy use
• secure the grid against cyber attacks

“Effective development and use of smart grids will drive unprecedented energy innovation across the country while keeping our energy supply efficient, protected and ready to meet growing demand”  said Chris Hankin, director of environmental policy at the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC). He went on to salute the White House’s effort to establish consumer-focused and cost effective energy policies, in an official press release.

The White House framework represents an important first step in laying the foundation for an eventual unified initiative that will include the private sector as well.  Its intention is to capitalize on the shared objectives of both the public and private sectors to make energy use more efficient through the implementation of smart grid technologies.

The limitless potential of smart grids has brought about the emergence of many energy saving ideas and hypothetical systems that have yet to be developed. The SuperSmart Grid (SSG) is a hypothetical wide area electricity network that has garnered much support because it would unify smart grid and super grid capabilities while connecting Europe with Northern Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, and the IP systems of CIS countries. Super grids are virtual power plants.

The idea of a super grid is not new being that Europe has been synchronizing its grids for decades now and the largest unified grid is the synchronous grid of Continental Europe which serves 24 countries. The problem with these large systems though is that they experience scaling issues because of network complexities and congestion during transmission. Keeping a stable speed that is also rapid proves to be difficult for such large networks as well.

The SSG however, would depend on the usage of current technology such as high voltage direct current (HVDC). The SSG would operate “on top” of local high voltage AC grids. The system also seems to be affordable and uses today’s electricity prices. The features of the super grid provide inexpensive, high capacity, low loss transmission to producers and consumers across vast distances. So far, there is no precise location planning and the network is only being discussed in terms of economic and technological plausibility. The EU does advocate the SSG however due to their commitment to increasing their use of renewable energy. By 2050, a 100% renewable electricity supply will be made possible for Europe and North Africa.

Smart grids are the 21st century way to distribute energy. With the advent of digital technology, inter-device communication has developed tremendously. Traditionally, power plants and other energy producers fed electricity into the various networks they serviced. That energy flowed into the network in a constant stream; available, yet also wasteful. Unused electricity just fizzled out and appliances ran at any time of day, regardless of the cost.

Today, smart grids have transformed the traditional power system in the interests of both the provider and consumer. Local or private smart grids monitor the amount of energy used and needed by consumers, sharing this information with the larger grids. The larger systems, in turn, regulate the level of energy passed on to the local grids, redirecting electricity to where it’s needed most. Smart grids can also regulate different energy sources, so that if wind speed picks up for a few hours, the system will draw more energy from wind farms than power plants. This environmentally healthy feature maximizes our use of resources.

For consumers, smart grids can save a significant amount of cash by regulating the use of appliances. By only operating household machines during off-peak hours, when the rates are cheaper, smart grids ensure that energy is used in the most efficient way. This does involve a drawback if you’d rather not have your laundry start at 4am.

Smart grids are still in the nascent stages of development and implementation. For these systems to go mainstream, entire power grids and networks must be renovated and installed with the requisite technology. Miami has been a pioneer in the smart grid world, hoping to build a smart network for the entire city. The president has voiced plans for a national smart grid, an ambitious project which could revolutionize the way America harvests and distributes energy. As the story of the smart grid develops, we’ll be covering it all right here.