Metering.com - January

Susan Herrington and Mary Jo Nye join Canary Labs leadership team

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:09:29 +0200

Susan Herrington and Mary Jo Nye have been appointed to Canary Labs’ leadership team with the aim to increase the market presence of this data historian and trending applications provider.

Herrington, regional sales manager, will direct sales activities to the oil and gas market.

Nye, business development manager, will develop marketing and sales programs to foster increased sales to the electric power industry.

U.S. smart grid projects falling down on security

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:54:06 +0200

Washington, DC, U.S.A. --- (METERING.COM) --- January 31, 2012 - A number of the smart grid projects being funded through the Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) program of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 do not have adequate cybersecurity requirements, according to the Department of Energy’s inspector general.

Empresa Eléctrica Pública de Guayaquil selects CYME software for distribution analysis

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:31:36 +0200

Guayaquil, Ecuador --- (METERING.COM) --- January 31, 2012 - Empresa Eléctrica Pública de Guayaquil has been using Cooper Power Systems CYME™ Power Engineering Analysis Software for Transmission Systems (PSAF) for more than a decade, and is now working actively to complete a project using the CYME CYMDIST solution for distribution analysis.

Optimizing Energy Operations with M2M Communications

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:04:41 +0200

This paper evaluate ways how machine to machine communications lower operational and maintenance costs while improving response times and deliver more rigorous service-level agreements. It also explores how energy companies are beginning to benefit from connected equipment and assets, and the key requirements and best practices to consider when implementing M2M applications.

Oracle benchmarks more than one billion meter reads and half million customer bills in eight hours

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:08:21 +0200

San Antonio, TX, U.S.A. --- (METERING.COM) --- January 30, 2012 - Oracle has announced the ability to process more than one billion records and generate half million customer bills within an eight-hour nightly window using the Customer Care and Billing, Meter Data Management and Smart Grid Gateway systems, using a subset of data extracted from 30 billion interval meter reads, a volume level typical for a large utility.

BMW and Tendril partner to demonstrate electric vehicle and smart home integration

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:59:27 +0200

Boulder, CO, U.S.A. --- (METERING.COM) --- January 30, 2012 - Tendril and the BMW Group Technology Office USA have announced a partnership to build out a demonstration smart energy home in Mountain View, Calif. to prepare for the rollout and integration of the new BMW ActiveE electric vehicle (EV).

The partnership will integrate the BMW ActiveE with the home area network via Tendril's cloud platform to provide managed charging.

Next generation ZigBee Smart Energy gateway from Digi

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:46:10 +0200

Minnetonka, MN, U.S.A. --- (METERING.COM) --- January 30, 2012 - The ConnectPort® X2e for Smart Energy gateway has been introduced by Digi as a low cost, enhanced version of its ZigBee Smart Energy gateway.

The gateway connects ZigBee Smart Energy devices from a home area network (HAN) to an energy service provider via broadband. It offers additional memory and processing power for over the air updates of connected Smart Energy devices, making it easier for utilities and application partners to establish and maintain large Smart Energy device deployments.

RFP for energy meters - Turkey; Closing date February 23, 2012

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:00:04 +0200

Country: Turkey
Product/Service: Request for proposals for energy meters
Type: RFP

Closing Date: February 23, 2012
Reference: TRAD 1961

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS

EVs - how to narrow the gap between consumer expectations and their actual needs?

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:40:33 +0200

According to a major consumer survey, more than half of all Europeans, given the right infrastructure, would opt for an electric car as their new car. They expect the number of kilometers for a fully charged battery to be 437, although the actual needs are different: the average number of kilometers driven every day is only 52.

Smart grid implementation up 25 percent in past year, industry survey finds

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:01:55 +0200

San Antonio, TX, U.S.A. --- (METERING.COM) --- January 27, 2012 - There has been a 25 percent increase over last year in the number of utilities companies that have implemented smart grid technology, according to the Microsoft/OSIsoft Worldwide Utility Industry Survey for 2012.

Smart meters are changing the way consumers think about energy, British Gas finds

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:54:16 +0200

Stockley Park, U.K. --- (METERING.COM) --- January 27, 2012 - Smart meters are helping to change the behavior of British households by enabling them to better manage and control their energy consumption, according to a new study from British Gas.

According to the company for its British Gas Smart Thinking Report more than 700 domestic users were surveyed, with the results showing real interest in the new technology. Almost half of the people surveyed (48 percent) said they use their smart energy monitors on a daily basis, and more than three-quarters (78 percent) said they used it at least once a week.

Guidelines to ensure smart grid products are interoperable updated

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:40:45 +0200

Gaithersburg, MD, U.S.A. --- (METERING.COM) --- January 27, 2012 - The U.S. Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) has issued an updated version of the Interoperability Process Reference Manual, setting out the processes for accreditation of test laboratories and certifying organizations for evaluation of smart grid products and for testing of the products.

iPERL smart water metering endpoint now available outside North America

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:31:04 +0200

Raleigh, NC, U.S.A. --- (METERING.COM) --- January 27, 2012 - The iPERL(TM) smart water metering endpoint has now been introduced for markets outside of North America by Sensus.

This version of the iPERL is aimed to set a new standard in efficient water measurement and low flow accuracy and unlock the full potential of smart water networks for utilities and their customers.

Unlocking Scandinavia’s full smart energy potential

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:36:40 +0200

By Aida Mezit, Conference Manager, Synergy Events

Scandinavia is one of the pioneering regions in smart energy, with some of the highest levels of renewable power globally. It has championed smart meters and smart grid developments, with local utilities seen as the world’s leaders in innovative schemes in consumer engagement and integration of smart devices.

Call for smart meter moratorium from American Academy of Environmental Medicine

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:11:49 +0200

Wichita, KS, U.S.A. --- (METERING.COM) --- January 26, 2012 - In a letter to California’s Public Utilities Commission the Board of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine has expressed its opposition to the installation of smart meters in homes and schools and called for an immediate moratorium on their use and deployment until further study on their radio frequency health risks can be performed.

The letter states that the literature raises serious concern regarding the levels of RF (3 kHz – 300 GHz) or extremely low frequency (ELF – 300 Hz) exposures produced by smart meters. The Board is of the view that the existing FCC guidelines for RF safety that have been used to justify installation of smart meters only look at thermal tissue damage and are obsolete, since many modern studies show metabolic and genomic damage from RF and ELF below the level of intensity which heats tissues.

“The current medical literature raises credible questions about genetic and cellular effects, hormonal effects, male fertility, blood/brain barrier damage and increased risk of certain types of cancers from RF or ELF levels similar to those emitted from smart meters,” the letter continues. “Children are placed at particular risk for altered brain development, and impaired learning and behavior. Further, ELF/RF adds synergistic effects to the damage observed from a range of toxic chemicals.”

In addition, the Board notes, “the US NIEHS National Toxicology Program in 1999 cited RF radiation as a potential carcinogen. Existing safety limits for pulsed RF were termed ‘not protective of public health’ by the Radiofrequency Interagency Working Group.”

Stating that it is “unacceptable from a public health standpoint to implement this technology until these serious medical concerns are resolved” and that “continuing with installation would be extremely irresponsible,” the Board also calls for the PUC’s proposed decision to include hearings on health impact in the second proceedings, along with cost evaluation and community wide opt‐out. Further immediate relief should be provided to those requesting it and analog meters restored.