National Grid Announces $57 Billion Smart Grid Pilot in Worcester, MA
Alex Yu Zheng SmartGridNews.com
National Grid announced last week a filing with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities for a two-year, $57 million Smart Grid pilot project. The pilot involves 15,000 customers in the New England area, and includes smart meters for all customers as well as the option for programmable thermostats, e-billing, and some distribution automation pilots at a few substations. The company also plans to integrate distributed generation and the pilot may eventually include renewable integration and plug-in hybrid demonstrations. National Grid sees the demonstration as potentially leading to an expansion of the Smart Grid concept across their territory.
National Grid was not shy about the implications of the demonstration for the stimulus package. Although the project itself was not funded through the stimulus package, National Grid Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Marcy Reed noted that “Our proposal can be expanded to cover all of our customers in Massachusetts. We understand that the state of Massachusetts is interested in taking advantage of the $4.5 billion of stimulus funds allocated to Smart Grid, and we look forward to working with the state to try to secure significant funding for the Commonwealth beyond the dimensions of the proposed pilot.”
This is just one of many Smart Grid pilots that has been announced recently. The mentality is clearly changing around Smart Grid. Those who are still holding out are going from “behind the curve” to “behind on the money,” and before long will be “behind on the mandate.”
An image displaying National Grid's plan can be found here.
AT&T Partners with SmartSynch
AT&T has agreed to work with SmartSynch to connect that company's smart meter technology with the telecom giant's robust wireless network.
So-called smart grids use a variety of technologies, including smart meters, to monitor energy consumption and cut excessive energy use.
SmartSynch, a 10-year-old company based in Jackson, Mississippi, uses point-to-point communication for its smart meters, which allows for direct connectivity.
“This means fewer points of failure,” SmartSynch CEO Stephen Johnson said. “When you’re trying to get a lot of data or trying to send information, you have a closer link to the device.”
SmartSynch’s technology does not contain a proprietary link, so a smart meter simply latches onto an existing network. Not only does this allow utilities to unleash pretty much wherever they want, but also it saves SmartSynch quite a bit of money on setup costs.
SmartSynch’s deal with AT&T adds to Mr. Johnson’s high hopes for the future of smart grids.
“Upgrading our energy infrastructure is a very important area to spend our money on,” he said.
AT&T certainly agrees, as the partnership signifies an attempt for the company to get in on the action before it grows considerably. That will be aided in part by President Obama's smart grid funding in his stimulus bill, which allocates $4.4 billion for smart grids and $2 billion for transmission lines.
Before the AT&T deal, SmartSynch already has installed its smart meter technology at over 100 utilities throughout North America, though the utilities were commercial rather than residential.
Quiet Wind Turbine Comes to U.S. Homes
A home wind turbine already installed at 250 sites in Scotland is now being sold across the pond.
Cascade Engineering said Monday the Swift wind turbine, for homes and other buildings, is available in the U.S. and Canada.
The Swift tries to set itself apart from existing small wind turbines with a design that reduces noise. Also, the turbine can be attached to a home, rather than to a free-standing pole or tower.
Like other wind turbines, the Swift has blades that turn and power a generator. But rather than the typical three blades, the Swift has five and a ring that goes around them. That "outer diffuser" ring cuts the noise level to 35 decibels and reduces vibration, according to the company.
The turbine, with a 7-foot diameter, also has two fins to direct the turbine to face the wind. It can turn 360 degrees and shut down if the wind is too high.
It can generate 1.5 kilowatts with 14 mile-per-hour wind and about 2,000 kilowatt-hours over a year, the company said. U.S. households typically consume between 6,500 and 10,000 kilowatt-hours in a year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
At a cost of $10,000 installed, it's a bit lower than the typical per-watt cost of solar electric panels. But state rebates, the cost of electricity, and the wind or solar resource make a big difference on the actual up-front cost. Cascade estimates the payback on the upfront cost can be as low as three years, but that it varies widely.
Small wind recently benefited from the extension of renewable energy tax credits, which gives consumers a $1,000 tax credit for residential systems and $4,000 for commercial buildings.
Cascade, which is based in Grand Rapids, Mich., has installed 9 Swift turbines in the U.S. and has a backlog of 25 orders, according to Jessica Lehti, the company's senior product marketing manager.
The mix of customers is spit in half between residential and commercial customers. Even with the economic downturn, the company expects that it can sell to customers who purchase renewable energy products for both economic and environmental reasons.
Cascade, which specializes in plastics, has partnered with the Scotland-based Renewable Devices, which originally designed the Swift. Cascade is selling the product in the U.S.
The company says the turbine is best suited for places with average winds and needs to be placed two feet above the roofline.
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