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- Smart grid could diminish weather-related blackouts, experts say
Aging power infrastructure might have exacerbated the fallout from Hurricane Sandy, according to some experts who say the state of the nation's energy grid is one of the leading causes of blackouts. “Our energy-generation and distribution infrastructure is outdated and often over capacity,” climate strategist Boyd Cohen said, adding the government can help address the problem by providing incentives for utilities to transition to smart grid technologies. The Daily Beast
(11/4)     
| Technology and Trends | | |
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- How the smart grid fits into the cloud
More than half of respondents in a survey of utility company executives said their budgets for cloud-computing services increased this year, according to IDC Energy Insights. More than a third reported evaluating cloud technology and nearly one-quarter plan to implement cloud services in the next year. "Although cloud adoption is nascent, multiple cloud initiatives -- such as Green Button, home energy management and smart grid network management -- are on the rise," Usman Sindhu of IDC Energy Insights said. Smart Grid News
(11/1)
| Energy Management | | |
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- Britain joins Taiwan on Penghu smart grid effort
The British county of Cornwall is teaming with the government of Taiwan to launch a smart grid project in Penghu -- a series of islands off the western coast of the Asian nation. The initiative -- which, among other things, is aimed at addressing the energy demands of the tourism industry -- will focus on power distribution, renewable energy and storage technologies. Bloomberg Businessweek
(11/5)
- Governments turn to incentives to boost energy efficiency
Creating an energy-efficient future requires consumer participation and getting people engaged -- even when the goal is to save the planet -- is always easier when there is an incentive on the line. As examples, commentator Lucy Siegle points to France and the Isle of Wight, where programs are in place that compensate consumers for the energy they don't use, known as "negawatts," a concept that was developed in the 1970s by American conservationist Amory Lovins. The Guardian (London)
(11/3)
| Setting the Agenda | | |
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- Sandy prompts DHS call for action on cybersecurity
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is calling for the formation of a special reserve of computer experts to help protect the nation from cyberattack. Napolitano noted that the power infrastructure could be brought down by attacks on control systems from hostile nations or terrorists or from severe storms. "If you think that a critical systems attack that takes down a utility even for a few hours is not serious, just look at what is happening now that Mother Nature has taken out those utilities," she said in reference to Hurricane Sandy and its remnants. CSO
(11/2)
- Changes needed in Order 1000, group executive asserts
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission needs to revisit transmission policies mandated in its Order 1000 of 2010, according to Bruce Edelston, executive director of the Coalition for Fair Transmission Policy. "Much has changed in the nation’s electricity markets since Order 1000 was initially proposed, pointing to the dangers of developing a national transmission policy based on the 'flavor of the day' and ignoring the changing economic and reliability needs of customers at the local level," he writes in this opinion piece. The Hill/Congress Blog
(11/1)
| UTC News | | |
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- Webinar: Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management Overview
Join UTC on Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. EST
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently held a workshop on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM). ICT SCRM is an emerging discipline that addresses the risks from physically dispersed supply chain for ICT products and services to the organizations telecommunications and IT infrastructure. Organizations that acquire ICT products and services are often not aware of where the individual hardware and software components originate and how they were put together. As a result the rigor of practices used to create ICT products and services is not visible to the organization that acquires a product or a service therefore creating a risk to this organization. To date, ICT SCRM efforts have been focused on U.S. government, defense, IT and telecommunications sector with a minimal participation by the utilities industry. With the increased reliance on telecommunications network, components, and services, the ICT SCRM challenge is applicable to the utilities industry as well as to the telecommunications and IT industry. A number of recent articles and reports underscore the relevance of ICT supply chain to the critical infrastructure industry, including utilities. This webinar will discuss ICT SCRM as a problem space and provide an overview of standards and best practices developed to date. Find out more.
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