….In recent years, vendors including Google and Microsoft have experimented with going around utilities in an attempt to establish a direct relationship with power customers. It hasn’t worked to date. I’m in agreement with Opower’s Kavazovic. “They’ve got the relationship. And they’ve got the data, including invaluable AMI data,” he says. “The utility role is essential.”

We’ll be going into much more detail about full-circle customer engagement at our webinar on Wednesday, Jan. 16. We will have multiple experts on hand to highlight lessons learned by the utilities who’ve gone before. And to answer your individual questions. The webinar is free to Smart Grid News readers, but you must click to reserve a place in advance.”

Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com, the industry’s oldest and largest smart grid site. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the U.S. and abroad, he also serves on advisory committees for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Institute for Electric Efficiency. He often provides strategic consulting to large corporations and venture-backed startups. He is a member of the advisory boards of GridGlo and Calico Energy Services.

"….DTE and other utilities have consistently asserted the devices are safe and secure. Studies have also maintained smart meters do not pose a threat to homeowners. " | "In documents filed in Oakland County Circuit Court, one of the litigants, …, claims she began to experience health issues such as nausea, headaches, and insomnia after DTE deployed the smart meter was installed at her residence in September 2011. …"

"As a first step, each household’s electricity meter was replaced with a digital smart meter….. Smart meters record power consumption data on an internal memory chip at 15-minute intervals. Once a day these data are anonymized and transmitted via the power lines to an energy-data management system. "  |  "Some 100 households that were selected at random have been equipped with smart appliances from Miele. “These appliances automatically choose the lowest tariff for their operating cycle,” …"  |  "Another 13 households.. were fitted with combined heat and power units (micro-CHPs). In addition to producing hot water, these can also generate electricity. “If demand for power exceeds the amount currently on offer from the utility, the micro-CHPs can be activated via the gateway to feed electricity into the grid,”…"

"…96% of participating (large) businesses indicated that they had started implementing energy-saving measures. Moreover, when asked about their motivations to reduce energy consumption, respondents cited “reduce energy costs” as their most important driver." | "Businesses can save energy when relying on renewable energy. One efficient way is to install biomass production of space or process heating." | "Major savings can also be realized when businesses start relying on onsite solar and wind power." | "Building control plays an important role in industrial energy-efficiency…. By deploying effective building controls, consumption can typically be reduced by up to 30%." | "Having identified the most important areas of energy-saving potential is a first step towards greener and more energy-efficient businesses. However, the turn towards energy-efficiency still is a challenge, as it involves vast investment sums. …"

"With the 80% drop in price of solar panels over the past five years, the cost of solar is as currently the same or lower than the price of grid power in 20 states across country."  |  "Crane and Kennedy, Jr. urge for the removal of costly regulations for solar energy so that infrastructure can be built that will not fail in the event of natural disasters, as seen with Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast."  |   Read the original article here.

"Microgrids can shrink the amount of fossil fuels consumed to create electricity by networking generators as a system to maximize efficiency. They can also be used to help integrate renewable energy resources (such as wind and solar) at the local distribution grid level."

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"Who needs this report?Microgrid technology vendorsSmart grid hardware and software companiesSystems integratorsDefense contractorsUtilitiesMilitary agenciesInvestor community …"