STMicroelectronics (ST) announced that its new STarGRID™ ST7590 power-line communication (PLC) System-on-Chip (SoC) is being used in advanced Automatic Meter Management (AMM) equipment in the new ’STAR Project’ in Spain. Based on the PRIME (PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution) standard, the ’STAR Project’ is the advanced metering infrastructure program from the IBERDROLA utility company. By early […]
Hitachi, Ltd. and Panasonic Corp. announced an agreement to establish a cooperative relationship in the smart community-related business in the global market with a goal of helping to realize a low-carbon society. The two companies will jointly develop interfaces and work on standardization initiatives with the intention of commercializing and promoting the emergence of community […]
IBM announced that it will help utilities modernize the underlying communications networks that enable them to deliver energy resources. By providing complete consulting, design and implementation services with network technology from industry partners, IBM states that it will deliver the first-ever comprehensive communications services offering of its kind. This new offering will allow utilities to […]
Freescale Semiconductor and Cirrus Logic are working together to provide a proven, turnkey reference design for the growing digital utility meter market. The reference design pairs Cirrus Logic’s CS5463 analog front end (AFE) chip with Freescale’s 8-bit AC60 microcontrollers (MCUs), giving smart meter original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) a superior solution that allows for increased performance, […]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued its first Guidelines for Smart Grid Cyber Security, which includes high-level security requirements, a framework for assessing risks, an evaluation of privacy issues at personal residences, and additional information for businesses and organizations to use as they craft strategies to protect the modernizing power grid […]
Grid2Home, developer of Smart Energy G2HSE2 Software, announced that it has completed a round of seed funding, led by Granite Ventures. The funding will enable the company to customize the G2H-SE2 Software for multiple platforms and expand its business across the Smart Grid HAN ecosystem. In addition, the company announced that Doug Rasor has joined […]
Siemens Energy will open up its previously proprietary Distribution Line Carrier (DLC) communications protocol, which utilizes the low-voltage network as a metering communications channel. The company will thus give utilities the opportunity also to deploy meters produced by other manufacturers within its automated metering and information system AMIS. By opening up its DLC communications protocol […]
Microchip Technology Inc. announced the 8-bit PIC18F87J72 microcontroller (MCU) family for single-phase, multi-function smart-metering and energy-monitoring applications. Featuring a dual-channel, high-performance 16-/24-bit...
In the wake of a flurry of customer complaints, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) welcomed the release by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) of an independent, third-party evaluation of the utility’s SmartMeter™ program. The report, prepared by The Structure Group of Houston, Texas, states that PG&E’s new meters are recording customer electric usage […]
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that Sandia National Laboratories is investing $8.5 million for four projects that have reached Stage III of the Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS) program. These investments will be matched more than one-to-one by the SEGIS contractors to support more than $20 million in total projects. The selections […]
ADD Semiconductor, a powerline communication (PLC) IC company for smart grid applications, has received the official PRIME brand recognition as a technology provider, and it states that it is the first silicon vendor to do so. Equipment from ADD has successfully completed the certification process defined by the PRIME Alliance Certification Task Group, and its […]
Echelon Corp. unveiled the Echelon Control System (ECoS), a new open software platform for intelligent distributed control of the smart grid. The announcement was made at a special event with industry consultants, such as KEMA, and Echelon customers and partners including Duke Energy, Oracle, SEAS-NVE, and Telvent. ECoS will run throughout the edge of the […]
Itron Inc. and Cisco announced a strategic alliance that they say will advance the transformation of the world’s energy infrastructure. Together, the two companies state that they will deliver a definitive 21st century Internet Protocol (IP)-based communications platform to the smart grid market and help advance more consistent and reliable delivery of energy across the […]
The Department of Energy announced that two million smart grid meters have been installed across the country, helping to reduce energy costs for families and businesses. As a result of funding from the Recovery Act, smart grid technology is speeding the modernization of the nation’s electrical grid, helping to reduce the amount of time needed […]
The program has been announced for the first annual Smart Grid Electronics Forum (SGEF ’10) which will be jointly hosted by Darnell...