October 14, 2009

When the utility industry talks about home energy management, the focus is often on managing home appliances such as dishwashers and refrigerators. But what about all of the other stuff we plug in -- or just never unplug -- each day? The "plug load," which consists of many consumer electronics (CEs), just doesn't get enough air time today in smart grid discussions.

Yet CEs -- such as cellular phones and computers, televisions -- will be a $165 billion industry in the United States in 2009, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. And these electronic devices consume not only our dollars, but our energy as well. A 2008 study by the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research Program found that such devices account for 15 to 19 percent of California residential energy use and, "if household electronic energy use were assumed to be the same in the rest of the United States as in California, these devices would consume 9 to 12 percent of the electricity used in the average U.S. home."

October 12, 2009

Call it the one-two punch that proponents say will advance the climate change agenda. The U.S. Senate is now debating a measure similar to that of the House while the U.S. EPA has proposed that utilities install modern pollution control equipment on all facilities they modify or build.

Their mutual goal is to give the issue momentum before the global climate change talks in December. While they will underscore the sense of urgency, lawmakers will probably not be able to resolve their complex differences by then. Opponents of the Obama's EPA proposal, furthermore, will challenge that plan in court.

October 09, 2009

Offshore wind production could surge forward. Both European and U.S. advocates say that the construction of such energy projects could take off assuming that both continents stick with their carbon-free energy themes.

Offshore wind development, in theory, would avoid the typical in-fighting that occurs with respect to all other of power projects that are built on land. In practice, however, it is just as onerous largely because the wind mills in some places could be seen by local residents and because of the extensive underwater transmission systems that are thought to harm sea life.

October 07, 2009

Industry observers have noted the growing number of utility chief information officers who have either resigned or retired in recent months. This has many questioning whether there is something about the smart grid transformation that has those utility CIOs, as they are called, making haste to leave, or if it is just a strange series of coincidences.

Regardless of the reasons, one thing is clear: The departure of so many CIOs, each with a great deal of experience and tenure, will have a profound impact on the evolution and implementation of smart grid technologies.

Sustainable San Mateo County, RecycleWorks, and the San Mateo County Chapter of the American Institute of Architects sponsor the Green Building Award to support sustainable design in architecture and to recognize the designers, builders, and owners of green buildings in San Mateo County. We are happy to announce the winners of the 2009 Green Building Awards.