Honeywell

Digest (May 2014)

GE Energy Consulting and the New York Power Authority agree to a license arrangement allowing NYPA to use GE’s MAPS software to perform high-fidelity nodal analysis; NRG acquires Roof Diagnostics Solar, a residential solar company; GE unveils 2.75-120 wind turbine; AEP awards Babcock & Wilcox a contract to provide steam generator services.

Honeywell and CPS Energy Expand Efforts to Help Make the Electrical Grid Smarter

Honeywell and CPS Energy (CPS) announced a two-year program where CPS will use automated demand response (ADR) technology and services from Honeywell. The program is expected to be the largest ADR deployment by a municipal utility, and will build on a pilot project that CPS Energy and Honeywell completed last year. The pilot included nine commercial and industrial facilities, and helped trim demand by approximately 1.5 MW. Honeywell and CPS Energy will look to enroll 60 additional sites, bringing the potential reduction to nearly 6 MW.

Digest

ISO New England approves Northern Pass transmission project; Southern California Edison selects Quanta PAR to build Tehachapi transmission line segments; Pennsylvania PUC approves PPL $335 million grid project; Southern Company completes smart grid investments; U.S. Army Reserve contracts ConEdison Solutions for efficiency and maintenance support services; plus announcements and contracts involving Honeywell, Stor Generation, Salt River Project, Landis+Gyr, Abengoa, Constellation, and others.

Honeywell and Stor Generation Connect With Building Owners to Stabilize Electrical Grid

Honeywell and power management company Stor Generation Ltd. launched a new smart grid program in the U.K. The companies will use Honeywell technology to temporarily trim energy use in commercial and industrial facilities, combining the excess power to help stabilize the electrical grid, and address country-wide carbon reduction and renewable energy commitments. Under the program, Stor Generation will pay facility owners to lower consumption when the call for electricity starts to outpace what power plants and renewable resources are able to produce.

Economy of Small

How DG and microgrids change the game for utilities.

Energy microgrids have emerged as more than just a curiosity. The technology is improving, costs are falling, and developers are lining up to build projects. How will microgrids overcome the substantial challenges that stand in their way?

Vendor Neutral

(April 2012) MidAmerican Energy awarded a contract to Siemens Energy to supply wind turbines for its 407-MW project expansion. American Electric Power began operating the 580-MW Dresden natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant. Duke Energy and ChinaHuaneng Group signed a three-year agreement expanding their research cooperation to include coal and carbon capture and sequestration technologies. And others...

Vendor Neutral

(March 2012) DTE Energy awards contract to URS; Exelon and Constellation reach an agreement with Electricite de France; Dominion and Lockheed Martin enter a joint marketing and development alliance; plus deals involving Nissan North America, CenterPoint Energy Field Services, Honeywell, Silver Spring Networks, and others.

People (January 2012)

American Electric names new vice presidents; Northeast Utilities announces executive changes; Southern Nuclear and Peabody Energy name new vice presidents; plus senior staff changes at IDACORP, Georgia Power, Conservation Services Group, and others.

Vendor Neutral

(November 2011) Hitachi Power Systems America wins contract from Westar Energy; City of Fort Collins selects Elster, Siemens Energy, eMeter and Tropos GridCom to provide systems for its AMI project; Energate to supply smart thermostats for Oklahoma Gas & Electric; Jackson Municipal Electric Department selects Survalent Technology for a new SCADA system; Eastern Nebraska Public Power District Consortium selects ABB to implement an advanced smart grid-based SCADA; plus announcements and contracts involving EnerSys, S&C Electric, Siemens and others.

Growing Pains

Utilities work toward a more mature relationship with customers.

The notion that utilities don’t do a good job of consumer engagement is only half true. The fact is, many customers don’t want to be engaged. They just want cheap, reliable electricity, no questions asked. But smart grid advancements call for a dramatic improvement on both sides of the conversation. Utilities are struggling to create a more mature relationship with their customers.