Remember a few years ago when the utility companies sent meter readers from home to home to read and jot down energy usage? Not too long ago technology changed and a new process, the automatic meter reading, allowed meters to send a signal to a utility truck that drove through neighborhoods collecting the data.
Sounds smart, right? But it gets even better. We’re now seeing an advanced metering infrastructure able to send data to the billing department at your utility company and then back home to you, the consumer.
As this article explains, it’s just one of many ways the new Smart Grid systems are evolving our electricity. Read on:
Image via Mashable.com
The “smart grid” is a rapidly growing set of technologies, processes, devices and applications that affect and enhance the traditional electric grid. These advances are partially driven by exponentially growing demands worldwide for energy as expressed in a commonlyrepeatedstatistic that “global electricity demand is expected to increase 75% by 2030.” What’s happening with the smart grid also reflects developments made in communications, from Internet to cellular to wireless, as well as higher expectations from consumers regarding energy availability, rising energy costs and access to their energy information. A smarter grid will also help integrate renewable energy including wind and solar into the energy mix.
To understand the smart grid, you first need to get familiar with the 125-year-old electric grid. Most people don’t think about where the electricity they’re using comes from or how it gets to their homes and offices. The electric grid consists of several main touchpoints in an overall system that gets electricity from creation to the end user:
Read the rest via mashable.com, and let me know what you think i the comment’s area.
Check out the latest technology from Microsoft called Skinput. It’s an idea that may someday do away with a physical computer keyboard or remote control and replace them with your body! The video below shows how a projection system displays the keypad on a user’s arm, while sensors read the input based fingers touching skin….
As the pace of innovation speeds up and global concerns over the climate crisis hit a critical inflection point, consumers are demanding more than one-size-fits-all solutions. They want hyper-personalized experiences, seamless digital interactions, and products that align with their values. At Innovationedge, we’re monitoring shifts in consumer preferences, how companies respond, and which emerging technologies…
“The Internet is supposed to be all about freedom and choice—yet here comes Steve Jobs with an Internet that is a completely closed system. Apple not only sells you the device, but also operates the only store on the planet that sells software for it.” —Newsweek For all its coolness, the iPad is making for…
Here’s an interesting article sure to raise controversy in the scientific community: To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, scientists at Toshiba Corp. in rural Japan are working on a way to send noxious pollutants deep into the ground. It is a technology called “carbon capture and storage” (CCS), and is being tested at the Mikawa power…
I am excited to launch a new partnership for Innovationedge: Inforum is a way to bring together thought leaders from all across northeast Wisconsin to collaborate on innovative ideas. For Inforum, we teamed up with Insight on Business Magazine, and one look at this cutting-edge online publication and you’ll see why Insight is an excellent…
With a portion of our Innovationedge team located in Winnebago County in Northeast Wisconsin, we are fortunate to be part of a thriving NEW North innovation ecosystem. Created in 2005, NEW North is a non-profit, regional marketing and economic development corporation that fosters collaboration among private and public sector leaders. The following Wisconsin counties make…