Smart grid

Cisco Systems on Thursday said it intends to acquire wireless sensor maker Arch Rock, a move that beefs up Cisco's smart-grid and data center businesses.

San Francisco-based Arch Rock makes a system for collecting information from mesh networks of IP-based wireless sensors, routers, and servers. Its sensors are placed in data centers and buildings to monitor heat and other environmental conditions to optimize cooling and improve the overall energy efficiency.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Privately held Arch Rock is also developing wireless communications for utilities called Phy-Net Grid. The system is designed to use Arch … Read more

Networking giant Cisco Systems announced Tuesday a deal with meter maker Itron to advance Internet Protocol-based communications for the power grid.

The two companies will create a reference design for using the IPv6 networking protocol to connect everything from people's homes to power distribution equipment on the grid. That reference design will form the basis for gear installed in smart meters, sensors, and computing systems inside utilities, Cisco executives said.

As part of the deal, Itron will license and embed Cisco's IP technology in its meters and distribute Cisco hardware as part Itron's smart-grid deployments.

Right now, … Read more

Here's an unusual way to upgrade a subway system: add a giant battery.

Viridity Energy said Monday that it has been awarded a $900,000 grant by the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority to build a system that will capture the energy from Philadelphia subway cars as they brake to enter a station.

The regenerative braking system will collect energy in a large battery installed along the busy Market-Frankford Line. The stored energy will be used to power trains when they leave the station and to earn money from energy sold back to the grid.

"Essentially we're creating … Read more

Google.org has tacked on energy-efficiency recommendations to PowerMeter, one of many features planned for its home energy Web application.

The latest feature, accessible from the Take Action button, gives people a way to organize tasks for making a home more efficient. The recommendations are generated based on the type and size of a house as well as some basic electricity usage information.

As people take more steps to reduce energy use, the application generates new recommendations, said Google PowerMeter product manager Ryan Falor in a company blog.

PowerMeter graphs out real-time and historical electricity usage information of a person'… Read more

As you know, CNET is all about tech news and reviews. Earlier this week, we ran a story on the technology tools being developed for managing home energy.

But as some readers noted, there are plenty of low-tech ways to improve home energy efficiency (which we also cover). The idea behind gadgets, such as home energy displays and Web energy dashboards, is that consumers will take steps toward efficiency once they have a better idea of where their energy dollars go.

Better information can lead to simple efficiency steps, such as programming the thermostat or turning off unused electronics. Or … Read more

General Electric will provide digital energy technology for a research project to test how energy-efficient homes can be with smart-grid products for consumers.

The $5 million Department of Energy program will equip homeowners in the western U.S. with GE's Nucleus home electricity management system, with LED lighting, and with connected appliances. Homes will also be equipped with solar panels.

The project will evaluate whether the combination of on-site power production through solar and energy management technology can reduce energy usage by 70 percent in both new and existing homes, according to GE.

Basing calculations on U.S. averages … Read more

HOLYOKE, Mass.--In between power plants and the plug on the wall is this thing called the grid, an engineering marvel that's largely invisible and impenetrably complex to most of us.

If you follow the grid network backwards behind the wall socket, the meter, and the utility poles on your street, you eventually get to a building called a grid operations center, where megawatts of energy flow from state to state and specially trained operators make split-second decisions that can mean the difference between blackouts or business as usual.

To get a better feel for how the grid works, … Read more

Maine is now home to the "largest ocean energy device ever installed in U.S. waters," the Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) announced Wednesday.

That device is the company's Beta Power System, which was installed in Cobscook Bay off of Eastport, Maine, and includes a submerged Turbine Generator Unit with a capacity of 60 kilowatts.

The TGU works in similar principle to a wind turbine, but with a horizontal turbine propelled by tidal currents instead of wind. The turbine is built from composite materials resistant to corrosion and, being gearless, requires no lubricants that could make their … Read more

Xtreme Power announced Wednesday its PowerCell energy storage and Dynamic Power Resources energy management system will be used in what could be the most significant transmission station in the U.S. electric grid.

In March, Tres Amigas got approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to offer transmission services at negotiated rates across the three main arteries of the U.S. electrical grid. The agency is now considering allowing it to build and connect a mega-hub based in Clovis, N.M.

Specifically, the proposed Tres Amigas SuperStation would allow power to be transmitted as needed among three independently operating U.… Read more