Smart metering is essential to hit cardon emission targets  

Smart Meters are hitting the news with ever increasing frequency (which means I really should pull my finger out and finish off a detailed post on them one day) - The (UK) Telegraph reports that "Smart metering alone will not make Britain meet its 2050 carbon emission targets. But the necessary cuts will not be made without them." - Smart metering is essential to hit 2050 cardon emission targets.

Tough times call for bold leadership and a steady hand. Never more so than today when the effects of the credit crunch are becoming more and more apparent.

As the wave of pain felt by financial markets washes across other sectors, there are some who claim that environmental issues should again be returned to the periphery.

This must not happen. As Lord Stern noted in his 2006 report into the economics of Climate Change, we are dangerously close to a tipping point when no amount of remedial action will be enough to counterbalance the damage caused in previous years of environmental negligence.

If Europe is to meet its 20-20-20 targets (increasing energy efficiency and share of renewable energy by 20 per cent and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent) within 12 years and the UK is to honour it's even more ambitious pledge to cut carbon by 80 per cent by 2050, tough decisions must be made.

While economic circumstances today may not be ideal for a move away from coal and other carbon emitting fuels tomorrow, important steps can and should be taken to enhance energy efficiency and security of supply.

The UK and Europe as a whole must modernise and liberalise an ageing electricity grid, create economies of scale for renewable energy and promote consumer efficiency. None of which is possible without the introduction of the pre-requisite for the smart grid, smart meters.

The rationale behind smart meters is simple – by making it clear to consumers how much energy they are using and exactly what it is costing them, they are empowered to cut their usage and thus their bills. After all, unless you can measure something you can't be expected to accurately control it.

Utilities meanwhile, benefit from a two-way flow of data which enables them to manage use more efficiently and which will help them to solve one of the biggest bug-bears in the industry: estimated billing.

With significant technological progress and encouragement from lawmakers and regulators, smart metering is expected to revolutionise energy management and grid reliability across the globe.

A recent study suggests that meters are capable of delivering a 10 per cent cut in annual energy use. Another estimates that dynamic demand-side response in the EU could save electricity equivalent to the domestic consumption of Germany and Spain.

So the potential benefits are enormous. And not just in terms of increasing efficiency. As we step into the brave new world of renewable energy, we need a smart, flexible system that can manage intermittent sources of clean energy such as wind and solar and employ them in tandem with more traditional sources.

In short our current system needs to be upgraded to the digital era.

One building block for a smart grid is a smart home network that understands both dynamic power pricing and how much power each device is using - and which ones can be turned off if necessary. Solsie.com reports on Nokia's efforts to break into this emerging market - Nokia Develops a Smart Home Platform

Nokia redefines its business model by extending his hardware offerings to more solution and platform oriented offerings. After the decision to pull out from the Japanese market due to inadequate hardware for country specific requirements such DVB-TV, Electronic payment, etc.. Nokia announced today it is developing a smart home platform to offer Consumers New Ways to Control Their Homes With a Mobile Device.

Nokia Home Control Center. The platform is opening a new era for networked home services and solutions. Nokia’s Home Control Center will be the basis for next generation security, smart home solutions and household energy management systems.

The platform is open allowing third parties to integrate their own smart home solutions and services; its core consumer value is the plug and play experience across all solution areas with high security levels built in. All solutions based on the platform can be used through a smart phone or PC locally or remotely. Consumers can monitor and control their electricity usage, switch devices on and off, and monitor different objects, such as temperature, camera, and motion. In future, entire systems within the home can be connected to the Nokia platform, including security, heating, and ventilation systems.

"We see there is growth potential in the smart home market," said Teppo Paavola, Vice President, Head of Corporate Business Development, Nokia. "The home of today has intelligence everywhere, but to date there has not been a solution that is interoperable with wide range of home systems that can easily be controlled. We want to create an open solution where external partners can develop their own solutions and services on top of our platform.

We believe that the mobile device is an ideal interface to control home intelligence, especially when the user is not at home."

Nokia today also announced a partnership with one of Europe’s biggest energy companies, RWE. The co-operation aims at developing a comprehensive solution for managing energy consumption and CO2 footage at home. This cooperation combines RWE’s energy competence with Nokia’s technological know-how.

With this in mind, the first joint solution from Nokia and RWE on late 2009 will focus on home heating management. The product consists of a central control unit together with remote-controlled thermostats for the actual radiator. The user interface will be the PC and the mobile phone. In addition, a separate display will be available. RWE is also planning special offers combining these devices with new energy supply contracts. In a second step, Nokia and RWE are planning additional services in connection with smart meters beyond 2009. These services will provide consumers with real-time information about their energy consumption and allow them to control their energy bill remotely.