EU plans 30 cities to lead world on "smart" energy
Posted by Big Gav in smart grids
New Scientist has an article on the EU's draft "strategic energy plan" and its vision of renewable energy and smart grid enabled cities - EU plans 30 cities to lead world on "smart" energy.
Europe will select 30 cities to pioneer "smart" electricity grids and space-proven insulation as it seeks to lead the global race for green technology, a draft European Union document shows. ...
The project envisages 25 to 30 "smart cities" -- highly insulated cities that glean energy from their waste and the sun and wind overhead and channel it down to the electric cars, trams and buses in the streets below.
in more smart grid news, EcoGeek reports that the Boulder, Colorado smart grid is now operational - World's First Smart Grid City Is Now Operational
Xcel Energy's SmartGridCity project in Boulder CO is the first operational installation of a smart grid for electrical power in the world. This is a city-wide installation, rather than the kind of long-distance distribution system that many people think of when discussing a national smart grid, but both will be necessary components for an upgraded electrical infrastructure.
The SmartGridCity project also included automating three of four distribution substations, four computer-monitored power feeders, and another 23 feeders that are watched for voltage irregularities. Approximately 200 miles of fiber optic cable, 4,600 residential and small business transformers and nearly 16,000 smart meters are now connected to the smart grid system.
VentureBeat has an article on PG&E's smart grid rollout in San Jose, California - San Jose, PG&E lift veil on major Smart Grid collaboration. Next 100 has more.
Pacific Gas and Electric announced today that it’s partnering with the city of San Jose, Calif., to deploy a major project integrating smart meters provided by the utility with the city’s well-developed solar energy infrastructure.
PG&E has been gradually rolling out smart meters in its California service areas. Just like traditional meters, they record how much electricity a household or business is consuming in real time. Only now, they transmit the data they collect to both the utility and the consumer over wireless networks, eliminating the need for monthly meter readers and allowing energy users to keep track of how much they are spending on energy as they use it.
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