PRESS RELEASE

Elster to Offer Advanced Smart Grid Solutions Using Cisco Technology

Cisco's Connected Grid Endpoint reference design SDK to be used with Elster's EnergyAxis® System

SAN JOSE, CA and RALEIGH, NC – Sep. 18, 2012 – Cisco and Elster announced today that Elster will offer smart grid solutions for field area networks using Cisco's technology. The solutions will integrate the Cisco Connected Grid Endpoint reference design with Elster's EnergyAxis System, and will showcase the power and flexibility of Elster's Universal technology while demonstrating support for Cisco's expertise in standards-based and interoperable communication solutions.

Through this integration of communication functions into advanced meters, utility customers will be provided with an even more flexible, secure, and economical Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) communications infrastructure. The combined solution will integrate the Elster EnergyAxis architecture within the Cisco IPv6 RF Mesh reference design.

Cisco has developed a complete suite of communications solutions for the smart grid. These include the Connected Grid Endpoint reference design as well as a full suite of switching, routing, network management and security products for the Field Area Network, Transmission & Substations, and Grid Operations. Plus Connected Grid Services to architect and optimize Smart Grid communications systems.

In addition to providing a comprehensive suite of AMI capabilities, Elster's EnergyAxis architecture enables smart meters to act as sensors for Distribution Automation and Asset Management applications such as Outage Notification, Voltage Monitoring, Asset Monitoring, and Loss Detection.  These advanced solutions enable utilities to extract even more value from their AMI investments. Elster is licensing the Cisco Connected Grid Endpoint reference design and software development kit (SDK).The addition of the Connected Grid Endpoint reference design further expands the EnergyAxis System interoperability and standards-based optimization.

With its innovative Software-Defined Radio and advanced software based metrology, Elster's REXUniversal meter platform offers utilities the flexibility to deploy this device with the Cisco GridBlocks^TM Solution Architecture, the Landis+Gyr GridStream^TM architecture (previously announced), as well as the Elster EnergyAxis Architecture.

Elster intends to develop EnergyAxis communications firmware that will operate within Cisco's 1000 Series Connected Grid Routers, and leverage application programming interfaces from the Cisco Connected Grid Network Management System.

"Cisco is committed to supporting our customers' need for interoperable vendor solutions," said Lionel Chocron, Vice President, Connected Energy Networks at Cisco. "By licensing the reference design to industry leaders such as Elster, we are enabling utilities to combine AMI communications over a common, reliable and secure communications infrastructure."

"As a Smart Grid solutions industry leader, Elster is committed to true interoperability and innovation," said Ed Myszka, President of Elster Solutions. "This announcement builds on Elster's track record of collaboration and integration to deliver the next generation of interoperability needed by utilities as they deploy Smart Grid solutions."

About Cisco

Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking, is helping the energy industry modernize the electrical grid from generation to distribution to consumption - with highly secure, reliable and scalable communications solutions. The Cisco Connected Grid solutions include: Transmission and Substation, Field Area Network, Grid Security, Data Center and Grid Operations. To learn more, please visit www.cisco.com/go/utilities.

About Elster

Elster is one of the world's largest electricity, gas and water measurement and control providers. Its offerings include distribution monitoring and control, advanced smart metering, demand response, networking and software solutions, and numerous related communications and services – key components for enabling consumer choice, operational efficiency and conservation. Its products and solutions are widely used by utilities in the traditional and emerging Smart Grid markets. 

Elster has one of the most extensive installed revenue measurement bases in the world, with more than 200 million metering devices deployed over the course of the last 10 years. It sells its products and services in more than 130 countries across electricity, gas, water and multi-utility applications for residential, commercial and industrial, and transmission and distribution applications.

For more information about Elster, please visit www.elster.com.

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Master-Planned Community Masters Energy-Saving Street Lighting with GE Evolve LED Fixtures

Press release from General Electric:

28 August 2012

Master-Planned Community Masters Energy-Saving Street Lighting with GE Evolve LED Fixtures

 

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EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — August 28, 2012 — (NYSE:GE) — When Lake Nona pursued a vision to line its Southeast Orlando streets with new lighting, the 7,000-acre, master-planned community needed to match exacting aesthetic guidelines to leading-edge technology. Community leaders found their answer in GE Lighting’s Evolve™ LED Contemporary Twin Support Post Top and Evolve LED Roadway fixtures. Combined, the energy-saving street lighting fixtures will consume approximately 253,000 fewer kilowatt hours (kWhs) of electricity a year as opposed to traditional high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting – a $27,000 utility cost reduction.

Adjacent to Orlando’s international airport, Lake Nona was established in the late 1980s and has continued to grow into the state-of-the-art community it is today. A recent surge in development caused Lake Nona to consider new energy-saving street lighting to match the modern architecture and design of new businesses, medical facilities and a residential neighborhood of 2,700 homes.

“We wanted to push our energy savings initiatives, so we made the commitment to going 100 percent LED with our street lighting,” said Richard Levey, vice president of planning, Lake Nona. “But none of the decorative fixtures we were being shown had the exact design aesthetic we wanted, and we felt it was critical to install a forward-focused lighting solution to go above and beyond in all aspects of the community to build long-term value for our residents.”

Lake Nona architects connected with GE Lighting engineers to arrive at a decorative fixture solution that matched the community’s contemporary look and feel. The fixture uses the same energy-efficient LED technology as other GE Evolve LED post top fixtures; the base and pole being specially designed for Lake Nona.

More than 370 Evolve LED fixtures now illuminate Lake Nona where a 175-watt metal halide system had been originally proposed. GE’s 86-watt LED fixtures will save the community about $18,000 a year by drawing 170,000 fewer kWhs.

Orlando’s local electric utility, Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) also helped make Lake Nona’s decision easy with its OUC Convenient Lighting Program. This program bundles pole and luminaire purchases, installation, design, expertise, maintenance and energy costs all into one convenient point of contact.

“The payback for us has been almost immediate – we’ve essentially seen savings since day one,” said Levey. “Lake Nona’s unique relationship with OUC coupled with OUC’s long and successful partnership with GE Lighting ensured this project would proceed flawlessly. The LED technology is so efficient that, when paired with an energy credit also earned from OUC, it didn’t make sense not to install the new fixtures. It was a win-win.”

Throughout Lake Nona, GE’s Evolve LED Contemporary Post Top fixtures also reduced glare commonly cast onto lawns or into homes by conventional street lighting.

“This lighting is exactly what we wanted. It fits perfectly with our vision — it’s the right scale and the right character. GE did what we didn’t think was possible — they took an idea, really a picture, from us and turned it into a phenomenal product in record time,” said Levey, explaining Lake Nona received the first fixtures in time to satisfy the project’s aggressive timeline.

Around Lake Nona, new lighting on more heavily traveled arterial and collector streets was also installed. GE’s Evolve LED Roadway fixtures, drawing 130 watts each, avoided a 250-watt high-pressure sodium (HPS) fixture design, saving 83,000 kWhs annually, or nearly $9,000. The 134 fixtures feature advanced reflective optics to more efficiently aim light where it’s needed. A unique heat sink design further provides excellent thermal management to extend LED life.

GE Evolve LED Contemporary Post Top and Roadway fixtures have helped Lake Nona achieve its goal of creating a community both contemporary and futuristic in nature. And this represents only 10 percent of total project completion. In coming years, Lake Nona anticipates more than 5,000 GE outdoor LED fixtures will be installed at community education, medical, retail, residential and recreational facilities.

LED lighting installations are just one component of a larger corporate relationship between Lake Nona and GE. GE’s ecomagination℠ and healthymagination solutions are being showcased in hospitals, homes and clinics as part of Lake Nona’s commitment to developing an innovative health and sustainability community. Among GE’s innovative, energy-efficient products currently available in Lake Nona homes are compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs and ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances including refrigeration, laundry and water heater units.

“The specific example of the LED streetlight project speaks about the level of this kind of relationship between Lake Nona and GE,” said Cody Bunce, Associate, GE Enterprise Team. “The fact that the Lake Nona team brought realistic ideas of what they wanted to accomplish with LED light fixtures made their big ideas, like creating a lamp to call their own, very doable.”

For more information about the GE Lighting products used in this project, visitwww.gelightingsolutions.com.

About Lake NonaLake Nona is a 7,000-acre master-planned community within the city limits of Orlando that will be home to world-class education, medical and recreational facilities, a medical city, diverse workspaces, retail centers, entertainment choices and residential options for all types of people seeking the best the city has to offer with all the conveniences of living within a dynamic, vibrant community. Lake Nona is being developed by Lake Nona Property Holdings, owned by Tavistock Group, a private investment company with a broad portfolio of assets around the world.

For more information on Lake Nona, visit www.learnlakenona.com.

About Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC)Established in 1923 by a special act of the Florida Legislature, OUC—The Reliable One is the second largest municipal utility in Florida. OUC provides electric and water services to nearly 225,000 customers in Orlando, St. Cloud and parts of unincorporated Orange and Osceola counties. Visitwww.ouc.com to learn more about our commitment to reliability, affordability and sustainability.

About GE Lighting
GE Lighting invents with the vigor of its founder Thomas Edison to develop energy-efficient solutions that change the way people light their world in commercial, industrial, municipal and residential settings. The business employs over 17,000 people in more than 100 countries, and sells products under the Reveal^® and Energy Smart^® consumer brands, and Evolve™, GTx™, Immersion™, Infusion™, Lumination™ and Tetra^® commercial brands, all trademarks of GE. General Electric (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter to build a world that works better. For more information, visitwww.gelighting.com.

Indoor Spaces Speak in New Accents with LED Architectural Lighting from GE Lighting Solutions

Press release:

23 August 2012

Indoor Spaces Speak in New Accents with LED Architectural Lighting from GE Lighting Solutions

 

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EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — August 23, 2012 — (NYSE:GE) — Lighting designers, specifiers and property managers can shape indoor spaces in engaging new ways with GE Lighting’s LED Architectural Lighting portfolio. New GE LED Accent, Tetra® PowerGrid and GE LED Wall Washer lighting systems add rich layers, bold backdrops and dramatic accents to retail shops, hotels, offices, restaurants, and a variety of other commercial spaces.

“Lighting evokes emotion in its subtle sophistication,” said Sarah Truman, GE Lighting Architectural LED Lighting Product Manager. “What we’ve done here is given professionals a ‘matched set’ of tools for easily constructing more inspired designs whether in a dining area, lobby, conference room, hallway or showroom.”

All of GE’s new LED Architectural products work in harmony with each other and other lighting systems. These architectural lighting products also feature long life and are backed by the quality and energy efficiency synonymous with the GE brand.

GE LED AccentThese low-profile fixtures are ideal for use in tray ceilings, underneath desks and cabinets, within toe kicks and in other tight spaces where accent lighting can enhance the feel of the room and other technology won’t physically fit. Strips of ultra-thin LED modules less than half an inch thick can be cut to a variety of lengths to fit any need, even around corners. Each module is equipped with a lens that diffuses light in an even distribution pattern without the “dots” that plagued early LED systems. This 0-10V dimmable LED system is available in a variety of color temperatures, and an optional mounting track allows for even easier installation and additional angling.

Tetra® PowerGridThis modular 0-10V dimmable LED lighting system replaces traditional fluorescent lighting in backlighting applications that require broad, uniform light, such as lighting behind translucent panels, walls and ceilings. These modules also can be cut to fit to length, lending brilliant, consistent, evenly diffused light in depths as shallow as three inches deep.

GE LED Wall Washer SeriesGE’s LED Wall Washer Series brightens and emphasizes textures on vertical surfaces from ceiling to floor of large areas, such as lobbies, upscale offices and long hallways. Designers can choose from three different optical options that work with three specific applications:

• Wall Washing

Uniformly lights vertical surfaces and hides imperfections on flat surfaces; these fixtures are typically mounted in a recess a few feet from the wall

• Wall Grazing

Emboldens the character of a space by highlighting and accenting textured surfaces; these fixtures are typically mounted less than a foot from the wall in a slot or recess

• Cove Lighting

Evenly distributes light over the ceiling and the upper part of walls; these fixtures are typically mounted in a cove recess

These fixtures can be installed in mounting tracks and angled in ten degree increments (up to 50 degrees) in either direction giving users greater focus and flexibility in their designs.

All GE LED Architectural Lighting products have a long rated life of 50,000 hours, carry a five-year limited warranty, produce no UV emissions and are RoHS compliant. Designers can visit www.gelightingsolutions.com to learn more about these new energy-efficient LED lighting systems.

About GE Lighting
GE Lighting invents with the vigor of its founder Thomas Edison to develop energy-efficient solutions that change the way people light their world in commercial, industrial, municipal and residential settings. The business employs over 17,000 people in more than 100 countries, and sells products under the Reveal^® and Energy Smart^® consumer brands, and Evolve™, GTx™, Immersion™, Infusion™, Lumination™ and Tetra^® commercial brands, all trademarks of GE. General Electric (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter to build a world that works better. For more information, visitwww.gelighting.com.

Integrating Variable Wind Energy into the Grid

A few years ago, I overheard some local utility employees discussing wind power at a conference.  They were agreeing that if not for the Government mandates and subsidies, their utilities would not touch wind power.  The problem was pretty much the variability of production.


The post below was taken from one of the U.S. Department of Energy's blogs.  I wanted to post this announcement on my blog quickly so I have not had a chance to review this report, yet.  It sounds like they may have found some ways to address the variability issues.  Hopefully, so.

New Report: Integrating Variable Wind Energy into the Grid

December 19, 2011 

  

The Energy Department and Alstom Grid announce the availability of a new report on integrating wind energy into the electrical grid. | Image source: The Strategies and Decision Support Systems for Integrating Variable Energy Resources in Control Centers for Reliable Grid Operations Report.

Charlton I. Clark

Integration Team Lead, Wind and Water Power Program

What's in the report?

• Insights direct from grid operators about the challenges, solutions, and successes of integrating variable wind energy into the grid.

Wind doesn’t always blow consistently and sometimes doesn’t blow at all, but wind energy is not unreliable – just ask grid operators.

In a new report, Strategies and Decision Support Systems for Integrating Variable Energy Resources in Control Centers for Reliable Grid Operations, they offer their first-hand perspectives on how variable energy sources, including wind energy, actually impact grid operations.

Grid operators are the individuals who ensure that you receive electricity reliably and at an economical price. They balance electricity supply and demand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You can think of them as the air traffic controllers for the power system, constantly monitoring and directing activities on the grid to keep the lights on in your home.

The study, a first-of-its-kind review, finds that the ability to forecast variable energy output is vital to successfully integrating variable energy into the electrical grid. The study also finds that decision support tools are also essential to helping grid operators incorporate wind forecasts and obtain optimal power flow in their grids. The study describes several decision support tools that are currently used by grid operators. However, existing decision support tools in the United States need to evolve further as more domestic variable energy enters the electrical grid.

Despite these challenges, the grid operators interviewed have a positive outlook for integrating variable energy and are eager to share and apply best practices with other operators.

The Energy Department funded two organizations, Areva Federal Services and Alstom Grid, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. As part of this study, Areva and Alstom interviewed 33 grid operators in 18 countries who, together, are responsible for integrating 72 percent of the wind energy world-wide into their grids. Alstom presented some of their findings in a webinar in October 2011.

Over the past two decades, there has been a large increase in the production of wind energy across the world, growing from roughly 2 gigawatts in 1990 to almost 200 gigawatts in 2010. That’s enough wind energy to serve about 50 million U.S. homes. The final report and executive summary provides even more insights direct from grid operators about the challenges, solutions, and successes of integrating variable wind energy into the grid.