January 08, 2010

Oncor is building intelligence across its network -- from synchrophasors on its transmission networks to advanced metering on homes and businesses. Mark Carpenter, Oncor's vice president and CIO, noted that the utility's smart grid "is not any one thing, but is essentially spreading intelligent devices throughout the utility system, building a communications network to support these devices, bringing the data back and converting it into useful information."

January 06, 2010

When Tommy Carmichael -- the world's greatest slot machine cheat -- wanted to illegally coax coins out of Las Vegas slot machines, his first step was to get his hands on the machine he wanted to cheat. He was successful at beating the best electronic security that slot machine engineers could design and milked hundreds of thousands of dollars before he got arrested.

Coincidentally, Las Vegas was the scene last July where the supposed security flaws of smart meters were unmasked. That event still has meter makers, utilities, standards organizations and federal regulators talking or hard at work improving security.

December 14, 2009

In some circles, pushing smart meters may end up being dumb policy. A wave of public relations is now drowning out the skeptical voices necessary to assure that the public does not get bamboozled, some consumer advocacy groups say.

The essence of their argument is that smart meters that are able to reach inside homes and adjust energy consumption have yet to bear fruit. And if they are unable to do so, then it would be consumers who pay the price for any failures.

December 04, 2009

Recession may stymie the rate of economic commerce. But it does nothing to inhibit the human mind. At issue now are rising pollution rates in combination with a declining fossil fuel base, both of which are causes that scientists and engineers are dedicating time and resources.

Turning to coal, the focus has been on reducing the level of toxins while also trying to capture and bury the carbon dioxide that it releases. Now, though, attention is turning to recycling the heat-trapping emission so that it can later be used as a transport fuel. The idea is being pursued by both national and private laboratories. It's all possible. But differences exist as to when wide-scale commercialization will happen.

August 12, 2009

Mobile field workers' toolkits aren't your grandfather's wire pliers

As U.S. utilities continue a quarter-century process of building out more intelligent organizations and smart grids, they are using and adapting technological tools to push those "smarts" further into the field. At the most advanced utilities -- and not all utilities have progressed at the same rate -- the average lineman on a pole may look and be equipped more like an astronaut than the average hard-hatted working man he appeared 20 years ago.

The traditional "toolkit" linemen once carried has been greatly expanded from the days when it included screwdrivers, pliers, wire strippers, and other more conventional hand tools. Today, the typical utility mobile worker's toolkit -- at the more advanced utilities -- includes an array of digital devices and communications systems that were unknown 20 years ago.