March 21, 2008

Electricity reliability may not be top-of-mind with consumers but it is with technology wonks. Albany, N.Y. is now testing the use of the latest iteration of grid technologies that can carry 10 times the electrons of conventional copper wires.

The so-called high-temperature superconducting cable must actually be super-cooled. That will virtually eliminate the resistance to electricity flow, thereby greatly increasing the efficiency of the wire. The second-generation technology is one solution to the challenging task of providing sufficient electric power to densely populated areas. Burying cable and acquiring rights-of-way is prohibitively expensive, often representing three-quarters the cost of such projects. With their greater capacity, however, superconducting cables hold lots of promise.

December 10, 2007

When CenterPoint Energy invested in energy efficiency, it chose a technology with a standard communication feature to allow its meters to talk with any programmable household device. CenterPoint is working with the Zigbee Alliance and other stakeholders to create the standard for wireless communication between utility companies and common household features.

Energy efficiency is becoming big business. In fact, some state regulators and their respective utilities are working together to empower customers to get them to become more energy aware. Demand response is among the leading methods -- a technology that allows utilities to signal customers to adjust their energy use during the peak energy time periods. The technologies to do so, however, vary from vendor to vendor.

GRAND HAVEN -- Light Corp. is betting its new Intu system will put the company light years ahead of the competition -- and eventually eclipse its $36 million annual light fixture business.

Next month, the Grand Haven company is launching a system that can determine if a building interior needs more or less light and automatically make adjustments.

Sensors, nodes and radio frequency are used to create a technology blanket to control functions ranging from lighting to security.

April 13, 2007 -Three-dimensional solar panels developed by the Georgia Tech Research Institute could produce about 60% times more energy than traditional flat solar panels. The new design features an array of nanotowers, like microscopic blades of grass. The tower structures can trap and absorb light received from many different angles, and remain efficient even when the sun is not directly overhead.

Trends & Innovations
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Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:00 PM ET

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