The concept of the smart city is one that holds a lot of promise and potential in terms of how computerized, networked public infrastructure might improve energy efficiency, resource management, and the overall quality of life in cities. Cisco created an interactive infographic showcasing its smart, connected City of the Future. The company also recently announced the addition of a whole new suite of technologies and services that are aimed at helping utilities modernize their grids.

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Venture capital funding for the smart grid sector in 2011 dropped by 50 percent.

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These trends, which range from a boom in certified multi-family construction to the advent of consumer friendly home energy technology, were identified by us based on discussions with a broad range of audiences over the latter part of 2011.

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Within the cavernous halls at CES 2012 were plenty of energy efficient, “green” and eco-friendly products along with OLED and smart TVs. Panasonic and Samsung led the pack.

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A nationwide smart grid is in the works but starting to stall out, making the goal of improved energy allocation across the U.S. seem unattainable. But with the emergence of “microgrids” on college campuses, what can we learn about building a nationwide system from institutions of higher learning?

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One of SK’s futuristic buildings in north Seoul, the T Tower, hosts T.um, or “Ubiquitous Museum.” The tour is part Avatar, part futuristic living room and also provides a view of how our transportation options are going to change.

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The Green Energy Park is where energy storage, solar power and smart grid technologies will provide the next level of not only innovation, but revenue streams as well.

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Panasonic is now determined to become the number one green innovation company in the electronics industry. That vision is on display in a prototype eco ideas house and planned smart community to open in 2013.

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Smart grids are billed as the hub of a smarter, more sustainable and democratized electricity distribution system, a core element of making a transition from fossil fuel to cleaner, renewable energy sources. Investing in smart grids is also touted as an engine for creating relatively well-paying, clean tech jobs. A study released yesterday by the Silicon Valley Smart Grid Task Force found that these claims aren’t unfounded.

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On Tuesday, while Israelis celebrated the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza for five years by Hamas, the team of TaKaDu, an Israeli start-up had another reason for celebration. That same day their company was the “Company of the Year – Europe & Israel” in the prestigious 2011 Global Cleantech [...]

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IBM’s signing on as a member of EcoGrid EU, a consortium of companies that is planning a European Union (EU) smart grid that will source at least 50% of its electrical power from renewable sources, such as wind, solar and biogas. Smart grids are central elements in making the transition from fossil fuel-based to clean, renewable energy systems. It will take massive investments in electrical power infrastructure and may take a decade or more to make the transition worldwide. The EcoGrid EU project is likely to speed up the process substantially.

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Mark Twain famously said, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” The same might be said of the American solar industry. Solyndra Solar collapsed despite substantial government assistance, and Evergreen Solar and SpectraWatt both went bankrupt due to competition from low-cost Chinese imports. There is certainly cause for consternation. But the DOE remains committed [...]

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Boyd Cohen, Ph.D., Co-Author, Climate Capitalism Writing this last Saturday afternoon, the nation and the world are warily observing the path and wrath of Hurricane Irene.  There have already been documented losses of life as well as reports that more than a million Americans have been left without power so far. Given that the changing [...]

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This post is a condensed version of an article in the August issue of The Solutions Journal, based at the Institute for Sustainable Solutions at Portland State University. In October 2010, Denmark became the first country to embrace the goal of renouncing fossil fuels by 2050. Based on Denmark’s analysis, other developed nations may be [...]

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Over the past several decades, South Korea has become a pre-eminent developer of technology, ranging from computers and electronics to automobiles. Companies like Hyundai, LG, and Samsung have entered the US market at the low end and gradually earned respect by offering their customers high quality products, often carrying prodigious warranties. But South Korea imports [...]

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The smart grid is getting more and more attention these days.  With all this talk, a few questions lingers in the mind.  What exactly is the smart grid?  When will we actually get the smart grid in place?  How smart can the grid really be? Recently, Southern California Edison (SCE) held a smart grid roundtable [...]

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A new geothermal project for the Portland International Jetport in Maine provides a hint of the potential for U.S. businesses to expand their operations without being hobbled by the high price of fossil fuels, or by local concerns over fossil fuel emissions. While some new forms of renewable energy are still years away from commercial [...]

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By Matthew Madden By definition, disruptive technology usually results in a variety of unintended consequences. When considering the ancillary effects that would result from the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, the road taxes currently embedded in the purchase of a gallon of gasoline are generally an afterthought. Of course, TriplePundit’s coverage is the exception. While [...]

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When the BP oil spill happened right around this time last year, Triple Pundit asked if the Obama Administration would deliver on its promise of transitioning the U.S. out of high risk fuels and into cleaner, safer forms of energy. Despite pushback against renewable energy from some legislators at the state and federal level, that [...]

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By Elizabeth A. Weisser Innovating for sustainability brings with it exciting opportunities for businesses to grow their top-line sales and even evolve and transform their business models. To stay competitive and meet the challenges of sustainable development, forward-thinking businesses will need to combine innovation with ecology, through the power of “eco-innovation.”  That’s a key message [...]

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Rob Bernard, Chief Environmental Strategist of Microsoft, gave a “Big Idea” talk at the State of Green Business Forum on cloud computing. Cloud computing has been cited as a great way to save energy across the grid. Bernard asked how many people thought they understood cloud computing. Of the roughly 200 people at the SOGB [...]

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A recent report by Zpryme Smart Grid Insights shows the US poised on the brink of a breakthrough year for both the smart grid and electric vehicles. A synergistic series of converging developments have aligned the stars, both on the vehicle and the infrastructure side to make this possible. The only real question remaining is whether or not American consumers will write the checks and bring these vehicles home.

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If you can imagine this somewhat Jetsonesque scenario where you have a smart meter, like a stock ticker, updating the system on the latest real time utility rates, a bunch of smart appliances, say a clothes dryer and a dishwasher waiting for a price signal to turn themselves on, a central thermostat, a small wind turbine in the backyard with a variable output rate and a plug-in vehicle in the garage that can either put energy into the system or take it out as it charges up, you can imagine the opportunity to save money, provided the right things are switched on and off and the most optimal times. But who has time to worry about all that not to mention the brain capacity to keep track of it all. That’s where a Home Energy Management system could make a lot of sense.

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Ford has identified the markets it will target with its debut fleet of Focus Electrics, which is slated for release in just over a year. The chosen few are a variety of cities from coast to coast. Ford used a number of criteria to determine where best to launch its first electric vehicle, including sustained [...]

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Most of the time a trend or two should suffice, but when there is ten of them on the same subject, in this case the smart grid, maybe it’s something more or less than a trend, maybe just an interesting list of things to consider. In any case a Pike Research report on the smart [...]

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By Brandon Tidwell My eight year-old niece has adopted a new term: fail. It’s a definitive way to tell someone they didn’t measure up, they didn’t come through, or they simply missed the mark. As I’ve considered the most pressing sustainability issues of our time, businesses and non-profits are leading the way. Woefully absent is [...]

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By Amy Hsuan The nation’s electric power industry, dating back to the 19th century, is in the early phases of an unprecedented change. With new, renewable resources coming online and commercial users searching for new modes of efficiency, the underlying infrastructure that has served the power needs of the United States for the better part [...]

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With the world at large racing ahead to find innovative solutions to increase energy efficiency, including the push for smart grid technologies, will today’s workforce keep pace?

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Consultant company KEMA published a white paper in 2008 that predicted that federal and state smart grid incentives of $16B would be leveraged by a factor of four, resulting in the creation of some 280,000 new smart grid jobs, roughly half of which will be permanent. While the spending levels to date have not quite [...]

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Duke Energy’s CEO, Jim Rogers, imagines utilities like Duke transforming their business models so that they become analogous to those of Amazon.com’s and eBay’s. Just as Amazon sells discounted books via the popular Kindle e-reader, Rogers envisions a utility, backed up by a smarter grid, that pitches energy efficient products to its customers.

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