Smart grid and the connection to smart cities
Modernizing the nation’s electric grid is paying dividends for many utilities. Ongoing population growth and economic development in urban metropolitan areas makes meeting the growing demand for electricity a perpetual challenge. Utility experts advocate a…
Urban Computing Reveals the Hidden City
We want our tools to sing of not just productivity but of our love of curiosity, the joy of wonderment, and the freshness of the unknown. —Eric Paulos, “Manifesto of Open Disruption and Participation” Illustration:…
Can Google speed the growth of smart thermostats?
During the recent smart grid frenzy, smart thermostats (also known as programmable communicating thermostats or PCTs) developed in popularity alongside announcements of ambitious smart meter rollouts and demand response (DR) programs. Smart thermostats utilize integrated…
How should utilities make a play for the smart home?
Google’s decision to buy Nest for $3.2 billion has put home energy management (HEM) in the spotlight, but mass retailers like Home Depot, Best Buy and Staples are reaching millions of people with their smart…
Smartcity Malaga: 5 years later
Endesa has released the findings of the first five years of its Smartcity Malaga project, including milestones reached during 2009 and 2013 — the success achieved has turned Smartcity Malaga into a real-world laboratory for…
Fighting for customers’ attention
Customer service is an important part of any utility’s business strategy, but it hasn’t always landed at the top of the priority list. However, with social media proliferating in recent years — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,…
Internet of Things and energy harvesting
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a broad term referring to applications as diverse as Internet-connected vehicles, consumer electronics and smart phones. However, the edge of the Internet of Things network will consist of simpler…
Nest’s Tony Fadell on Smart Objects, and the Singularity of Innovation
Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press Before he started Nest, Tony Fadell held senior positions at Apple on the teams that created the iPod and the iPhone. Tony Fadell is the founder and chief executive of…
