GreenBeat2009: Still more Super Grid speakers!
We’re rounding out the agenda for GreenBat 2009, the seminal executive conference on the Super Grid taking place NEXT WEEK on Nov. 18-19. Today, we’re delighted to announce the addition of still more policy, IT and investment experts.
Before we introduce them, remember to register for your GreenBeat ticket today. With an all-star lineup including former vice president Al Gore, Cisco’s Smart Grid guru Laura Ipsen and PG&E’s Andy Tang, tickets are going fast. You can… Continue Reading
Trilliant firms up European perch with British Gas deal
Trilliant, one of the most buzzed about names in the emerging Smart Grid space, has firmed up its toehold in Europe, announcing a new contract with British Gas, one of the most formidable utilities in the world. The power company, now owned by Centrica, will be deploying Trilliant’s software, called UnitySuite, to allow its smart electrical and gas meters communicate seamlessly with the utility, home energy displays, appliances like thermostats, and any other energy management… Continue Reading
Trilliant, ABB partner to make Smart Grid technologies interoperable
Trilliant, provider of communications infrastructure used to beam energy consumption data between so-called smart meters, utilities and their customers, announced today that it is partnering with automation company ABB to make sure their technologies can talk to one another. This type of interoperability is one of the major issues impacting how and how fast the Smart Grid — a cleaner, more efficient electrical grid — takes hold in the U.S.
It seem to be all the… Continue Reading
IBM launches software to standardize, accelerate smart grid startups
As large companies like Intel, Cisco and AT&T eye participation in the new, emerging Smart Grid, IBM has jumped in with both feet — providing software that greases the wheels of grid development and pouring $2 billion into startups and utilities building out a cleaner, more efficient grid. Today, it expanded its presence even more with the launch of its Solution Architecture for Energy and Utilities Framework (SAFE) for startups, a software package intended to… Continue Reading
Trilliant, IBM join forces to help utilities smart up their grids
Trilliant, provider of radio transmission devices and networks that allow smart meters to wirelessly beam energy consumption data between utilities and their customers, has become the newest of IBM’s partners in its smart grid efforts.
Trilliant will be integrating its software, called UnitySuite, with two of IBM’s software products, WebSphere and Tivoli. The result should help utilities scale their smart meter rollouts much faster and more securely, Trilliant says. The deal gives IBM rights to a… Continue Reading
Advanced Telemetry gets infusion for wireless energy-management dashboard
Advanced Telemetry has taken an undisclosed amount of second-round funding from existing investors Quercus Trust and 21Ventures to continue developing its energy consumption management platform for residential and commercial use.
The San Diego company’s lead product is a wireless panel called the EcoView that classifies energy consumption in a building as low, moderate or high. Some of the money raised in the recent round will be used to beef up its sales, with the rest going… Continue Reading
Tendril grows consumer-facing smart grid with new $30M
Tendril, one of few companies that serves household energy consumption data to both utilities and consumers, has landed a fresh $30 million third round of capital led by VantagePoint Venture Partners. It plans to further expand its hardware and software systems and forge more partnerships with appliance makers and utilities. It will round out its staff with 25 new employees.
Most smart meter and smart grid companies only beam data back to the utilities they work… Continue Reading
Trilliant buys SkyPilot to extend its smart grid reach
Trilliant, provider of devices and networks that allow smart meters to beam energy data directly to utilities, has extended its reach with the acquisition of SkyPilot Networks, provider of mesh broadband coverage. No financial terms have been disclosed. Both companies had previously raised a substantial amount of capital.
Based in Santa Clara, Calif., SkyPilot specialized in broadband networks for surveillance data and other municipal applications. It served more than 500 customers in 50 countries. The deal… Continue Reading
Californian grids are about to get a whole lot smarter
California’s biggest utilities all have major smart grid strategies in the works vying for a chunk of the federal stimulus bill’s $4.5 billion earmarked for revamping the country’s electrical grids . And these plans surpass the roll-out of residential smart meters that most people think of when they think smart grid.
Companies like Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric are all working on lower-profile grid projects like storage-minded microgrids… Continue Reading
GridPoint lands more funds for smarter utility use
GridPoint, one of the largest companies in the emerging smartgrid sector, announced that it has brought in an undisclosed sum from Craton Equity Partners. Already working with several investor-owned utilities like Duke Energy Corp. and Xcel Energy, GridPoint says its system automatically manages energy loads and storage, integrates renewable sources and can be used to power electric vehicles more efficiently.
That last function is of particular importance to GridPoint, which acquired V2Green, a company that makes… Continue Reading
Trilliant takes $40M in one of the biggest smart grid investments to date
Part of the growing trend for nearly every electronic device to be able to communicate with others, smart grid and advanced metering startup Trilliant has taken $40 million in its first official venture funding.
Trilliant, like competitors Ambient, Silver Spring Networks, SmartSynch and others, makes wireless communication devices for utility meters. When enough are present in an area, they can form a mesh network capable of communicating moment-to-moment use information back to utilities, and to the… Continue Reading
Eka Systems raises $18.5M for smart metering
Eka Systems, a Germantown, Maryland-based utility metering company, has completed a $18.5 million fourth round of funding, led by Flybridge Capital Partners. Returning investors included RockPort Capital Partners, The Westly Group and Metropolitan Investments.
Eka’s scalable smart networking technology allows utilities to monitor and analyze their energy consumption on a near real-time basis. It also helps them cut down on costs by preventing leaks and detecting outages.
Its submetering systems can be installed in residential and commercial… Continue Reading
Trilliant lays claim to a fat slice of the smart grid pie
We’ve reported on plenty of companies lately in the booming smart grid space, which helps track and optimize the electricity flowing from utilities to consumers. Here’s one more to add to the roster: Trilliant, a grey-bearded startup based in Redwood City, Calif.
Unlike most of its peers, Trilliant has plenty of history — about 22 years worth. That head start has helped give the 450-employee company time to build a significant lead. Today, it’s announcing 750,000… Continue Reading