GE’s amazing hologram based Smart Grid ad
Mar 24, 2009 Green Architecture, Green Technologies
GE is betting big on Smart Grid technologies. It had advertised during the Super Bowl in US this year and now, GE Energy has come out with a unique online ad.
One can log onto GE’s site and print out a special marker that looks like a solar panel, activate your computer’s webcam, and then point the marker so it faces your webcam. The smart grid should automatically open up on your screen, and you can even blow into your computer’s microphone to make the turbines spin faster! Amazing isn’t it? You can also try out the Solar Energy augmented reality ad as well.
See a video demo for yourself below:
Tags: Ad, GE, Smart grid
IBM to test smart grid in Denmark
Feb 26, 2009 Green Architecture, Green Technologies
IBM has announced that it is now a member of the EDISON project in Denmark, which plans rolling out a smart grid network on the Danish island of Bornholm. It had announced similar plans in Malta recently.
Electric Vehicles in a Distributed and Integrated Market using Sustainable Energy and Open Networks (or EDISON) is an initiative partly funded by the Danish government and has Siemens and Technical University of Denmark and DONG Energy, Denmark’s largest energy company as other collaborators. Initially the study will focus on the interaction of plug-in cars with the smart grid, including their use for energy storage to cope with the periodic nature of wind energy. But EDISON may also be applied to the management of other types of decentralized batteries throughout the system at a later stage. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Denmark, GE, Google, IBM, Smart grid
Google and GE cohost smart grid conference
Feb 21, 2009 Green Technologies
GE and Google are now working together to make smart grid mainstream. Shortly after Google unveiling its Powermeter app that helps in real-time monitoring of power consumption and GE airing a Smart Grid Superbowl ad, these companies organised a conference in Washington that saw a 500 strong audience. Now we have got a video of the whole affair!
Smart grid technologies can optimise electricity consumption and ensure that we do not need to build new powerplants to meet our future energy needs. It will also be imperative because of the periodic nature of mos renewable energy sources like wind and solar energy.
Tags: GE, Google, Smart grid
Now Google will help yo cut your energy consumption as well!
Feb 10, 2009 Green Architecture, Green Technologies
Google has just launched a free web service called PowerMeter that’ll let users track energy consumption in their homes or business in real time, provided there’s a means to upload the data. The service is currently in closed beta, so everybody won’t be able to test it just yet.
To use the Powermeter app and get access to energy information, you will need a “smart meters.” Even the devices should be compliant, so that energy consumption patterns can be shared and analysed seamlessly. Google is partnering with utility companies as well as gadget manufacturers fo this. But with 40 million smart meters in use worldwide currently, and with plans to add another 100 million in the next few years, this has enormous potential.
Hop over to the site or attend the upcoming GE-Google co-hosted event “Plug into the Smart Grid” on Feb. 17, 2009 at Washington DC ! The efforts of coporate behemoths like GE (recently airing an ad on smart grid during Superbowl) and Google (with the powermeter) will push the adoption of smart grid worldwide. There is a growing realisation that devising ways to control the demand for electric power is a cheaper and easier alternative to building more power plants.
Tags: GE, Google, Smart grid
Wind turbine maker TPI raises $20 million
Jan 25, 2009 Green Technologies, Startups
TPI
TPI Composites Inc., which manufactures light-weight composite wind turbine blades that it claims are more durable and more efficient than conventional blades, recently raised $20 million in its second round of funding.
Investors included GE Equity and GE Energy Financial Services, Landmark Growth Capital Partners, NGP Energy Technology Partners and Angeleno Group. The company had raised $22 million in 2007.
The company will use the money to continue to expand its capacity. Last year, it tripled its capacity at its Mexican facility, which is a joint venture with Mitsubishi Power Systems, and opened factories in US and China, under supply agreements with GE Energy.
This is a real encouraging sign that clean energy investments haven’t forzen in the current financial climate.
Tags: GE, TPI, Wind, Wind turbines
Google joins Smart Grid industry coalition
Nov 14, 2008 Stars, Policy and Finance
DRSG
Google has joined Demand Response and Smart Grid Coalition (DRSG, formerly DRAM, the Demand Response and Advanced Metering Coalition), a coalition of different companies involved in energy monitoring, smart grids and the likes. DRSG, founded in 2001, is one of several trade groups that are looking to work on policy issues, and provide information about technologies that can make the power grid smarter.
Google’s addition to the smart grid group is significant, because as Google increasingly invests into the energy industry, it will look into ways it can use its history of managing the information of the Internet in the energy space. In September 2008, Google and conglomerate GE announced a partnership to collaborate on energy policy and technology, including pushing for a smarter electricity grid, cleaner power generation and greener transportation. Google has also unveiled a few innovative designs for its data centers, including one that is floating on a barge.
Smart grids will help the devices communicate with the grid and postpone non-critical tasks to when there is less strain e.g. a refrigerator which defrosts during non-peak hours. This will be important as several renewable energy resources like wind and solar are preiodic rather than continuous.
Tags: DRSG, GE, Google, Smart grid
More of GE Ecomagination — electric car for 2009
Oct 31, 2008 Auto Tech
Th!nk`
GE has aggressive plans for the electric vehicle. It has upped its stake in A123 Batteries with a $30 million investment and now plans to partner T!ink Global, which is debuting a small plug-in car in 2009
TH!NK GLOBAL is the new owner of the electric car producer TH!NK. Formerly part of the Ford Motor Company, TH!NK was taken over by a group of Norwegian investors in March 2006.
The car has a top speed of 65 MPH (~100 KM) and a range of about 110 miles (170 kms). With a target price of $30000, it may become a surprise hit, with its cute looks! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: electric cars, GE, Green Cars, Th!nk
Smart refrigerators from GE
Oct 31, 2008 Green Technologies
Chill!
GE Consumer & Industrial is cranking up their “Ecomagination” drive. They have a “smart” refrigerator waiting in their wings that will communicate with the power grid and decide when to defrost. this will help people living in countries where electricity consumption is charged depending on the timing, i.e. more during peak hours and less otherwise. it will also help the power utility companies with the surge in demand during certain periods, which may lead o blackouts and more.
This will be even more useful as we shift to periodic renewable energy sources like wind and solar, so there will be less need for electricity storage.Now what remains is a proper controlling and communicating protocols so that the refrigerator can actually communicate with the electricity provider. There are already technologies existing that can provide internet over powerlines.
This comes on the heels of news that GE may partner Chrysler to launch electric vehicles in 2009. Bravo GE!
Tags: energy conservation, GE, refrigerator, smart devices