Smart Grid

Have questions about the new meter installed on your home?  Do you wonder how it works?  Will it record energy use differently than the “old” version?   Will the new smart meter change your energy bill?

These questions and more will be answered in a free seminar series that kicks off this week in California.  Called “Smart Meters & Solar – 10 things homeowners should know about their new smart meter,” the series is presented by HelioPower, a leading California solar installation firm.

Millions of homes have or will receive smart meters in California. Mandated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), all investor owned utilities including Southern California Edison (SCE), Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) are installing smart meters.

The “Smart Meters and Solar” series is designed to help homeowners understand their new smart meter, how it records energy use and affects

PG&E Smart Meter

their electric bill, and how the new digital equipment works with solar energy production.  Sponsored by Canadian Solar, one of the world’s largest solar companies, the seminars will be most beneficial for homeowners whose electric companies are SCE, PG&E or SDG&E.

Smart meters are the residential point of information collection for the smart grid. They connect your home to the smart grid in much the same way a cable or DSL modem connects you to the internet.

“While most homeowners are familiar with the installation of smart meters on their homes, many are seeking more information about the smart meters’ impact on their electric bills,” said Scott Gordon, Vice President, Residential Sales for HelioPower.  “We will cover the 10 things homeowners need to know about smart meters including how to read the meter and how the new digital meters record energy use.  We will also look at how and when solar is appropriate in this new ‘smart grid’ world.”

As part of the education effort, HelioPower has created a resource section about smart meters. Homeowners can find this information here on the HelioPower website page, 10 Things About Smart Meters & Solar.

The free informational seminars will begin at 6:30 pm.  The first 20 attendees at each event will receive a free solar LED key chain.

More information for community events and directions to reserve space is available by calling Billie Rafferty at 1.951.398.9811 or by going to Smart Meters and Solar online here.

Senior level executives within the electric, gas and water industries, local government representatives, manufacturers and vendors, environmental groups, and policymakers and stakeholders will all gather tomorrow at the Frontier Project for the first ever Inland Empire Smart Grid Summit.

The Frontier Project Foundation, together with Itron, will host the event on Thursday, June 30th, 2011, to address the unprecedented opportunity arising from the intersection of two core building blocks – utilities and communications. Local solar industry leader, HelioPower, is sending a team to answer queries about the role of solar with smart meters and the smart grid.

The summit speaker line-up includes Key Note: Kenneth Chong, Honeywell International and panel speakers: Ken Devore, Southern California Edison; Pat Petersilia, Southern California Gas Company; Pat Hayes, City of Glendale Water and Power; Chris Couper, IBM; Pam Greene, Southern California Edison; Darron Poulsen, Cucamonga Valley Water District.

The Smart Grid Summit will educate local municipalities, environmental groups, and policymakers about the latest updates in Smart Grid and Smart Metering throughout the State. This unique event is based on the joint vision of the Frontier Project and Itron to create a forum to actively engage the region in the forthcoming Smart Grid and Smart Meter systems.

HelioPower is an integrated energy solutions company with nearly 2000 solar and clean energy systems engineered and installed since 2001. The company is headquartered in Murrieta, CA and regularly participates in industry events at the Frontier Project.

The Frontier Project is a 14,000-square-foot LEED Platinum demonstration building dedicated to educating residential consumers, commercial builders, and sustainable energy advocates on the latest trends and technologies in water, power, and site conservation.

For more information about the Frontier Project, visit http://www.frontierproject.com

For more information, visit http://www.HelioPower.com

Information on Smart Grid event tickets can be found here

Source: WASHINGTON (Reuters) Feb. 12 For Full Story: U.S. economic stimulus to boost renewable energy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – After weeks of debate, Democratic leaders in House of Representatives and the Senate have reached an agreement on an economic stimulus package that would pump billions of dollars into "smart grid" projects and renewable energy.

The $789 billion package, which now must be approved by both chambers, contains $11 billion for modernizing the U.S. electricity grid and developing so-called smart grids. 

Smart grids utilize technology to create more efficient and less costly methods of moving electricity.

Aimed at boosting the nation's economy and creating jobs, the legislation also provides $6 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy projects such as wind or solar energy development.

Solar industry representatives said the stimulus bill would add 67,000 jobs to the sector in 2009 and a total of 119,000 jobs over the next two years.

"The solar provisions in the bill will allow us to begin hiring, create growth opportunities for small businesses throughout the country and keep the economic engine going," Solar Energy Industries Association President Rhone Resch said in a statement. 

Earlier this week, President Barack Obama stressed the importance of providing tax breaks and loan guarantees for firms that produce solar and wind energy.