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Institutes Developing Power Grid Cybersecurity Technology

(Brookhaven National Lab)

Engineering labs at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta are designing a suite of tools to better protect electric power grids, incorporating lessons from recent smart grid developments. The $1.7 million grant from U.S. Department of Energy will fund the work of the Georgia Tech Research Institute, with two other . . . → Read More: Institutes Developing Power Grid Cybersecurity Technology

System Being Tested to Move Old E-Car Battery Power to Grid

A Chevrolet Volt and replica of the t-shaped battery pack ((Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors))

Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, General Motors, and ABB Group in Cary, North Carolina are testing an operational platform to harness the electricity in spent electric vehicle batteries for the power grid. The project . . . → Read More: System Being Tested to Move Old E-Car Battery Power to Grid

National Lab, Investment Fund to Support Battery Companies

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and CalCEF, a not-for-profit group in San Francisco supporting clean energy technologies, unveiled a program called CalCharge to help new energy storage companies. CalCEF has two divisions, the California Clean Energy Fund and CalCEF Innovations that designs business models, financial products, and public policies to foster clean energy.

CalCharge aims to . . . → Read More: National Lab, Investment Fund to Support Battery Companies

Circuit Manufacturer Acquires Wireless Network Developer

Ethernet network adapter (Ember Corp.)

Silicon Laboratories Inc. in Austin, Texas has acquired Ember Corporation in Boston to supplement the Silicon Labs product line in low-power networking for home and business applications. The initial value of the purchase is placed at $72 million. Ember is expected to contribute $10-$12 million in revenue in . . . → Read More: Circuit Manufacturer Acquires Wireless Network Developer

Challenge Seeks Electric Power Utility Service Enhancements

(Brookhaven National Lab)

A new challenge on InnoCentive seeks ideas to improve the process for electric power utilities to deploy two types of electricity services in a timely, cost-effective manner. The challenge has a payout of $15,000 and a deadline of 8 July for submissions. InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts is a company the . . . → Read More: Challenge Seeks Electric Power Utility Service Enhancements

Energy Institute Unveils Prototype Alternative Battery

Sanjoy Banerjee (CUNY Energy Institute)

The CUNY Energy Institute, part of City University of New York, has built an operating prototype zinc anode battery system, as an alternative to traditional nickel-cadmium batteries. The institute plans to start a company to commercialize the technology later in the year.

The battery project is led by . . . → Read More: Energy Institute Unveils Prototype Alternative Battery

Energy Department Seeking New Power Storage Technologies

A Chevrolet Volt and replica of the t-shaped battery pack (Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors)

The U.S. Department of Energy is looking for new methods for storing electric power, for use in plug-in passenger cars and to improve the performance of the nation’s power grids. The $30 million research program . . . → Read More: Energy Department Seeking New Power Storage Technologies

Simulation Software Helps Optimize Utility Transport Grids

(Alaska.gov)

Software developed by Fraunhofer Institute mathematicians and engineers can simulate the workings of utility grids and thus help managers of these facilities plan and operate their critical networks. Researchers from Fraunhofer’s Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing in Augustin, Germany will exhibit the software at the Hannover Messe technology trade show in . . . → Read More: Simulation Software Helps Optimize Utility Transport Grids

Ignore the Sticker Shock, Electric Trucks Can Pay You Back

Electric truck (Courtesy Staples and MIT)

A new MIT study indicates that electric vehicles have the potential to improve the bottom line for many kinds of businesses, in addition to being good for the environment. The findings from the study, conducted by researchers at MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics (CTL), were presented . . . → Read More: Ignore the Sticker Shock, Electric Trucks Can Pay You Back

Battery Developer, Utility to Partner on Grid Energy Storage

(Brookhaven National Lab)

Lithium-ion battery developer A123 Systems in Waltham, Massachusetts and Massachusetts electric power company NSTAR have agreed to pilot test A123 batteries as storage devices in a suburban power grid. The pilot project will study and document the performance and reliability of A123 batteries at a substation in Medway, Massachusetts and . . . → Read More: Battery Developer, Utility to Partner on Grid Energy Storage