Electric Energy T&D - Index

Electric Energy T&D - EE Magazine March / April 2009 - Index

GE Is Leading the Way in Energy Management too:
“Now that ENERGY STAR® appliances
are recognized by 75 percent of American
consumers, the next step is to reshape when
energy is being used,” said Kevin Nolan,
Vice President Technology for GE Consumer
& Industrial. “Peak hour energy demand is
growing faster than total energy demand. It is
imperative that we begin to shift some of the
energy load from peak hours to other parts of
the day -- helping to avoid the need to build
new power plants to meet the demand,” he
explained.
In the first Quarter of 009, GE will introduce
a suite of “smart” appliances or Energy
management Enabled appliances. These GE
appliances will be enabled to receive a signal
from the local utility companies that are
participating in tiered rate programs to help
consumers manage their peak energy usage.
The appliances will receive the control signal
that utility rates are high and react based on
the appliance’s internal programming.
Within 10 years, energy management enabled
appliances could easily occupy the market
space held by ENERGY STAR qualified
products today. GE is investing in these
appliances today, and – by doing so – will be
ready to help consumers use less energy and
reduce their utility costs in the future.
Currently most utility company rates are the
same throughout the day. However, many
utility companies across the country are
considering a time-of-use pricing structure
so that consumers can avoid using energy
during critical peak hours (typically between
3 p.m. and 7 p.m.) and save money.
“At GE, we believe that peak load reduction
is the next opportunity in energy saving
appliances. We believe that smart, energy
management enabled appliances will be
the next phase of innovation,” explained
Nolan. “It’s not enough to simply use less
power, as ENERGY STAR encourages today,
we now need to consume our power more
intelligently.”
For more information, consumers may visit
www.ge.com
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Eka Systems Named AlwaysOn
GoingGreen 50 Winner
Company Selected as a Leading Green Technology
Innovator for 2009
Germantown, md – Eka Systems
(www.ekasystems.com) announced that it
has been selected to the 009 GoingGreen
East 50 Top Private Company List. The
GoingGreen East 50 Award is given to
private, emerging companies creating new
business opportunities in green technology.
Eka Systems was selected by the AlwaysOn
editorial team based on demonstration
of growth, market opportunity, quality of
innovation and customer traction.
“We are delighted to receive this Award and
pleased that our commitment and success
in the Smart Grid and Smart Metering
marketplace continues to gain recognition”,
said Prakash Chakravarthi, Chairman and
CEO of Eka Systems. “Coming on the heels
of our AMI Project of the Year Award in early
February, by Utility Automation Engineering
T&D, this win further establishes Eka Systems
as a premier provider of proven AMI solutions
to utilities”, he added.
Eka Systems and the other GoingGreen East
winners will be recognized at the GoingGreen
East Conference at the Four Seasons in
Boston, MA, on March 9-11. This two-and-ahalf
day executive conference is co-presented
and will feature presentations and high-level
debates from CEOs, journalists, industry
experts, investors and greentech executives.
“The GoingGreen East 50 companies have
demonstrated their tenacity even in the
toughest economic conditions that the
technology world has ever encountered,” said
Tony Perkins, founder and editor of AlwaysOn.
“We applaud their success in pushing
the boundaries of innovation, creating
market opportunities and transforming the
industry even in the earlier stages of their
businesses.”
The GoingGreen East 50 winners were
selected from among hundreds of other
technology companies nominated by
investors, bankers, journalists and industry
insiders. The AlwaysOn editorial team
10 I March-April 2009 Issue
conducted a rigorous three-month selection
process to finalize the 009 list.
A full list of all the GoingGreen East 50
winners can be found on the AlwaysOn
website at
http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/
post/31372
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Con Edison Tree Care Blooms With
National Award
Arbor Day Foundation Names Company “Tree
Line USA Utility”; National Award Recognizes
Tree Care, Planting and Public Education Efforts
New york, Ny – Con Edison has been named
a “Tree Line USA Utility” for the first time by
the Arbor Day Foundation and the National
Association of State Foresters in recognition
of its ongoing tree trimming efforts to improve
electric reliability. The award spotlights
the company’s care and maintenance for
trees within New York City and Westchester
County along with its commitment to public
education programs, all while meeting service
objectives.
“We are delighted to receive this recognition.
It signifies our continuing commitment to
promoting, protecting and enhancing our
urban forests,” said Louis L. Rana, president
of Con Edison. “Regular maintenance and
natural pruning of trees improves electric
reliability, and the trees in our service area
will be with us to beautify our neighborhoods
for years to come.”
Con Edison trims trees along distribution and
transmission power lines to maintain safe
and reliable service. Overgrown and fallen
tree limbs are the leading cause of power
outages during storms. The company’s tree
maintenance program helps ensure safe,
reliable service, carefully trimming branches
that may interfere with power lines.
The company also reinforces its dedication
to preserving community trees though public
education efforts, which advise customers on
which plant species are appropriate to plant
near utility lines.