MNeagle
22nd September 2010, 07:21 AM
Samuel Palmisano, chief executive officer of International Business Machines Corp., said improving the U.S. electric-transmission grid depends on providing better information to consumers.
Companies shouldn’t wait for government to set standards for data and technologies to create a “smart grid,†which lets consumers monitor their energy use and take conservation steps that can save energy and money, Palmisano told the Gridwise Global Forum in Washington today.
“There is an incredible buy-in for change†in the U.S., and backers of new energy technology should tap into the sentiment, he said in a speech opening the conference.
Michael Morris, CEO of American Electric Power Co. of Columbus, Ohio, said during a subsequent panel discussion with Palmisano and Anders Eldrup, CEO of Dong Energy A/S, Denmark’s largest utility, that consumers don’t think about how they use energy, and don’t particularly want to.
“We need to get the voters, the taxpayers, interested in these issues,†Morris said, with smart-meter systems that are simple to use.
Consumers in California complained that smart meters in a demonstration project weren’t providing accurate data on their energy use. An independent review found an increase in power bills was due to a heat wave at about the time the meters were installed.
“In order to make it work we need consumers to see the advantage of it,†Eldrup said.
A smart grid could create jobs and help revitalize the U.S. economy, the executives said. Denmark invested heavily in wind turbines following the oil shocks of the 1970s and is now a leader in the industry, according to Eldrup.
“The ones who move first will develop the industries of tomorrow,†he said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-21/ibm-s-palmisano-says-consumers-yet-to-be-sold-on-smart-grid-advantages.html
Companies shouldn’t wait for government to set standards for data and technologies to create a “smart grid,†which lets consumers monitor their energy use and take conservation steps that can save energy and money, Palmisano told the Gridwise Global Forum in Washington today.
“There is an incredible buy-in for change†in the U.S., and backers of new energy technology should tap into the sentiment, he said in a speech opening the conference.
Michael Morris, CEO of American Electric Power Co. of Columbus, Ohio, said during a subsequent panel discussion with Palmisano and Anders Eldrup, CEO of Dong Energy A/S, Denmark’s largest utility, that consumers don’t think about how they use energy, and don’t particularly want to.
“We need to get the voters, the taxpayers, interested in these issues,†Morris said, with smart-meter systems that are simple to use.
Consumers in California complained that smart meters in a demonstration project weren’t providing accurate data on their energy use. An independent review found an increase in power bills was due to a heat wave at about the time the meters were installed.
“In order to make it work we need consumers to see the advantage of it,†Eldrup said.
A smart grid could create jobs and help revitalize the U.S. economy, the executives said. Denmark invested heavily in wind turbines following the oil shocks of the 1970s and is now a leader in the industry, according to Eldrup.
“The ones who move first will develop the industries of tomorrow,†he said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-21/ibm-s-palmisano-says-consumers-yet-to-be-sold-on-smart-grid-advantages.html