Smart Cities

Amsterdam, Netherlands (European Utility Week Preview) – Some 8,000 of the utility industry’s leading minds and vendors of the latest technology are gathering for European Utility Week, the annual smart energy invasion at the Amsterdam RAI from 15-17 October, at what is the largest industry conference and exhibition on the continent. 

I read an article recently on Bloomberg (click here to read) that both fascinated, and creeped me out, at the same time. It appears that a number of ‘space-age’ garbage containers used in different parts of London do far more than just take your garbage … they also take information from your cellular phone!

(European Utility Week, Amsterdam preview) — To identify energy saving opportunities, companies first need to have a detailed view of their energy consumption within a facility or group of facilities. EpiSensor provides a wireless energy monitoring system for this task. The system includes ZigBee connected sensors and an enterprise-class energy monitoring gateway, which runs on

Skanderborg, Denmark, 23 September 2013 – Last week, Martin Lidegaard, Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Building, announced an Act requiring utilities to install smart meters in all Danish households.

Austin, Texas, USA — The global market for water meters enjoyed greater revenue growth than expected last year, thanks to a move toward the use of high-value products, according to a newly released report entitled “The World Market for Water Meters” from IHS Inc., a leading global source of critical information and insight.

(Event Preview: Acropolis Convention Centre, Nice, France. September 24-26, 2013) — More than 60 speakers from the connected world will be at the M2M Innovation World Congress to present implementations in smart grids, retail, smart homes and connected devices.

(Paris, France. September 5, 2013) – Capgemini, a consulting, technology and outsourcing services provider, has agreed two three-year contracts with GrDF, worth a total of 23 million euros.  The contracts will see Capgemini developing the information system for the new GrDF smart gas meters that will equip 11 million French homes by 2022. This will

Austin, Texas, 3 September, 2013 — In contrast to the sombre mood that many metering manufacturers have been displaying in recent years, worldwide shipments of communication-enabled meters will grow to more than 100 million units annually in 2014, according to IHS Inc., a leading source of global insight and information.

(Pleasanton, California, USA) — Wireless Glue Networks, Inc., a provider of real-time data and control on a single M2M platform, has been issued with patent No. 8,488,624, dated July 16, 2013, by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has selected preferred bidders for six new government contracts aimed at switching most UK households to smart metering by 2020. The total cost of the programme is forecast to be £12.1 billion (€14.1 billion).

Redwood Shores, California, USA. 23 Jul 2013 – A new study, released today by Oracle, reveals that although utilities are increasingly prepared for the smart grid data influx compared to last year, they are still struggling to fully leverage the data collected. 

Thalwil, Switzerland – Swiss-based u-blox, a global leader in wireless and positioning modules and integrated circuits for the consumer, industrial and automotive markets, has introduced the SARA-G350 ATEX, an ultra-compact, low power, surface mount GSM/GPRS modem module certified for use in devices operating in potentially explosive environments such as smart gas meters.

Camarillo, California, USA – Semtech Corporation, a leading supplier of analogue and mixed-signal semiconductors, has introduced the SX1272, the first product in a new long-range RFIC platform that boosts the transmission range of the devices to up to 15 kilometres.

Steinkjer, Norway – Connode AB, together with NTE, is now trialling the new generation of communications for the energy market at Demo Steinkjer. The new Connode 4 radio system provides seamless IP-based interoperability and global standardisation to the utility sector, which has been characterised by industry-specific protocols and lack of true interoperability.

Groningen, The Netherlands – Six Dutch companies, three knowledge institutes and 40 households have initiated a pilot project in Groningen and Hoogkerk  in which consumers will test innovative, smart energy services with the goal of making sustainable energy choices and cost savings.

Moscow, Russia — A Round Table discussion called Smart city: tasks, solutions and results was held in Moscow on June 4, 2013, and brought together more than 50 delegates with varying specialist skills.