May 15, 2012 - Ontario Centres of Excellence, jointly with industry and academia partners, are collaborating to advance technology in data communication, energy storage and smart distribution systems. With funding from the province, the projects involve partners: Energent and Wilfred Laurier University; Hydrostor and the University of Windsor; and Hydro One Networks and the University of Waterloo. And they are receiving funding from the provincial government to make it happen.

April 12, 2012 - IBM and business partner Telvent announced they have been selected by Hydro One—a distributor of electricity in Ontario—for a new smart grid project that aims to transform the province’s electrical system. Together, the companies will run simulations and tests to determine the smart grid technologies that have the potential to improve power efficiency and reliability.

April 12, 2012 - Mitsubishi Corp. (MC), Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (MMC) and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (ME) have completed the development and begun the operation of “M-tech Labo”—a smart grid demonstration system that utilizes rechargeable batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) for electric-demand levelling of factory facilities.

April 10, 2012 - IEEE has introduced five new standards, as well as a modified standards-development project, to aid with the worldwide rollout of the smart grid. The newly-published standards include:

March 28, 2012 - Sandia National Laboratories has developed an experimental ‘smart outlet’ that autonomously measures, monitors and controls electrical loads with no connection to a centralized computer or system. The goal of the smart outlet and similar innovations is to make the power grid more distributed and intelligent, capable of reconfiguring itself as conditions change.

March 6, 2012 - Ambient Corp., a provider of smart grid communications platforms and technologies, has appointed Don Pollock to the position of global VP of sales and marketing, reporting to John J. Joyce, company president and CEO.

March 6, 2012 - Hitachi and Silver Spring Networks have formed a strategic alliance to offer integrated solutions to power utilities and power users in the global smart grid sector. As part of the alliance, Hitachi will acquire convertible bonds with stock acquisition rights to be issued by Silver Spring, and the two companies will jointly undertake R&D for new products and solutions for the smart grid.

March 2, 2012 - Ambient Corp., a provider of smart grid communications platforms and technologies, has appointed Jim Fisher to the position of VP, business development, the Americas.

At the 2012 Canadian International Auto Show’s Eco-Drive Showcase, we caught up with Plug’NDrive Ontario to learn about how they’re helping advance market adoption of electric vehicles, as well as Lorne Hedges of Schneider Electric who, as an EV driver, shares some positive, real-world experiences with his Nissan Leaf.

February 21, 2012 - Your smart phone uses broadband to connect you to the world but, when charging it, you’re relying on an electrical system that was designed and built in the era of the rotary phone. Because these systems are becoming outdated, too much electricity is slipping between our fingers, even as politicians highlight the need for “energy security”. Plus, generating power to keep up with increasing demand is getting harder because communities oppose new plants in their backyard.