Xcel Energy continues smart-grid project
BOULDER, COLORADO - Xcel Energy continues to lay the foundation for what is thought to be the nation's first "smart-grid" city.
The utility has installed about 15,000 residential "smart meters" in Boulder and is looking for 10,000 more households willing to let Xcel put in more of them. The meters provide two-way communication to the utility and to customers.
Customers with smart meters can monitor their energy use and, when combined with programmable thermostats and other energy-saving devices, control their use. Xcel Energy plans to set up an Internet portal in April or May so customers can better manage their electricity use.
Xcel has strung more than 100 miles of fiberoptic cable over power lines in Boulder for broadband transmission.
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Maryland opens solar-power subscriptions to all
MARYLAND - Maryland has launched a pilot program that will allow anyone to power their home with solar panels — even if they are renters or condo-dwellers, or live in the shade of trees.
Solar developers are looking for hundreds of residents to subscribe to six power projects planned across the state, including recently announced sites in Owings Mills and Westminster. Their offers include discounts on standard electric rates.
The developers need a critical mass of customers who are willing to buy the projects’ electricity before they can move forward with plans to install solar panels on about 80 acres. Under state…
