Xcel Energy continues smart-grid project
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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EDF and France reach deal on electricity prices-source
PARIS - State-controlled power group EDF and the French government have reached a tentative deal on future nuclear power prices, a source close to the government said on Monday, ending months of tense negotiations.
The two sides agreed on 70 euros per megawatt hour (MWH) as a reference level for power prices, the source said, cautioning that details of the deal are still being finalised.
The negotiations aimed to find a compromise between EDF, which is eager to maximise revenues to fund investments, and the government, keen to keep electricity bills for French households and businesses as low as possible.
EDF declined to…