The New York Times is reporting Google will announce a free web service tomorrow called PowerMeter that'll let users track energy consumption in their homes or business, provided there's a means to upload the data. That part of the equation's gonna be up to other companies to create compatible devices, and while no manufacturing partners have been named, we'd suspect strange bedfellow GE will probably jump aboard pretty quickly. The service is expected to roll out in the next few months. Ready to give the boys in Mountain View even more access to your life?
Update: The official site has launched. According to the FAQ, PowerMeter is currently in closed beta. There's also a video about the program, which you can peep after the break.
Wow...it's going to be interesting to see how Google can contribute to the smart energy effort. Right now, 85% of the smart meter communications is via HAN, HomePlug, or Zigbee. So this is also going to bring some interest (notoriety?) to those protocols. But it will be cool if we can eventually have a way to check our power consumption and have our AC/Heater adjust room temperature according to energy pricing.
Google begins infiltration of energy market: For good or for awesome?: As solar technology steadily improves, and as stimulus money gets channeled into the green power industry, soon a significant percentage of power will come from individuals and small power farms. Hard to imagine now? Sound greenwashed? Solar panels already pay for themselves after just a few years. In ten years crowdsourced power will be a completely new market and Google (as usual) is putting themselves in the position to be the manager of that market. This is big stuff. More: http://thinksketch.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/google-begins-infiltration-of-energy-market-for-good-or-for-awesome/ -ThinkSketch
Talk about a momentum booster. Google’s entrance into the smart grid conversation is great news all around, just as President Obama is turning up the volume on its importance as well. No one company or entity can tackle all the challenges around building the smart grid and populating it with smart meters. Google’s entrance into the conversation is not only a great complementary effort in providing consumers the tools they need to take charge of their energy consumption; it validates the issue. When Google speaks, people listen.
It’s a piece of a larger platform approach—one that Tendril’s building out—that adds the necessary elements of consumer and utility control, in addition to device-level information, that enables a real-time dialogue between consumers and their energy provider. It’s great to see quickening momentum among vendors, utilities and consumers as we drive 21st century energy efficiency on the road to energy independence.
Information is the key to change. Having Google throw their weight to drive real change is a huge win for the industry, for Tendril and for consumers.
Smart meters are great the way the hydrogen car is "great". But you don't need General Electric's permission to log and analyse you own consumption and renewable generation and collaborate - there's an open source project called:
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posted February 9th 2009 10:37PM
sexist much? The Google Energy website references everyone as "her". "her power meter" on "Her iGoogle homepage". Geesh.
betting that some market research firm said that the vast majority of wives pay the power bill... just a guess.
Wow...it's going to be interesting to see how Google can contribute to the smart energy effort. Right now, 85% of the smart meter communications is via HAN, HomePlug, or Zigbee. So this is also going to bring some interest (notoriety?) to those protocols. But it will be cool if we can eventually have a way to check our power consumption and have our AC/Heater adjust room temperature according to energy pricing.
Akiba
FreakLabs
Open Source Zigbee Project
http://www.freaklabs.org
Seriously, "gonna"? You guys can't even use proper English anymore?
How about measuring water usage too?
Google begins infiltration of energy market: For good or for awesome?:
As solar technology steadily improves, and as stimulus money gets channeled into the green power industry, soon a significant percentage of power will come from individuals and small power farms. Hard to imagine now? Sound greenwashed? Solar panels already pay for themselves after just a few years. In ten years crowdsourced power will be a completely new market and Google (as usual) is putting themselves in the position to be the manager of that market. This is big stuff.
More: http://thinksketch.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/google-begins-infiltration-of-energy-market-for-good-or-for-awesome/
-ThinkSketch
Talk about a momentum booster. Google’s entrance into the smart grid conversation is great news all around, just as President Obama is turning up the volume on its importance as well. No one company or entity can tackle all the challenges around building the smart grid and populating it with smart meters. Google’s entrance into the conversation is not only a great complementary effort in providing consumers the tools they need to take charge of their energy consumption; it validates the issue. When Google speaks, people listen.
It’s a piece of a larger platform approach—one that Tendril’s building out—that adds the necessary elements of consumer and utility control, in addition to device-level information, that enables a real-time dialogue between consumers and their energy provider. It’s great to see quickening momentum among vendors, utilities and consumers as we drive 21st century energy efficiency on the road to energy independence.
Information is the key to change. Having Google throw their weight to drive real change is a huge win for the industry, for Tendril and for consumers.
Smart meters are great the way the hydrogen car is "great". But you don't need General Electric's permission to log and analyse you own consumption and renewable generation and collaborate - there's an open source project called:
http://www.solarnetwork.net/
which is already building the open platform.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE data crunching, that's what computers are best at.
tomo
EcoTouch does it better:
http://www.solarcommunities.com/homeowners/ecotouch.php