Data and machine learning are breakthroughs for the energy efficiency of buildings. Startup BuildingIQ is using these tools to grow its building energy optimization business, and it’s just brought on some major energy industry backers.
Beyond the clamor surrounding cleantech companies – solar, energy efficiency, biofuels – there are many attractive and growing, middle market energy technology companies quietly improving the operations and capabilities of utilities, oil and gas companies, and government agencies with software, and data and analytics.
For the occasion of Siemens’ swallowing eMeter, we have pulled together our recurring smart grid acquisitions list, including the new ones we have seen in recent months.
Power gear giants continue their smart grid shopping spree. Schneider Electric is bidding to buy software maker Telvent for about $2 billion. The acquisition would give Schneider, which is a massive power equipment maker, more software and IT capabilities for the power grid.
Will utility customers across the U.S. be legally entitled to their own energy usage data? We’ve already seen how California is planning to tackle that tricky subject, and a Senate bill announced last week would bring the same issues to a national stage.
Green buildings, meet demand response. The U.S. Green Building Council wants to find ways to count buildings’ ability to turn down power to help utilities shave peak demand in its LEED rating system.
The Utilities Telecom Council trade group says plug-in cars will need 16 times the power they now need in the next decade. Utilities are under the gun to handle car charging as quickly as possible.
As energy management becomes decentralized, there’s a great opportunity for apps to help direct the flow. At Green:Net, three experts discussed how the responsibility for managing the smart grid will fall on the utilities, but the process will bring trading-floor approaches down to the consumer level.
Greentech investment trends in the first quarter of 2011 either signal a record-setting expansion for the industry in 2011, or retrenchment in the face of economic and political headwinds — depending on how you look at the numbers.
Schneider’s energy-themed acquisition tear looks like it’s moving to a whole new level. On Monday morning, Bloomberg reported that French electric giant Schneider Electric is eying a take over of Tyco International in part to get ahold of Tyco’s building and industrial energy management systems.
