Negawatt Debuts at Distribu-TECH 09 in San Diego
"DistribuTECH was the perfect launching pad for our corporate marketing," said Gary Sorkin, President, CEO & Founder of Negawatt Inc. "With the support and design brilliance of the engineering staff at Yitran, an Israeli based fabless chip manufacturer, we were able to demonstrate the first ZigBee to HomePlug bridge," Sorkin said. Also on display were Negawatt's innovative products for remote load shedding, power sub-metering, and residential demand response systems.The ZigBee Alliance and HomePlug Powerline Alliance have combined efforts to create a wireless-to-powerline backbone for the popular IEEE 802.15.4 ZigBee wireless mesh network. By having a Power Line Communication (PLC) backbone, the data can be tunneled to access points beyond the reach of the wireless radio devices. "Having both Wireless and PLC communication interoperability provides whole home coverage, eliminating dead spots, and is what utility customers require," Sorkin said.Negawatt is committed in the creative deployment of emerging technologies of the Smart Grid, offering simple solutions for AutoDR applications thus saving energy without inconveniencing the consumer. The unique architecture of Negawatt deployments is in the combining both wireless and PLC devices on Home Area Network (HAN) level, with a variety of backhaul capabilities including a brand new 900MHz point-to-point patented radio system with the lowest cost per node in the industry. Look to Negawatt to announce new devices soon for the SmartGrid, Automatic Meter Reading Infrastructure (AMR/AMI) and Demand Response (DR and AutoDR) industries.A Negawatt generated is a watt saved.
San Ramon, Calif. - February 3, 2009 - The ZigBee® Alliance and the HomePlug® Powerline Alliance announced today that the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is now collaborating with them to develop a common language for home area network (HAN) devices to utilize advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). The groups will work in cooperation with the many utilities already supporting ZigBee Smart Energy and will look for ways to further expand the Smart Grid by creating a standard communication approach between AMI systems and HANs, as well as a common set of certification procedures.
EPRI joins the ZigBee and HomePlug initiative led by several leading utilities with the goal to create a unified AMI and HAN solution. Development efforts of the initiative will center on expanding the ZigBee Smart Energy public application profile. The initiative will enhance the capabilities of Smart Energy to incorporate new features, support ZigBee wireless and HomePlug wired devices, and accelerate the development and certification of HAN devices capable of plugging into the Smart Grid such as thermostats, pool pumps, water heaters, appliances and plug-in vehicles.
"There are a number of ways that EPRI can contribute to this effort," said Arshad Mansoor, vice president of power delivery and utilization for EPRI. "Using our collaborative model, we have the ability to bring multiple perspectives outside the alliance to create a broader consensus for establishing standards."
"EPRI's involvement in this effort will focus resources and bring together a strong coalition whose work to establish the standard for Smart Energy HAN devices will accelerate the deployment of the Smart Grid," said Bob Heile, ZigBee Alliance chairman. "EPRI is highly regarded and working with its staff will make the Smart Energy information model more robust."
"We're delighted to have EPRI involved in this smart energy initiative," said Rob Ranck, HomePlug Alliance president. "EPRI brings both U.S. and global insight to our focus on delivering the best technology to meet the needs of consumers and power utilities."
ZigBee Smart Energy - The Standard for Energy Management and Efficiency
ZigBee Smart Energy enables wireless communication between utility companies and common household devices such as smart thermostats and appliances. It improves energy efficiency by allowing consumers to choose interoperable products from different manufacturers giving them the means to manage their energy consumption more precisely using automation and near real-time information. It also helps utility companies implement new advanced metering and demand response programs to drive greater energy management and efficiency, while responding to changing government requirements.
About EPRI
The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI, www.epri.com) conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public. An independent, nonprofit organization, EPRI brings together its scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and industry to help address challenges in electricity, including reliability, efficiency, health, safety and the environment. EPRI's members represent more than 90 percent of the electricity generated and delivered in the United States, and international participation extends to 40 countries. EPRI's principal offices and laboratories are located in Palo Alto, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Lenox, Mass.
About ZigBee: Control your world
ZigBee is the global wireless language connecting dramatically different devices to work together and enhance everyday life. The ZigBee Alliance is a non-profit association of more than 300 member companies driving development of ZigBee wireless technology. The Alliance promotes world-wide adoption of ZigBee as the leading wirelessly networked, sensing and control standard for use in energy, home, commercial and industrial areas. For more information, visit: www.ZigBee.org.
About the HomePlug Powerline Alliance
The HomePlug Powerline Alliance, Inc. is an industry-led initiative established to create specifications and certification logo programs for using the powerlines within homes for simple, reliable networking. The Alliance accelerates worldwide adoption for HomePlug technology through market development and user education programs. Membership in the Alliance has grown to include 70 companies. Sponsor members include Cisco (CSCO); Comcast (CMCSK); GE Energy, a business unit of General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE); Intel Corporation (INTC); Motorola (MOT); Sharp Laboratories of America; and Texas Instruments Incorporated (NYSE:TXN) (TI). Additional information about the Alliance, including a complete listing of HomePlug certified products, are available at www.HomePlug.org.
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