Bomb outside Indian Oil plant defused

A major accident was averted in the Patiala district of Punjab, India with the timely detection and inactivation of a bomb placed outside an Indian Oil liquefied petroleum gas bottling plant near there, police said on Tuesday. The bomb, suspected to be an improvised explosive device, was discovered late Monday evening. Punjab Armed Police (PAP) defused the bomb, which was placed in a canister and wrapped in a man’ s shawl inside a plastic bag. The device was kept along the Bhiwanigarh-Nabha highway, very close to the LPG bottling plant. The IED was placed at a gas pipeline of Indian Oil coming from Panipat to the bottling plant. The bomb was defused after an operation that went on for over two hours Tuesday morning. “Experts of PAP have successfully defused the bomb and disintegrated it to ascertain its ingredients. Its contents included different chemical substances like potassium nitrate, petrol bottles and nails,” the district police chief told reporters. He added: “After scrutinizing the contents, we will try to find out the places where they were manufactured. So far we have not arrested anybody in this connection but our investigation is on and very soon we will nab the accused.” The bomb contained up to 10 kg of explosives.

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first published week of:   01/25/2010

Boulder smart grid costs blow up, PUC orders more transparency

Xcel Energy has begun charging customers across the state to recoup some of the skyrocketing costs the company has incurred building its smart grid project in Boulder. In response, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission has decided to take a larger role in regulating Xcel’s “SmartGridCity,” which commissioners say will increase the transparency of the project.

The smart grid already allows Xcel to read meters in Boulder remotely, route power around bottle-necked lines and detect power outages without relying on people calling in. Ultimately, the finished system will also allow customers to see real-time data reflecting their energy use and then make energy-conserving decisions about how household appliances draw power and when.

When Boulder was chosen for the smart grid project in March 2008, Xcel Energy projected that capital expenditures for the SmartGridCity would be about $15.3 million. By May 2009, Xcel had changed its projected cost to $27.9 million, and now the company believes the total bill will reach $42.1 million, not including the costs of operating and maintaining the new grid.

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first published week of:   02/22/2010

British Gas Selects Trimble to Deploy GeoManager Solution Across its Smart Meter Fleet

Trimble announced on that British Gas, one of the world’s leading energy companies, will be implementing Trimble’s GeoManager™ solution across its smart meter fleet. British Gas, a current Taskforce(TM) and GeoManager customer, will be deploying GeoManager to the smart meter business to realize the full benefits of integrated vehicle tracking to manage operations.

“British Gas is a leading, customer-focused company so we are very pleased to broaden our relationship to support them in this innovative and strategic business area,” said Andrew Yeoman, managing director of Trimble MRM, EMEA. “GeoManager will provide the British Gas smart meter fleet operations with a platform to deliver reduced costs, lower fuel consumption and an improved carbon footprint.”

“With an ambitious smart metering program, we needed a technology provider which matched our requirements in terms of corporate capability. Trimble delivers on this,” said Charlotte Wedd, commercial director for Smart Metering at British Gas.

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first published week of:   08/16/2010

California PUC Adopts Plan to Save 60-80 Percent Lighting Energy Use Statewide

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) adopted a plan to transform the lighting market and achieve a 60-80 percent reduction in statewide electrical lighting energy consumption.

The CPUC said that lighting accounts for approximately one-fourth of California’s electricity use and promoting the widespread use of energy efficient lighting can lead to significant savings. The lighting chapter of the Strategic Plan focuses on development and dissemination of best practices; expanded and enhanced research, development, and demonstration infrastructure; cultivation of end user demand; and integrated, supportive state policies to yield a 60-80 percent reduction in California’s statewide lighting electricity consumption (over a 2010 baseline).

“The lighting chapter is a comprehensive strategy to bring together all aspects of the lighting market in California to achieve the state’s energy efficiency and zero net energy goals,” said CPUC Commissioner Dian M. Grueneich. “By coordinating public policy and regulations, building designers, owners, managers, occupants, consumers, and technology developers can make best practices in energy efficient lighting common practice.”

On Sept. 18, 2008, the CPUC adopted the Strategic Plan, presenting a single roadmap to achieve maximum energy savings across all major groups and sectors in California.

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first published week of:   09/27/2010

Capitola, CA to ask for SmartMeter moratorium

The Capitola City Council voted Thursday night to join San Francisco, Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz County in asking the state for a moratorium on PG&E's SmartMeters until a study of the technology is complete.

Capitola is a beach village located in a river valley in Santa Cruz County on the Monterey Bay. Located an hour away from San Jose and an hour and a half from San Francisco, Capitola enjoys a lively population full of tradition and an interesting history.

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first published week of:   07/26/2010

Cause of toppled turbine remains a mystery

The company that operates an industrial wind-power site in central New York still can not say why a 187 ton turbine crashed to the ground on December 27. Enel North America officials had hoped to release a report by the end of January on the 4 a.m. accident, but engineers haven’t been able to determine why the windmill toppled over. A team from the company started removing sections of the fallen turbine from the site this week. Once the wreckage is removed, engineers can get a closer look at the area where the stem of the turbine separated from its foundation. Data from the turbine’s computer showed it was operating normally. The windmill was 1 of 20 atop a ridge in Fenner, 33 miles east of Syracuse. The company says the other 19 turbines remain temporarily shut down as a safety precaution until the cause of the accident is determined.

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first published week of:   02/08/2010

Volume 31

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