March News Roundup

3. Tokyo to launch massive smart grid initiative
Japan is leading smart grid innovation with a new project in Tokyo, which would be the largest smart grid deployment in history when completed. Tokyo Electric Power Company recently revealed its plan to deploy over 27 million smart meters across the nation's capital.

"[One] thing that's kind of unique about the Japanese market is the scalability of the system," said Heath Thompson, chief technology officer at Landis+Gyr North America, one of the technology suppliers for the project. "TEPCO's 27 million smart meters are each meant to network with multiple in-premise devices, and you have to have the scalability, from the individual components back to the head-end, to deal with those huge volumes of meter data."

4. Smart grid projects continue to grow
New investments in smart grid projects are hitting the news every day, with more firms focused on expanding their capabilities and offering cleaner, cheaper power to consumers. Across the United States, utilities are investing in innovative new efforts to decrease the cost of energy storage, streamline peak demand control and harness renewable energy sources more effectively.