The smart-grid space is attracting interest from all angles, including from Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and potentially even Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) building Web-based energy management tools. It might be too early to tell if these companies will shape this industry as they have others, but they are already attracting the interest of utilities, either in terms of how they can partner or how they can compete.
According to an earth2tech report today, Google’s Power Meter has a few thousand users already – a small number, but enough for Google to begin collecting consumption data and making recommendations on how users can reduce their energy use. The Web service has been around for a year now, introduced by Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org. The company signed up its first dozen utility partners last May, but not all utilities are comfortable with the service – a possible explanation for the relatively small subscriber base.
I moderated a panel this week at the inaugural Grid ComForum smart-grid conference in Santa Clara. The panel was on focused on how utilities are deploying services and educating consumers, but the topic of Google Power Meter and Microsoft Hohm came up. It was interesting to see discrepancy in responses. John Bubb, head of product management for Southern California Edison’s Edison Smart Connect program, said the utility would welcome working with Google or Microsoft’s service as a way to augment their offering. Shaun Summerville, marketing program manager at Detroit Edison, on the other hand, said that DE is intent on owning the customer data and is hesitant to work with a third-party like Google at all. Both utilities are still figuring out how they would respond – DE is launching a smart-grid pilot this summer – but the comfort level clearly varies.
It’s an interesting issue and one that affects telecom service providers in the space as well. Utilities are no more comfortable sharing their customer data than telcos are disclosing it to third-party developers. In the complex world of partnerships that the smart grid has brought about, there will be many questions on who owns the customer data (the customer, utility, telco, Web service?) and how the companies will all play nice – or not.
An email from a reader/small-business owner:
Read your post about Google, PowerMeter, the utilities and info sharing and I can tell you that Google for all it’s good intentions is coming off just like Microsoft or IBM of old. (And not unlike the utilities they are encroaching upon.)
Sharing the data from the Google PowerMeter users (whether from TED 5000 users or SmartMeter users that support it) would be incredibly useful. Right now Google is collecting that data from the users who downloaded the gadget, and if they gave permission, storing it. If the collective users could see & publish (anonymously) that data (which is not Google’s, it’s is the users) it could have a dramatic impact on the behavior of others who have not done anything yet to reduce their energy consumption.
I know as a small business person trying to get Google’s attention is ridiculously hard. Do you know they ask you to fill out a form to contact them? And then they don’t contact you. It reminds me of when I used to work with Netscape – all brains and no common sense.
The above is all well and good but without the Home Owner involved you have just information.
We need to provide the home owner the tools to access/regulate & control the electric consumptions on the home appliances (Hot Water Heater/HVAC/Refrig/
Lighting and near term Solar and Electric Car plug ins). The Utilities meters can only provide accurate usage information and depending on the smarst select on off or cut back of power provided.
Smart Grid is Utility centric and unless redirected to home owner will never really conribute to reduce or better use of resources.
Jim A.