Use Twitter hashtag #sxswenergy to join the conversation.

Temperatures around Texas that triggered the Rolling Blackouts

As controlled blackouts roll across Texas’ ERCOT electricity grid due to freezing weather, here’s some information resources that may help understand what’s going on.  Hopefully this information and others will help answer the question, “Why were their blackouts when electricity demand is higher in August?  A/C is all electric.  Heat is electric and natural gas, yet news outlets report power plants going off line as the cause of the rolling blackouts.”

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is the agency that manages Texas’ grid as well as its electricity markets.  The Texas grid is an entity unto itself, mainly disconnected from the rest of the US.  This means there’s no chance for an uncontrolled blackout to enter or exit the ERCOT system.

They’re really busy today, which is probably why there’s little information available as of noon.  They should be holding press conferences to match the news media’s deadlines and sources tell me to look out for a report tomorrow detailing what happened today.

ERCOT Operations Messages.

ERCOT congestion information.  (Down as of noon 2-2-11)

Texas Public Utilities Twitter Feed

Outage Maps

Austin Outage Map

DFW & North Texas Outage Map (Oncor)

Houston Outtage Map (Centerpoint Energy) (unavailable during outtage.  Huh?)

More on Texas’ new Nodal Market

From Zonal:

To Nodal:

Public Citizen’s blog post on ERCOT putting to bed their old system the day before the storm.

ERCOT explains the nodal market the best it can.

Map of Texas power plants built and mothballed after 1995 from the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

Texas Public Utility Commision (PUCTX)

While most information from the PUCTX (and ERCOT for that matter) makes the most sense to policy geeks, there’s still a lot of good information available, especially in the Commissioner’s Power Point presentations.  When they talk to conference and trade associations, they have to explain what they do to people who aren’t policy wonks, so they have to be clear.  You can benefit.

Chairman Smitherman’s presentations.

Commissioner  Nelson’s presentations.

Commisioner Anderson’s presentations.

Live Twitter Feed for #ercot Hashtag

• 2012 #ERCOT Electricity Market Outlook – Simulation and Forecast ☞ http://t.co/cLDvrexv
• RT @wattsonpwr: Accident at Sandy Creek power plant #Waco will affect state's electricity supply – @KUTNews http://t.co/TnDSf3e0 #ERCOT

Live Twitter Feed for #rollingblackouts Hashtag

• @DesignSpacePE auto correct fail…eskom NOT Eskimo must all die! #rollingblackouts
• With only a few days left until #RollingBlackouts releases. Check all my other mixes to get the party started. http://t.co/uIHusOm7
• #Green Electric Cars need Coal http://t.co/dkVGQCgy #EV #Volt #RollingBlackouts #climate
• Spinning another set at Viceroy Sherman Oaks tonight and handing out more #RollingBlackouts hit me up if your coming thru
• Im foreseeing multiple #RollingBlackouts coming thru la crosse today #CityOfDreams
• RT @thrilla_milla: “@mathomss: Birthday shout out to @thrilla_milla #rollingblackouts” cheers mate should be a goodun
• “@mathomss: Birthday shout out to @thrilla_milla #rollingblackouts” cheers mate should be a goodun
• Birthday shout out to @thrilla_milla #rollingblackouts
• Obscure unpopular music bars are the best #rollingblackouts #sailinn http://t.co/1cBQCwgn
• Gonna be a good night #welcomehomestue #rollingblackouts http://t.co/DrNUfqA9
• #schmacked #schmacked #schmacked #rollingblackouts oh niooooo
• Spinning a guest set @ Viceroy Sherman Oaks 2nite and giving out a few Pre Release CDs of my new mix #RollingBlackouts https://t.co/UbvxlRlR
• @HYNESfieldTHUG cloudy with a chance of #rollingblackouts feb 21-22 #PardiGras #bigdogbecomebigman #somanywombstobeshifted
• @MarkHouton @connoraskins @TritSpot @Croz_B prepare for utter ruckus to be brought ive been #sober 4 days strait #rollingblackouts predicted
• Atlanta is known for having a certain (ahem) population. So when Cher dies, I fear the impact it will have on my city #RollingBlackOuts

]]> http://www.tech2energy.com/2011/02/02/texas-rolling-blackout-information-resources/feed/ 3 http://www.tech2energy.com/2011/02/02/texas-rolling-blackout-information-resources/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Tech2energy/~3/Y8YnusMEQfk/ http://www.tech2energy.com/2011/01/10/bob-metcalfe-joel-greenberg-at-sxsw-2011/#comments Mon, 10 Jan 2011 23:19:43 +0000 Joel Greenberg http://www.tech2energy.com/?p=367

I’m really excited to announce that I’ll be interviewing Bob Metcalfe at SXSW 2011 this year. Our discussion is titled:

Ladies & Gentleman…The Enernet! Discuss.

The discussion will take place on Sunday, March 13th, although we don’t have a time yet.  It’ll just be… Read the rest

I’m really excited to announce that I’ll be interviewing Bob Metcalfe at SXSW 2011 this year. Our discussion is titled:

Ladies & Gentleman…The Enernet! Discuss.

The discussion will take place on Sunday, March 13th, although we don’t have a time yet.  It’ll just be the two of us and the format will be an interview, not a panel.

Bob Metcalfe

Joel Greenberg

The Enernet is Dr. Metcalfe’s idea of the smart grid.  You already know him as the inventor of ethernet and a co-founder of 3Com. If you’ve listened to my interview with him, you know him as a partner at Polaris Ventures investing in energy companies.  He’s the perfect person to talk about energy at SXSW.  When we talk about being wired, we’re talking about the cable (and protocol) he invented.

Hear about the future of energy from someone’s who helping to create that future.

Join us!

I’m looking forward to seeing you there.  If you have questions you’d like me to ask, leave them as comments to this post.

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I recently gave a talk at IEEE in Austin about how the present state of energy is based upon the mass market and that the mass market’s requirements don’t foster innovation. They foster the status quo.

I began with a simple question, “How many people in this room think that we have the best energy system(s) today?” If you think we have the best systems in place to deliver energy where we need it, then you’ll be happy with incremental change. If not, then we need to think differently about how we produce, deliver, and use energy. Existing mass market players do not have the strong incentive to think differently.

One requirement the status quo places upon innovations is that those new technologies must scale. If they don’t scale, they won’t solve our problems and therefore are not viable solutions according to status quo thinkers. A common example is energy writers, politicians, or utility executive’s criticism of wind and solar that they can’t scale. Currently, they supply only 2% of today’s energy needs. That’s not enough, they say.

My argument is this. If scale is the main requirement of new technologies, we will suppress innovation. New technologies can’t scale to mass market size right off the line for reasons that go far beyond technology. As I see it, there are three stages to innovation:
1) creation of new technologies
2) initial market niches for new technologies
3) penetration and scaling of these now not so new technologies

The status quo argues that new technologies must be born into stage three. If this were in fact true in the petroleum industry, then gasoline would still be a waste product of kerosene production, the main lighting fuel of the 1870′s and 1880′s.

I then go on to argue by analogy that in energy, we are poised for great change in the same way we were poised for great change in other industries.

As we watch the continue tragedy of the gulf oil spill unfold, Garry Golden and I talk about the implications.  Certainly, there are a lot of losers.  The Lousiana seafood industry is $2.8 billion dollar industry.  That’s going to be affected.  Tourism will probably be affected.  The oil industry will come under greater scrutiny.

Because of the size of the spill–more accurately described as a river of oil–the oil industry will come under more intense scrutiny.  With it, comes possibly game changing public sentiment, regulations, or drilling practices.  There will be winners.  The most obvious ones are law firms and insurance companies, but what about alternatives to liquid fuels?  Will they get a boost from the oil spill?  And what about the effect of the spill on shale gas production?

The most obvious alternatives on the immediate horizon are hybrid or fully electric vehicles.  Could they benefit from the oil spill by increasing demand?  If so, how does the oil spill affect the electricity industry?

This question leads us to discuss BYD, the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer that just opened an office in Los Angeles.  Starting life 15 years ago as Li-ion battery manufacturer, the vehicle manufacturer has received investment funding from Warren Buffet.

What does Warren Buffet know that you don’t?

Looking for more information on the gulf oil spill?  Want to go deeper than the national news?  Want to volunteer?  Want to know who to call?

Tech2Energy has compiled a list of useful resources to help you get the information you need. There’s a lot of great work being done by people, companies, agencies, and non-profits all along the Gulf Coast.  We hope this information gets you to them quickly.

(In the photo an underwater sub tries to close the Deepwater Horizon Blowout Preventor, but doesn’t succeed.  Photo Courtesy US Coast Guard. )

Interactive / Visual Tracking

• NYTimes Interactive Timeline Visualization
• NOLA Timeline Images

Federal Government Resources

• Environmental Response Management Application
• Deepwater Horizon Response Website
  • Official federal website about the oil spill.  Hotlines, media requests, claims info, photos, social media, etc. for the following agencies: Coast Guard; Homeland Security; NOAA; and Department of the Interior. As well as: BP and Transocean ** Don’t bother looking at the Coast Guard’s website for more info.  It points here.  So does much of the Dept. of the Interior.
  • Twitter: Oil_Spill_2010
• Environmental Protection Agency Oil Spill Information Page, including information on air quality sampling.
• Minerals Management Service (US Department of Interior)
• NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration

Louisiana State Resources

• Emergency.louisianna.gov
  • Official site for the state of Louisianna

  Louisanna’s Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

• http://www.losco.state.la.us/
  • The state legislature created the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office (LOSCO) in 1991. LOSCO was made part of the Governor’s Office so that it could serve as the single point of contact for all programs related to oil spills in Louisiana. Our mission is to respond to oil spill events, restore natural resources, protect economic infrastructure, and safeguard public health. LOSCO is funded by a two-cent per barrel tax on all oil transported to or from vessels at Louisiana marine terminals

Texas State Resources

• Texas General Land Office Oil Spill Info The GLO owns the land under water out from the coast.

Mississippi State Resources

• Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
• State Emergency Joint Information Center
• Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality:The Environmental Protection Agency has initiated an air monitoring effort to ensure the safety of local residents and track any developing air quality changes. To see the latest data, visit www.airnow.gov. EPA is sampling the air, water and sediment to assess the impact of the oil spill on the affected ecosystems. Samples can take time to process, usually about 3-4 days.  Sampling data will provide specific information about the pollutants and will be used to help guide the response and cleanup EPA is working with local, state and federal response partners. To suggest technology solutions, visit www.epa.gov/bpspill/techsolution.html

Alabama State Resources

?

Local News Outlets

• Nola.com oil spill latest news They were ground zero at Katrina, now they’re covering the oil spill
• Houston Chronicle oil spill latest news Houston’s the capitol of the oil industry.  Reporter Tom Fowler is in the thick of it.
• Pensacola News oil spill updates
• AL.com

National News Outlets

• PBS News Hour’s oil numbers.  Oil spill info at a glance.
• NPR’s page on the companies involved.
• CNN’s list of Energy Technology stories.

Bloggers, Social Media, Activists, etc.

• Greenpeace’s Oil Spill page.
• The Oil Drum.  Website dedicated to energy.  They’ve published a special overview of the oil spill for readers new to the Oil Drum.
• Evri oil spill web aggregation page.
• Reddit’s oil spill web aggregation page.

Volunteer Opportunities

• State of Louisiana Volunteer Opportunities
• Surfrider Foundation Volunteer Toolkit – Practical advice on volunteering, but understand that it takes training.
• Innocentive Solution Challenge – Innocentive.com brings inventors & problem solvers together with people who need solutions…no matter who those inventors are, where they live, or what they’ve done in the past.  Now, they’re soliciting solutions to the oil spill.
• USA Today Volunteer Opportunities
• Huffington Post Get Involved Opportunites
• Deepwater Horizon Response: Volunteer Information
• Mississippi Board of Animal Health: MBAH is currently asking veterinarians or a veterinary technicians who are interested in assisting with the oil spill to contact Dr. Carla Huston at Huston@cvm.msstate.edu or Dr. Brigid Elchos at Brigid@mdac.state.ms.us. in the event there is animals are affected.
• Florida volunteer information. You can sign up here and through the BP number both.
• Louisiana state volunteer information. Sign up to volunteer and receive updates.
• CNN lists volunteer opportunities, many from conversation groups.
  

Who to Follow on Twitter:

Geo-based Resources

• Louisiana Bucket Brigade
• Grassrootsmapping.org
• ESRI-
• Google Earth Layer – KMZ File – from Louisanna’s Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
  

Images

• PDF File with images of fire
• via NASA
• vai boston.com

This list was compiled by Garry Golden and Joel Greenberg.  Want to add something to the list?  Add a comment and we’ll incorporate them into the main list.

OK.  Say you did something like invent and promote the networking standard everyone uses.  What do you do next?

How about investing in energy? It’s a big problem and big problems bring big opportunity.

But how?

“The trick,” says Dr. Bob Metcalfe, inventor of ethernet, founder of 3Com, and a Venture Capitalist investing in energy, “If the Internet is any guide, is to bring new technologies to areas where they [incumbents] don’t hold sway.”

It may not be a perfect analogy comparing the Internet to Energy, but it is an instructive one.  No one brings those lessons into focus in terms of energy better than Bob Metcalfe.  In our conversation, we discuss those lessons, how to innovate in energy, and what to do to retread your career if you’re looking to move from hi-tech to energy.

]]> http://www.tech2energy.com/2010/04/08/bob-metcalfe-investing-in-energy-with-lessons-learned-from-networking/feed/ 2 3com,bob metcalfe,Capitalist,conversation,energy,Internet,inventor,networking,Podcast OK.  Say you did something like invent and promote the networking standard everyone uses.  What do you do next? - How about investing in energy? It's a big problem and big problems bring big opportunity. - But how? - "The trick," says Dr. OK.  Say you did something like invent and promote the networking standard everyone uses.  What do you do next? How about investing in energy? It's a big problem and big problems bring big opportunity. But how? "The trick," says Dr. Bob Metcalfe, inventor of ethernet, founder of 3Com, and a Venture Capitalist investing in energy, "If the Internet is any guide, is to bring new technologies to areas where they [incumbents] don't hold sway." It may not be a perfect analogy comparing the Internet to Energy, but it is an instructive one.  No one brings those lessons into focus in terms of energy better than Bob Metcalfe.  In our conversation, we discuss those lessons, how to innovate in energy, and what to do to retread your career if you're looking to move from hi-tech to energy. Joel Greenberg no http://www.tech2energy.com/2010/04/08/bob-metcalfe-investing-in-energy-with-lessons-learned-from-networking/http://media.blubrry.com/tech2energy/www.tech2energy.com/podcasts/bob_metcalfe-final.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Tech2energy/~3/F43qZdURLOA/ http://www.tech2energy.com/2010/03/18/energy-lessons-learned-from-telecom/#comments Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:00:05 +0000 Joel Greenberg http://www.tech2energy.com/?p=229

The Smart Grid adds, well, “smarts” to the electricity grid.  There are other networks with intelligence in them, such as telecom networks.  What lessons can we learn from them as we create the Smart Grid?  What can we do make sure we end up making the “Energy Internet” instead of… Read the rest

The Smart Grid adds, well, “smarts” to the electricity grid.  There are other networks with intelligence in them, such as telecom networks.  What lessons can we learn from them as we create the Smart Grid?  What can we do make sure we end up making the “Energy Internet” instead of inadvertently creating the “Energy Compuserve?”

I had this conversation with Redg Snodgrass, Sr. Director of Digital Media at Alcatel-Lucent and Eliane Fiolet, founder of Ubergizmo.com.

The argument against openness of the grid is the requirement for “9 nines” of uptime.  Because electricity is the foundation for everything in our society that’s not transportation, opening it up for innovative new products makes electric utilities nervous.  However, open systems foster new companies and innovation at a scale that close systems tend not to.

Take the break up of AT&T, once the poster child of why you couldn’t innovate on the network.  Back before the breakup, when you could only get two types of phones, the standard one and the Princess phone (both of which you didn’t actually purchase, but that you rented), there was little innovation in modems or other devices that hooked up to the network.  Why?  Because Ma Bell said it was too “dangerous” to allow other devices on the network for the fear that they could disrupt it.  Sound familiar?

While the energy grid is not the telecommunications network, surely there are lessons to be learned from telecom, or network theory in general.  That’s what Snodgrass, Fiolet, and I discussed.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is the in the midst of defining the Smart Grid standards right now.  They’re moving fast, but anyone can participate.

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South by South West is arguably the largest interactive festival in the world.  Certainly, it’s the most friendly.  When a bunch of tech geeks get together, the talk invariably turns to energy.

I moderated the panel, “Can the Creative Class Transform the Energy Business.” Garry Golden and I talk about the energy discussions I’ve been having at SXSW.

We talk about:

• the Chevy Volt
• takeaways from the energy SXSW panel.
• upcoming podcasts, such as, lessons learned from the telecom industry that we can apply to electrical utilities.
• when the grid becomes a software platform
• are electric vehicles the new electricity reservoir?

Why talk about energy at SXSW?  Because this is a crowd of people who have grown up swimming in innovation.  The SXSW interactive audience has a lot to contribute.  Today began the conversation of how they can participate in energy.

Also, the energy industry feels a lot like the computer industry in 1982, or the Internet industry in 1992.  That is, we’re on the verge of new innovation.  You can feel it in the air.  No one was really having this conversation before at SXSW.

These were the people on my panel:

Mark Kapner
Austin Energy

Richard Donnelly
Gridbot

Gregory Kallenberg
Haynseville

The image is a Chevy Volt chasis that was on display outside the Austin Convention Center at SXSW.

Tech2Energy will be attending the 2010 SXSW Interactive conference in a big way:

“Can the Creative Class Transform the Energy Business?”
Monday, March 15, 11am
I’ll be moderating the discussion. This is a late addition to the SXSW schedule, but the audience is the sweet spot for Tech2Energy.com: geeks who are interested in energy.

Haynesville World-wide Premier
Tuesday, March 16, 11am
Paramount Theater
$10
Haynesville is the story of how three lives are changed by the discovery of possibly the largest shale gas field in rural Louisiana.   The storytelling is interspersed with energy experts providing context. I throw in my two cents.  The world-wide premier is open to the public.  Please come!

Haynesville is particularly interesting as it has the ability to get people from all sides of the energy issue talking.