Southern California Edison to add 535MW of battery energy storage October 25, 2021 Southern California Edison (SCE) will add 535 megawatts of battery energy storage at three of its substations to increase grid reliability for next summer. Read more
DOE Invests $61 Million for Smart Buildings that Accelerate Renewable Energy Adoption and Grid Resilience
DOE Invests $61 Million for Smart Buildings that Accelerate Renewable Energy Adoption and Grid Resilience October 14, 2021 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $61 million for 10 pilot projects that will deploy new technology to transform thousands of homes and workplaces into state-of-the-art, energy-efficient buildings. These Connected…
Consultants offer ways to improve US power transmission planning in FERC comments
Consultants offer ways to improve US power transmission planning in FERC comments 11 Oct 2021 Stakeholders and power market participants have begun submitting responses to federal regulators regarding an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on transmission improvements, with one group contending transportation and space heating electrification will increase power demand…
Xylem, Dragos Partner to Bring Cybersecurity Leadership to Water Utilities
Xylem, Dragos Partner to Bring Cybersecurity Leadership to Water Utilities October 04, 2021 Leading global water technology company, Xylem Inc., and Dragos, Inc., the global leader in cybersecurity for industrial controls systems (ICS)/operational technology (OT) environments, today announced they have partnered to bring best-in-class industrial cybersecurity to critical infrastructure in…
Lynn Good projects $100B in spending on ‘clean energy transition’ at Duke Energy in the next 10 years
Lynn Good projects $100B in spending on ‘clean energy transition’ at Duke Energy in the next 10 years Sep 30, 2021 Touting Duke Energy Corp.’s sustainability goals at a presentation an S&P Global Inc. conference, CEO Lynn Good said the company will spend close to $100 billion on its transition to clean…
Solar trade woes cast a pall over Biden’s climate goals
Solar trade woes cast a pall over Biden’s climate goals 09/28/2021 President Joe Biden’s climate goals are conflicting with his aim to bolster American manufacturing of solar panels — an industry the U.S. largely lost to China when he was vice president and one that can’t be rebuilt quickly. Read…
Anterix scores $30M lease with Evergy for 900 MHz spectrum
Anterix scores $30M lease with Evergy for 900 MHz spectrum Sep 20, 2021 Anterix is building steam with utility companies, notching a third long-term lease for use of its 900 MHz spectrum in a 20-year $30 million agreement with power company Evergy. Evergy gets exclusive access to 6 MHz of…
System Monitors Transmission Lines for Faults and Damage
System Monitors Transmission Lines for Faults and Damage SEP 14, 2021 Prisma Photonics Ltd and Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) have signed a pilot agreement to supply monitoring services for IEC’s electrical power transmission grid. The collaboration has started as a part of Israel’s Innovation Authority’s program to run pilots in governmental companies and national infrastructure.…
Alpha Wireless Unveils Antenna Solutions to Enable Utility Network Modernization
Alpha Wireless Unveils Antenna Solutions to Enable Utility Network Modernization Aug 24th, 2021 Alpha Wireless is launching the Alpha Wireless AW3874 dual-band antenna, engineered to empower utilities to modernize and digitize their communications infrastructure. With support for both 900 MHz and 3.5 GHz / Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum…
NM could get billions in new federal funding
NM could get billions in new federal funding August 23, 2021 Congress is gearing up to approve the largest federal investments in infrastructure and social programs since the Great Depression in the 1930s, and New Mexico could reap huge benefits. Read more
Grid’s ‘town crier’ separates cyber signal from noise
Grid’s ‘town crier’ separates cyber signal from noise 08/17/2021 The U.S. power grid’s hub for cyberthreat information got word last December that hackers had breached FireEye Inc., one of the world’s largest cybersecurity companies. Read more
Federal cybersecurity defenses not strong enough to protect American data, Senate report warns
Federal cybersecurity defenses not strong enough to protect American data, Senate report warns AUGUST 3, 2021 Federal agencies responsible for safeguarding the security and personal data of millions of Americans have failed to implement basic defenses against cyberattacks, according to a report from Senate investigators released Tuesday. The agencies earned…
Bipartisan $1T Senate infrastructure bill focuses on nuclear, carbon capture, transmission
Bipartisan $1T Senate infrastructure bill focuses on nuclear, carbon capture, transmission Aug. 3, 2021 A bipartisan group of senators on Sunday unveiled its nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill, formalized into text following a 67-32 consensus to advance the legislation. The vote to advance the bill included the support of 17 Republicans. Read…
New cybersecurity order issued for US pipeline operators
New cybersecurity order issued for US pipeline operators July 20, 2021 The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday announced new requirements for U.S. pipeline operators to bolster cybersecurity following a May ransomware attack that disrupted gas delivery across the East Coast. Read more
Lawmakers introduce American Cybersecurity Literacy Act
Lawmakers introduce American Cybersecurity Literacy Act June 28, 2021 Bipartisan House lawmakers introduced legislation to increase cybersecurity literacy and security awareness among the American public amid a spike in cybersecurity threats against critical infrastructure. Read more
State, Local Governments Highlight Cybersecurity Funding Needs
State, Local Governments Highlight Cybersecurity Funding Needs June 18, 2021 State, local and county governments officials testified that they need continually renewed, flexible funding to fend off increasing cyber threats during a U.S. Senate hearing. Read more
Hacker group REvil claims responsibility for Invenergy data breach
Hacker group REvil claims responsibility for Invenergy data breach JUNE 14, 2021 Chicago-based solar and wind developer Invenergy said that it has been hacked, following a recent trend in energy-data security breaches. Russia-linked hackers “REvil” claimed involvement in the breach. Read more
Energy chief cites risk of cyberattacks crippling power grid
Energy chief cites risk of cyberattacks crippling power grid June 6, 2021 Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Sunday called for more public-private cooperation on cyber defenses and said U.S. adversaries already are capable of using cyber intrusions to shut down the U.S. power grid. Read more
Hackers Exploit Post-COVID Return to Offices
Hackers Exploit Post-COVID Return to Offices May 28, 2021 With COVID-19 restrictions lifting and workers trickling back to offices, threat actors are sharpening their spear phishing ploys. The latest scam includes pelting recipients with emails purportedly from their CIOs welcoming employees back into offices. Read more
Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack Prompts DHS to Issue New Cybersecurity Regulations
Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack Prompts DHS to Issue New Cybersecurity Regulations JUNE 1, 2021 Hot on the heels of an executive order aimed at standardizing federal response to cyber attacks and creating new reporting requirements for government vendors, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is establishing its own requirements specifically…
Green push presents cybersecurity problems of its own
Green push presents cybersecurity problems of its own May 17, 2021 The shift to cleaner energy forebodes greater cybersecurity challenges as the economy adds new technologies and relies increasingly on electricity to fuel vehicles and heat homes. Read more
Biden prepared to take additional steps after Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack
Biden prepared to take additional steps after Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack MAY 10, 2021 President Joe Biden said Monday that his administration was prepared to take additional steps as the energy sector grapples with a colossal cyberattack targeting one of the largest fuel pipelines in the nation. Read more
White House launches cybersecurity push targeting electricity sector
White House launches cybersecurity push targeting electricity sector By Justin Katz, Apr 20, 2021 The White House on Tuesday announced the first pilot program to improve the cybersecurity of the nation’s electricity infrastructure as part of a broader initiative focused on industrial control systems. Read more
Millions of connected devices have security flaws, study shows
Hannah Murphy, Apr 13, 2021 Millions of “internet of things” devices using software from groups including Siemens and Microsoft contain security flaws that could be used to compromise government servers or hospitals, new research has found. Read more
Manufacturing Firms Learn Cybersecurity the Hard Way
3/29/2021, Robert Lemos Although 61% of smart factories have experienced a cybersecurity incident, IT groups and operational technology groups still don’t collaborate enough on security. Read more
New reports affirm cybersecurity war is not being won
By Phil Hall, February 16, 2021 Despite the best efforts by technology experts, the cybersecurity war continues to rage and digital miscreants still have the upper hand in their assaults on corporate, government and individual targets. Read more
Report Calls for Electricity Sector to Rethink Approach to Climate Change Risks
January 5, 2021 – Homeland Security Today A new report from the Columbia Law School and Environmental Defense Fund highlights climate change risks in the electricity sector. The authors – Romany M. Webb, Michael Panfil, and Sarah Ladin – say electric system operators must rethink their approach to infrastructure protection and…
SolarWinds Hack Infected Critical Infrastructure, Including Power Industry
Kim Zetter, December 24 2020 The hacking campaign that infected numerous government agencies and tech companies with malicious SolarWinds software has also infected more than a dozen critical infrastructure companies in the electric, oil, and manufacturing industries who were also running the software, according to a security firm conducting investigations…
How Biden Could Change the Conversation on Cybersecurity
The incoming administration could mean significant changes for technology, especially where federal cybersecurity is concerned. The increased attention will no doubt mean big changes for state and local governments as well. Read More
U.S. market for ‘smart home’ devices to triple to $75 billion by 2025
Energize Weekly, September 25, 2019 The U.S. market for “smart home” devices will more than triple by 2025, reaching $75 billion, according to data analytics company GlobalData. The growth will be driven by the increased use of smart thermostats, which consumers see as an energy-saving device and utilities as one…
Blockchain could help manage rooftop solar, electric vehicle and energy trades, study says
Energize Weekly, July 25, 2018 Blockchain—the decentralized digital ledger most often linked to cryptocurrencies—could have a major impact in managing rooftop solar, electric vehicle charging and energy trading, according to an analysis by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI). The EFI study estimates there has already been $100 million to $300…
Flexibility & Resiliency in Design for a Smart Feature-Filled Streetscape
By Sandra Scanlon Walk into any given Starbucks across the country, and you’ll probably notice that the majority of patrons have their faces buried in an electronic device. Whether it is a cellular phone, laptop or tablet, we are a 24/7 connected society through myriad forms of technology all around…
