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Smart energy interoperability: it's now or never
Anne-Francoise Pele
8/10/2012 10:48 AM EDT
Rob Ranck, HomePlug’s president
EETimes: What will the HomePlug Powerline Alliance bring to the CSEP in terms of specific competencies/experience/achievements?
Rob Ranck (shown): HomePlug brings more than a dozen years of experience to CSEP in terms of testing powerline and wired products, and we have a well-established certification program. Additionally, many HomePlug products include both HomePlug and Wi-Fi functionality, so HomePlug has that experience with integration across multiple communications technologies.
EETimes: What are the immediate challenges that the CSEP will have to overcome?
Ranck: Things are going very smoothly and are well underway, so I don’t have any challenges to be addressed.
EETimes: What are your short term and long-term expectations for the CSEP?
Ranck: There really isn’t a big difference in HomePlug's expectations for the short- and long-term for CSEP. CSEP is developing the test tools that the alliance members (HomePlug, ZigBee, Wi-Fi) will use to certify smart energy products. So in the short term, CSEP will create a test suite to validate interoperability, and in the long term, CSEP will maintain and improve the test tools. The tool development process is well underway as evidenced by the ongoing PlugFests.
EETimes: What will the HomePlug Powerline Alliance bring to the CSEP in terms of specific competencies/experience/achievements?
Rob Ranck (shown): HomePlug brings more than a dozen years of experience to CSEP in terms of testing powerline and wired products, and we have a well-established certification program. Additionally, many HomePlug products include both HomePlug and Wi-Fi functionality, so HomePlug has that experience with integration across multiple communications technologies.EETimes: What are the immediate challenges that the CSEP will have to overcome?
Ranck: Things are going very smoothly and are well underway, so I don’t have any challenges to be addressed.
EETimes: What are your short term and long-term expectations for the CSEP?
Ranck: There really isn’t a big difference in HomePlug's expectations for the short- and long-term for CSEP. CSEP is developing the test tools that the alliance members (HomePlug, ZigBee, Wi-Fi) will use to certify smart energy products. So in the short term, CSEP will create a test suite to validate interoperability, and in the long term, CSEP will maintain and improve the test tools. The tool development process is well underway as evidenced by the ongoing PlugFests.
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dougwithau
8/12/2012 1:44 PM EDT
This is my opinion, it does not reflect the opinion of my current or past employers. I worked at a "Smart Energy company" implementing Zigbee based devices that interfaced with smart meters.
If you are reading this as an investor or person in the smart energy space, please take note. This is the unvarnished truth.
Smart energy is a good idea with no real market. The home user does not want another way for marketers to monitor their behavior. No,I do not need an email from my furnace or fridge telling me it is time to buy a genuine replacement filter. Energy savings is nice, but when the savings does not pay back the initial investment for 5-7 years, it is not interesting for most home users. I will not replace my furnace or fridge because it is "smart".
Commercial energy saving systems are a different story. There is some money in that market.
The utility is the other side of the smart energy story. Utilities do not want to manage the complication of a home full of smart devices. Building, commissioning and managing the installation of a secure wireless network kills any possible profit. There is a basic misunderstanding of the utility business model. If it is capital equipment, the PUC votes to pay for it. If not, don't do it. Smart energy has so far failed in front of the PUC.
Beyond some stimulus funds, there really is no market.
Ask the basic marketing question. Who want this technology? What problem does it solve?
The answer is no one, not the utility or the consumer. Electricity is sold at 10-30 cents per kilowatt. Consumers have no interest in saving, especially when the saving is up front expensive and seen as an inconvenience.
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dougwithau
8/12/2012 1:44 PM EDT
Rant continued to get past the 2000 character limit.
Do you, as an EETimes reader, who does not represent the technical know how of an average consumer, know what you pay per kwh for electricity? Off the top of your head?
Cisco, Microsoft and Google have all abandoned their plans in home energy management. Maybe they are all wrong.
All I am saying is, don't throw pickles down a rat hole. Remember, sunk costs, don't put good money after bad.
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bearchow
8/13/2012 9:41 AM EDT
Matter of fact, I don't know, or really care how much I pay for electricity. Nor do I care for smart appliances, or smart meters (which in real life have led to more complaints from consumers that they are used by power companies to get more money out of them, not less).
Not to mention the fact that modern jargon like "interoperability" and garbage like that set off alarm bells that I am about to either be bs'd or bored.
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iniewski
8/13/2012 1:03 PM EDT
I know how much I pay ($40/month) and think this is too low...at that price I have absolutely no incentive to cut my energy use...however, I do have an incentive to cut down my coffee consumption which is $200/month...Kris
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Gus campeon
8/16/2012 10:41 AM EDT
Hi Iniewski: Could you tell us where you live? Because 40 bucks per month seems to be a very low rate for electricity consumption? Regards, Gus
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iniewski
8/16/2012 12:10 PM EDT
To @Gus campeon, I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada...small house, 2,000 sq ft...granted we get the lowest electricity rates in the world, $0.07/kWh...but even if the rate was double it would be $80 a month, still less then daily coffee...Kris
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