Free Megger Insulation Testing  Booklet

A Free 28 page booklet containing guidelines for insulation testing above 1 kV, and Megger product information.
Download HERE

The MIT520/2 measures to 15 T½, replacing the ambiguous “infinity” reading with an actual number that can be used for predictive/preventive trending on the highest quality insulation. Both units are supplied with test leads with medium insulated clips.

MIT520/2 Highlights:

• Line supply or battery operated
• Digital/analog back-lit display
• Measurement range to 15 T½ (MIT510/2 and MIT520/2) and 35 T½ (MIT1020/2)
• CAT IV 600 V safety rating
• Automatic dielectric absorption ratio, polarization index, step voltage, and dielectric discharge tests
• RS232 or USB download of results
• Ingress protection to IP65
• 3 mA short circuit current

LeCroy Introduces High Sample Rate, High Resolution Arbitrary Waveform Generators for Analog and Digital Waveform Generation

LeCroy ArbStudio 1104D

Chestnut Ridge, NY – LeCroy Corporation recently announced the ArbStudio series of arbitrary waveform generators (AWG) capable of generating signals up to 125 MHz with high sample rate, long memory and high resolution as well as a variety of operating modes, modulation capabilities and a digital pattern generator. The software interface that controls the hardware is designed to simplify waveform creation with an intuitive navigation tree which allows easy access to all channels along with special views for controlling basic function generator outputs as well as pulse width modulation (PWM) capabilities. The ability to have 2 and 4 channel units in a single, compact form factor not only saves bench space but also provides a low price per channel. Additionally the 4 channel ArbStudio models have an expansion port that allows up to 8 units to be connected, providing up to 32 synchronous analog waveforms.

Four ArbStudio models are available including 2 and 4 channel versions with analog waveform capabilities plus 2 and 4 channel versions which offer a combination of analog waveform and digital pattern generation capabilities. All models have a bandwidth of 125 MHz, maximum sample rate of 1 GS/s, long memory of 2 Mpts/ch and high 16 bit resolution. These specifications result in a higher performance arbitrary waveform generator that competitive models at this price point cannot match.

Powerful, Intuitive Software Interface
The ArbStudio software runs on an external PC freeing the user from the small displays and readouts found on a typical AWG. A simple function generator window is available for basic waveform creation while a unique, streamlined control panel dedicated for PWM signals is also available. The main software mode provides a start page that provides tutorials on creating a wide range of both simple and complex waveforms, as well as shortcuts to recent projects and an intuitive navigation tree to get started quickly. Once waveform creation has begun, graphical displays show the waveforms that have been created or sequenced and the views can be customized to only show the windows that are of most interest to the user.

Arbitrary, DDS or Both
Arbitrary waveform generators are typically available with one of two technologies, either True Arbitrary or Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS). Each of these modes comes with advantages and disadvantageous that force the user to think about what they need from an AWG. ArbStudio however does not have this limitation; it provides both modes and allows the user to choose which mode is needed for their waveforms. Furthermore, ArbStudio channels can be set to any mode independently of each other for the ultimate in flexibility.

About LeCroy
LeCroy Corporation is a worldwide leader in serial data test solutions, creating advanced instruments that drive product innovation by quickly measuring, analyzing, and verifying complex electronic signals. The Company offers high-performance oscilloscopes, serial data analyzers, and global communications protocol test solutions used by design engineers in the computer and semiconductor, data storage device, automotive and industrial, and military and aerospace markets. LeCroy’s 45-year heritage of technical innovation is the foundation for its recognized leadership in “WaveShape Analysis”—capturing, viewing, and measuring the high-speed signals that drive today’s information and communications technologies.

LeCroy ArbStudio Series AWG’s Now Available at Test Equipment Connection:

LeCroy ArbStudio 1102 Link

LeCroy ArbStudio 1102D Link

LeCroy ArbStudio 1104 Link

LeCroy ArbStudio 1104D Link

Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs achieves industry first: 300 Megabits per second over just two traditional DSL lines

Paris, April, 2010 – Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that its research arm, Bell Labs, has successfully demonstrated a technology that boosts the transmission speeds achievable over just two digital subscriber lines (DSL). In a lab test of “DSL Phantom Mode”, Bell Labs achieved downstream transmission speeds of 300 Megabits per second (Mbps) over distances up to 400 meters (or 100Mbps at 1km). At these speeds, service providers will be able to maximize the ability of the existing copper infrastructure – widely deployed around the world – to satisfy demand for bandwidth-intense residential triple-play and business services, for years to come.

At its core, DSL Phantom Mode involves the creation of a virtual or “phantom” channel that supplements the two physical wires that are the standard configuration for copper transmission lines. Bell Labs’ innovation and the source of DSL Phantom Mode’s dramatic increase in transmission capacity lies in its application of analogue phantom mode technology in combination with industry-standard techniques: vectoring that eliminates interference or “crosstalk” between copper wires, and bonding that makes it possible to take individual lines and aggregate them.

“Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs’ DSL Phantom Mode lab test adds a whole new dimension to the ongoing ‘100Mbps for all’ debate. The fact that existing copper loops can facilitate 300Mbps at 400 meters reshapes the whole next-generation broadband competitive environment – and will open up a wide range of new business opportunities for ‘traditional’ DSL players,” comments Kamalini Ganguly, Analyst from Ovum. “This announcement shows that Alcatel-Lucent is seriously looking at all possible innovations to help its customers speed up the deployment of next-generation access networks, through a smart mix of advanced copper and fiber technologies.”

“We often think of the role innovation plays in generating technologies of the future, but DSL Phantom Mode is a prime example of the role innovation can play in creating a future for existing solutions and injecting them with a new source of value,” said Gee Rittenhouse, head of Research for Bell Labs. “What makes DSL Phantom Mode such an important breakthrough is that it combines cutting edge technology with an attractive business model that will open up entirely new commercial opportunities for service providers, enabling them in particular, to offer the latest broadband IP-based services using existing network infrastructure.”

Further research is being conducted to refine deployment models and determine a specific set of customer premises equipment (CPE)-models compatible with the DSL Phantom Mode technology.

Alcatel-Lucent leads the DSL space on a year-to-date basis – according to Dell’Oro’s latest Access Report*. The vendor recently announced the unique milestone of having shipped its 200 millionth DSL line, and serves one out of three fixed broadband subscribers around the world through its access network technology.  (source www.alcatel-lucent.com)

Matinee Energy Enters Alliance With Hyundai, LG Electronics

Matinee Energy Inc., a renewable energy project developer and financier, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and formed a strategic alliance with Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. and LG Electronics Inc., which are based in Korea. Matinee said it is focusing on utility-scale projects in the US Southwest.

Matinee has invited Hyundai and LG to join as lead partners for a total of 240 MW – or $1 billion – in contracts for solar energy plants in the initial phase. Both companies have accepted the invitation. Matinee says it also plans to add additional alliance partners that are complementary to all parties.

According to Matinee, The Industrial Company (T.I.C.), which is based in Colorado, as well as other construction and technology companies located in the U.S., will join in supporting this announcement and provide their specific services and resources.  ( source Matinee Energy Inc.)

LG Group last week announced plans to invest $18 billion over the next 10 years to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and expand it business in energy efficient and renewable energy products. Earlier this month Hyundai Heavy announced its entry into the Chinese wind power industry through a MOU to jointly develop a turbine manufacturing plant with Datang Shandong Power Generation Co., LTD.

About LG Electronics, Inc.:
LG Electronics, Inc. is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications, employing more than 82,000 people working in 114 operations including 82 subsidiaries around the world. With 2007 global sales of USD 44 billion, LG is comprised of five business units – Home Entertainment, Home Appliance, Air Conditioning, Business Solutions and Mobile Communications. LG is the world’s leading producer of mobile handsets, flat panel TVs, air conditioners, front-loading washing machines, optical storage products, DVD players and home theater systems. For more information, visit www.lg.com.

About Hyundai Heavy Industries:
Korean multinational Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has a global business network in each of its six business divisions: Shipbuilding, Offshore & Engineering, Industrial Plant & Engineering, Engine & Machinery, Electro Electric Systems, and Construction Equipment. Founded by the late Chung Ju-yung on March 23, 1972, Hyundai Heavy Industries wrote the first chapter of its shipbuilding history in June, 1974, by completing construction of the world’s largest shipyard and two VLCCs (Very Large Crude Carrier) simultaneously. A decade after its first delivery, the Hyundai Shipyard topped 10 million dead-weight tons in aggregate ship production, and has maintained the leading position in the world shipbuilding market ever since. Hyundai Shipyard’s drive has mirrored the growth of modern Korean heavy industry, and its success has allowed it to expand into other heavy industry areas, ultimately leading to the formation of Hyundai Heavy Industries, an integrated heavy industry company. The latest chapter of HHI’s history began when it separated from the Hyundai Group in February, 2002.

North American SynchroPhasor Initiative

The mission of the North American SynchroPhasor Initiative is to improve power system reliability and visibility through wide area measurement and control.

Synchrophasors are precise grid measurements now available from monitors called phasor measurement units (PMUs). PMU measurements are taken at high speed (typically 30 observations per second – compared to one every 4 seconds using conventional technology). Each measurement is time-stamped according to a common time reference. Time stamping allows synchrophasors from different utilities to be time-aligned (or “synchronized”) and combined together providing a precise and comprehensive view of the entire interconnection. Synchrophasors enable a better indication of grid stress, and can be used to trigger corrective actions to maintain reliability.

The NASPI community is working to advance the deployment and use of networked phasor measurement devices, phasor data-sharing, applications development and use, and research and analysis. Important applications today include wide-area monitoring, real-time operations, power system planning, and forensic analysis of grid disturbances. Phasor technology is expected to offer great benefit for integrating renewable and intermittent resources, automated controls for transmission and demand response, increasing transmission system throughput, and improving system modeling and planning.

NASPI is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Energy, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, and North American electric utilities, vendors, consultants, federal and private researchers and academics. NASPI activities are funded by DOE and NERC, and by the voluntary efforts of many industry members and experts. (source www.naspi.org)

KSC Supplying Electricity to Floridians

Solar Panels at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A newly constructed solar power facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., officially is providing electricity to Florida homes. NASA, Florida Power & Light, or FPL, and political leaders commissioned FPL’s Space Coast Next Generation Solar Energy Center on Thursday.

The 10-megawatt solar plant was built by FPL, Florida’s largest utility. It will feed FPL’s electric grid, generating energy for more than 1,000 homes and reducing annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than 227,000 tons.

FPL built a separate 1-megawatt solar power facility at Kennedy as part of this unique public-private partnership between NASA and FPL. That facility has been supplying the space center with electricity since late 2009.

“NASA is a pioneer in the use of solar power for space exploration, so it’s fitting that we’re working with FPL to expand the use and R&D of that renewable energy source at Kennedy where many of those missions were launched,” said Bob Cabana, director of the Kennedy Space Center. “This type of commercial partnership with NASA helps provide Florida residents, and America’s space program, with new sources of green power that reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and improve the environment.”

“Florida is poised to be a leader in America’s growing clean-energy economy, which naturally includes solar power,” said Rep. Suzanne Kosmas of Florida. “Bringing new clean-energy jobs to our communities is one of my top priorities. This joint effort between NASA and FPL is an example of how we can create jobs while investing in common-sense solutions to the economic, environmental and national security challenges we face today.”

The 10-megawatt facility features approximately 35,000 highly efficient solar photovoltaic panels from SunPower Corporation on 60 acres at Kennedy. The panels are 50 percent more efficient than conventional solar panels.

“Like NASA, FPL is looking beyond the horizon. FPL’s Space Coast Next Generation Solar Energy Center is an important part of our state’s clean-energy future, but large-scale solar projects like this one also have a very positive impact on the economy today,” said FPL President and CEO Armando J. Olivera. “Projects like this and our Next Generation Solar Energy Centers in Martin and DeSoto give Florida the opportunity to create and attract clean-energy jobs and produce millions of dollars in new revenue for local governments while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fighting the effects of climate change at the same time.”

Plans also are being discussed to expand the 10-megawatt facility’s generating capacity to 100-megawatts at another Kennedy location. This expansion of the solar facilities is contingent on regulatory support and the passage of renewable energy legislation at the state level. If proven environmentally and economically feasible, an expansive field of photovoltaic solar panels will be constructed in phases on 500 or more acres of fallow Kennedy agricultural land and integrated into the utility’s grid. A dedicated research and development facility to support continual improvement of solar renewable energy also would be established by SunPower and FPL’s other partners at Kennedy’s upcoming business complex, Exploration Park.

The proposed projects are being pursued under a five-year Memorandum of Understanding entered into by Kennedy and FPL in 2007 to promote jointly developed projects in renewable technologies.

(source www.nasa.gov)

For more information about NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

Lake Mary, FL USA – Frederick Engineering, Inc. and Test Equipment Connection Corporation Enter into USA Reseller Agreement

Test Equipment Connection Corp. announced today that is has entered into a Reseller Agreement to market and sell new Frederick Engineering network management, security, and analysis solutions. Frederick Engineering has a wide range of cost-effective network management, security, and analysis products for fiber, 10/100/Gigabit, VoIP, wireless, and wide area networks.

ParaScope mPA ADSLx Triple Play

“Frederick Engineering delivers high performance service verification products that are a great value for tight budgets,” said President and COO Mike Novello. “The ParaScope GigE, ParaScope mPA, and ParaScope ADSL2+ez are full featured field tools designed for electrical and optical testing, triple play services, ADSL1/2/2+, VDSL2, 10/100 circuits, ADSL2+ and IPTV installation testing.”

About Frederick Engineering, Inc.

Frederick Engineering (FE) is the leading provider of products and solutions which are used globally for installing, troubleshooting, managing, and securing networks. Founded in 1983, FE provides ideal solutions featuring the world-renowned ParaScope product line. Products include PC-based, remotely-operated, and handheld test instruments that are routinely used for analyzing and resolving network and fiber problems

About Test Equipment Connection Corporation

Test Equipment Connection Corp., Test Equipment Connection Pte. Ltd., and TE Connection Asia Limited are industry-leading suppliers of new, refurbished and second-hand electronic test and measurement (“T&M”) equipment. The companies sell, buy, lease, rent, trade, repair and calibrate over 315 manufacturers including Anritsu, Rohde & Schwarz, Agilent, Tektronix, Advantest, LeCroy, Chroma and Fluke, with thousands of products available. The companies are a single source supplier with in-house calibration laboratories assuring that customers receive only the highest quality T&M equipment and support. Test Equipment Connection Corporation has over 250,000 customers, a 45,000 square foot warehouse and repair facility in the US, and 16 years of profitability and financial strength. Visit www.testequipmentconnection.com or email sales@testequipmentconnection.com for more information.

Download this Frederick-Engineering-Press-Release.pdf

Test Equipment Connection Corporation
30 Skyline Drive
Lake Mary, FL 32746 USA   (800) 615-8378 x 141

Test Equipment Connection Pte. Ltd.
6 Battery Road
#31-00 Standard Chartered Bank Building
Singapore 049909
Telephone: 65-6320-8596

TE Connection Asia, Ltd.
Unit 13, 16 / FL Fotan Industrial Centre
26-28 Au Pui Wan Street
Fotan Shatin N.T. Hong Kong
Telephone: 852-2690-1360

Company To Develop One Of The Largest Solar PV Farms In The State

Lake Mary, FL., March 31, 2010 – BlueChip Energy, a provider of complete solar energy solutions for residential, commercial, government and utility applications, today announced a power purchase agreement to supply Progress Energy Florida with renewable solar photovoltaic (PV) power from the Rinehart Solar Farm, a 10 MW utility-scale solar PV facility the company is developing in Central Florida.

The Rinehart Solar Farm project, located in Lake Mary, Fla., will have a total capacity of 10 megawatts (MW) and an annual generation of approximately 15,000,000 kilowatt-hours. This is equivalent to the annual energy use of roughly 1,100 area homes. It will be the largest solar photovoltaic project in Central Florida.  It will cover a portion of the 380,000 square foot rooftop space and surrounding acreage of BlueChip Energy’s Lake Mary facility.

As a renewable energy project, the Rinehart Solar Farm will stimulate the local economy by creating an estimated 100 high-paying, high-skilled green jobs while building local expertise in solar energy.  “We expect the Rinehart Solar Farm to serve as a model in the state of Florida for large-scale, alternative-energy projects” commented Lawrence Hefler, Director of Corporate Marketing for BlueChip Energy.

The solar farm will be built in stages, starting with a roof top plant totaling 120 kilowatts (kW).  It is currently in the pre-construction planning phase and expected to be completed by the end of July, 2010.  Stage two is a roof top plant consisting of 500 kW.  Subsequent stages will consist of a third, 1.4 MW rooftop system and 8 MW of ground-based systems. Construction of the entire facility is expected to be completed by October 2010.  BCE will build the plant using mono- and poly-crystalline solar PV modules and providing its own project development, engineering, procurement, and construction capabilities.   The 10 MW of power generated from the plant will displace over 9,200 metric tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of taking nearly 1,700 cars off the road. (source www.bluechipenergy.org)

Lockheed Martin and Itron Provide Demand Response-Ready Smart Grid Solution for Utilities

TAMPA, Fla. — Lockheed Martin and Itron, Inc. today announced an agreement to integrate Lockheed Martin’s SEEload Demand Response Management Solution with Itron’s smart grid platform. The integrated solution, which includes the OpenWay smart metering and Itron Enterprise Edition Meter Data Management (IEE MDM) systems, will reduce the cost, complexity and risk for utilities deploying smart meters and implementing demand response (DR) programs.

The offering leverages Itron’s global leadership in smart metering and enterprise utility software solutions and Lockheed Martin’s world-class capabilities in security, command and control and systems-of-systems integration. Both contribute technically-proven, market-ready products prepared for integration.

“The pre-integration and testing of Itron’s MDM platform with our demand response management technology will allow utilities to reduce technical risk and scheduling risk, while simplifying the deployment of DR programs,” said John Mengucci, president of Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems & Global Services-Defense. “Further, integration to OpenWay standard demand response interfaces will make it easier and quicker for utilities to deploy advanced energy management services to their customers, and will help maintain grid stability.”

“Fostering the smart grid requires unprecedented collaboration,” said Philip Mezey, Itron North America’s vice president and chief operating officer. “If there’s one thing that 30+ years of experience driving innovation for utilities has taught Itron, it’s that our complex industry is bigger than any one company. The importance of combining the complementary expertise of Itron and Lockheed Martin cannot be overstated.”

SEEload is one of Lockheed Martin’s SEEsuite Smart Grid Command and Control applications, and enables utilities and independent system operators to precisely and easily manage demand response events across an entire distribution network, including substations and individual feeders. SEEload provides complete DR life- cycle management, including DR program definition and customer enrollment, real-time DR event management, and post-event DR analytics.

OpenWay empowers customers to participate in energy management and conservation by providing a two-way network between the utility and each premise it serves. IEE MDM then brokers the communication between the OpenWay field communications architecture and utility back-office systems, providing an enterprise repository for managing the data generated by smart metering.

Itron is the world’s leading provider of intelligent metering, data collection and utility software solutions, with nearly 8,000 utilities worldwide relying on our technology to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Itron offerings include electricity, gas, water and heat meters, data collection and communication systems, including automated meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI); meter data management and related software applications; as well as project management, installation and consulting services.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.
(source www.lockheedmartin.com)

Technology, analysis can better meet America’s energy needs

President Barack Obama has called for one million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to hit the road by 2015. If the demand for PHEVs skyrockets, a flood of new electric cars could strain America’s power networks to the limit.

That is why the U.S. Department of Energy is analyzing how the power grid can be redesigned to better meet America’s energy needs. A multidisciplinary mix of scientists from Argonne National Laboratory is working to help develop a “smart grid” that will not only adapt in real-time to handle larger electricity loads, but also operate more cheaply and efficiently than the existing grid.

“The smart grid proposes to reorganize the way power is used in the home and how it is distributed,” said Ted Bohn, an electrical engineer at Argonne’s Center for Transportation Research.

In the home, electric vehicles and all major appliances would be connected to a central hub that monitors how much electricity they use. The hub in turn would “talk” to local power suppliers. All of these appliances and the grid would talk to each other and could also share power.

Today manufacturers are meeting to agree on a standard plug for the home hub, cars and appliances. But it turns out that American manufacturers already agreed on a standardized electric vehicle plug—in 1913! In the early days of cars, electric vehicles seemed a likely competitor for gasoline-powered engines and 30,000 were on the road; thus, the plug seen here—complete with wooden handle.

The communication between vehicles, appliances and the grid allows suppliers to track electricity use in real-time. With that information, more utilities could vary the price of power by time of day and create incentives for consumers to use electricity at certain times. If power suppliers are overwhelmed during peak demand, consumers will receive a high price signal that will encourage them to reduce their consumption until the situation eases.

“Say you’re running the air conditioning and charging your car battery at the same time during a hot afternoon,” Bohn said. “With a smart-grid infrastructure, your AC and battery charger will automatically dial down their consumption, and then run it back up again when prices are lower.”

The smart grid offers more choice to consumers by letting them micro-manage their energy bills. A consumer concerned about price could set a dishwasher to run when power is cheapest, usually at night, when demand is lowest. Environmentally conscious consumers could also choose to pay a clean energy premium for solar and wind power and thereby promote the use of these renewable energy sources.

“The smart grid doesn’t propose to revolutionize the way we do power,” Bohn said. “It’s just about doing the same things more efficiently—smarter.”

Les Poch and Matt Mahalik of Argonne’s Center for Energy, Environmental, and Economic Systems Analysis (CEEESA) are concerned with the demand on the existing grid as more and more electric vehicles hit the road. Poch and Mahalik model the potential strain on the grid if millions of new electric vehicles were to plug in every night.

“Depending on what Americans do with their new cars, energy suppliers could be overwhelmed—or they could stand to gain a lot,” Poch said.

Electricity suppliers closely monitor regional demand. To prevent shortages, they must predict how much electricity will be needed at any given time. “Until now, the pattern of power use in the U.S. has been relatively stable and predictable for the past 30 years,” said Mahalik. “The last major bump was probably the widespread adoption of air conditioning.”

Now, electric vehicles stand poised to throw off that stable pattern. No one knows how quickly electric cars will catch on, in what areas they’ll be most popular, or when everyone will choose to plug in their cars.

Today’s electricity demand follows well defined cycles. It increases during the daytime when commuters head to work, as homes and offices turn up the air conditioning and factories power up the machinery, and falls sharply during nighttime.

Utilities must prepare for that afternoon peak. “The way we build power plants now is to make sure we have enough to meet the highest demand possible—the maximum amount of power on the afternoon of the hottest day of the year,” said Vladimir Koritarov, deputy director of CEEESA. “Then they add some more for backup in an emergency. The rest of the year we won’t need nearly so much power, but we have to be prepared for that one day.”

For this reason, utilities must maintain a large reserve capacity that is unused for the majority of the year. Koritarov thinks that with the right approach, the smart grid could work out to everyone’s advantage.

By using incentives to smooth out demand for electricity between day and night, a utility can produce power more economically. Also, smart charging of electric and hybrid vehicles during the off-peak periods can significantly help with that goal by filling up “demand valleys.”

A significant stumbling block for power distribution is the lack of technology to store power for extended periods. Stockpiled power from variable resources, such as solar and wind, could be fed back into the grid at peak times to reduce the strain on the grid and conventional power plants. A team of Argonne materials scientists, chemists and engineers – already renowned for their successes in the field of advanced battery development for vehicles – is working to develop large-scale energy storage technologies that will capture energy whenever it’s available and store it for use at a later time.

“The smart grid isn’t a theoretical concept,” said Bohn. “It’s happening now.” Across the country, aspects of the smart grid are being tested in homes and neighborhoods. As America moves forward, science and Argonne work to improve the future—for households, businesses and utilities alike.

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America ‘s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. (source www.anl.gov)

(Download a fact sheet on the smart grid.)

Watch a demonstration of the smart Grid