Xcel wins right to charge for SmartGrid City ( CO )

Denver Business Journal ^ | October 28, 2010 | Cathy Proctor

[george76]

An administrative law judge for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission has approved Xcel Energy Inc.’s SmartGrid City project, and will allow the utility to charge Colorado customers $44.5 million to cover costs associated with the project.

In his ruling, Adams said Xcel must keep information obtained from customers using the Smart Grid system private, and the utility must track intellectual property or patent rights that rise from the project.

When Xcel launched SmartGrid City in March 2008, the utility billed the project as a $100 million test of various technologies that would upgrade the electricity grid in Boulder.

Xcel thought its share of the investment would be about $15 million, but the utility’s costs soared to nearly $45 million ...

[Need4Truth]

What information does this smart grid thing obtain from customers?

[UCANSEE2]

What information does this smart grid thing obtain from customers?

$44.5 Million.

[colorado tanker]

What makes this even worse is that Boulder wants to nonrenew it's Excel franchise and pay as they go while they create a new green utility. So, not only do the rest of us get to pay for their “smartgrid” they will also get to free ride on us for their basic electric service while they create their green utopia. As usual, liberal means never having to pay your own way.

[george76]

Utility companies, by gathering hundreds of billions of data points about us, could reconstruct much of our daily lives — when we wake up, when we go home, when we go on vacation, perhaps even when we draw a hot bath. They might sell this information to marketing companies — perhaps a travel agency will send brochures right when the family vacation is about to arrive.

Law enforcement officials might use this information against us (”Where were you last night? Home watching TV? That’s not what the power company says … ”). Divorce lawyers could subpoena the data (”You say you’re a good parent, but your children are forced to sleep in 61-degree rooms. For shame ...”).

A credit bureau or insurance company could penalize you because your energy use patterns are similar to those of other troublesome consumers. Or criminals could spy the data, then plan home burglaries with fine-tuned accuracy.

‘Tsunami of information’

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2009/10/would-you-sign-up-for-a-discount-with-your-power-company-in-exchange-for-surrendering-control-of-your-thermostat-what-if-it.html#posts

[MileHi]

I’m starting to really dispise Xcel

[MissTed]

When is Xcel ever denied a rate increase???? I sure do wish they had competition!

[george76]

Plus, Wonder how much the tax payers and utility bill payers will get hit when they close down the coal fired electrical plants ?

Directly with higher taxes and indirectly with higher food and other prices as businesses will have to pass on these new fees.

Plus lost coal mining jobs and

[colorado tanker]

That coal to gas bill was one of the most corrupt bargains I've ever seen in the legislature, and I'm pretty cynical. The friggin’ PUC that is passing on it's legality wrote the damn thing. We'll be paying through the nose for this one unless we take the government back and repeal it.

[sionnsar]

You are spot on with this. Who owns the data and how does it get used is a big topic in the NIST-led Smart Grid development effort.