WindPower Innovations, Inc. has announced Permanent Magnet Direct Drive wind turbine solutions as an integral component in the company’s overall mandate to provide unique and efficient ways for the wind industry to economically transition into the smart grid future.  Ian Griffiths, Chief Technical Officer of WindPower Innovations, says, “Permanent Magnet Direct-Drive turbines are the future of wind energy generation. We’re applying advanced systems that are new to wind energy, and in ways that eclipse our competition.”

A123 Systems, which develops and manufactures advanced Nanophosphate lithium ion batteries and systems, has announced that AES Energy Storage is deploying 44MW of A123’s Smart Grid Stabilization Systems (SGSS) for various new projects including an energy storage project in Johnson City, N.Y.

A new report from Berg Insight concludes that the worldwide deployment of smart electricity meters will reach 302.5 million at the end of 2015, based on a compound annual growth rate of 31.1 percent between 2009 and 2015. During the next five years, penetration rates for smart metering technology are projected to more than double to nearly 50 percent in Europe and North America, while Asia-Pacific is projected to reach 25 percent by 2015, from less than one percent today. The report anticipates that growth will continue into the second half of this decade, with many markets approaching 100 percent penetration by 2020.

NorthWestern Energy has selected Lockheed Martin’s SEEsuite Smart Grid Command and Control platform to provide demand response management and integrated situational awareness for its participation in a new $178 million smart grid project. NorthWestern Energy is participating in the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project, which involves more than 60,000 customers in five states. The purpose of the project is to test new combinations of devices, software, and advanced analytical tools to improve the grid’s reliability and performance.