You don't have to be in San Diego to get the latest buzz from DistribuTECH. We've sorted through the flurry of announcements for you. Click for the latest batch we thought you'd want to know about.

Referred to as a 'plug-in ecosystem,' new charging stations now in operation in Indiana have incorporated solar power and energy storage to provide a clean and green way to charge EVs day and night. And it can do traditional and quick charging.

If you're one of the 25 semi-finalists for the 2013 Smart Grid Companies to Watch competition, we've created a flyer you are welcome to download to promote voting.

Although the U.S. smart grid market contracted in 2012, the overall market grew 7% to hit $13.9 billion. Click for a snapshot of where the big spenders were, what they spent money on - and what some are predicting utilities will be spending money on next.

Readers reduced the list of 54 companies nominated for this year's Companies to Watch competition to 25 - but now we need your help again. Click to see which companies survived the first round and vote for one you think belongs in the final 13.

The Pentagon plans a huge buildup of its cybersecurity operations to defend the country's computer networks from a growing number of attacks. The electric grid and its critical infrastructure are one of three areas the Defense Department's Cyber Command is gearing up to protect.

So you aren't in San Diego this week, where it's supposed to be 68 degrees on Thursday. Who needs sunshine and sandy beaches when you can bask in the glow of your computer screen, reading the latest announcements from the show? We've got a dozen-plus we think you'll be interested in.

Venture capital funding in smart grid kicked off slowly in 2012, but the dollars were significantly more than in 2011. But mergers and acquisitions last year were a different story: 23 M&A transactions for three times the dollar amount recorded for 2011, according to Mercom Capital Group.

Was your boss too cheap to send you to DistribuTECH this year? Not to worry. We're providing daily updates to help keep you current on the latest announcements from San Diego. Click to get started.

The Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative just issued its latest 'State of the Consumer Report.' Bottom line: Most consumers like smart technology and would be willing to participate in energy-saving programs. But there's still a lot of work to be done. Find out why.

GE has been a top supplier of grid hardware for years, but is making a notable move into smart grid software with its Grid IQ Insight analytics offering. We take a good look at what it does, how it works and what utilities should know about its features and custom-built solutions.

Silver Spring Networks has always been a thought leader. And like so many smart grid companies, SSN is making several announcements at this year's DistribuTECH conference. We thought it would be helpful to pull back the covers to reveal where SSN's thoughts may lead us next.

Elster announced a new grid performance system to help utilities wring the maximum benefits from their advanced metering systems' data. Callisto wraps a variety of functions like data analytics and outage management into one suite of applications. Get the details inside.

This paper from EPRI explores some of the measures that consumers can take during extended power outages while utility crews are working hard to restore power to homes.

A newly released audit from the Energy Department's Inspector General says millions of federal dollars slated for smart grid improvements were mismanaged. Click for details and to download the report.

The Department of Energy's Inspector General conducted an audit of the $700 million Smart Grid Demonstration Program funded by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This document contains the results of that audit, including concerns that DOE did not always manage the program effectively or efficiently.

Like many firms before it, Google has come to realize that policy and regulation are the biggest obstacles to grid modernization. Click to see what the Internet giant intends to do about it - and why.

Which companies have the potential to be this year's smart grid superstars? Today we're featuring the final six reader nominations for our Companies to Watch competition. See who they are and vote to send one of them on to the next round, which begins next week.

Xcel Energy can't catch a break it seems. Earlier this month an administrative law judge told the company it couldn't have the $16.6 million balance it wants to cover expenses for the Boulder SmartGridCity project, and now it looks like the city council may vote to dump the company in favor of a city-owned and operated utility.

Tendril and Hitachi have teamed up on a different approach to home energy management: including the technology in set-top boxes. The companies say their innovation is an economical alternative to special purpose gateways and specialized hardware, and we think it's a step in the right direction.