In announcing a new collaboration between Siemens and Teradata in the data analytics space, the companies hint at new offerings that will be purpose-built for the electric power industry.

Paul Michael Grant is an esteemed researcher and electric power veteran who has long promoted the idea of using electric power transmission corridors for dual purposes, namely the delivery of electric power AND liquid hydrogen. In today's guest commentary, he explains how the shale gas explosion makes this scenario even more plausible. See if you agree.

There's plenty of chatter about microgrids, but only a few actual installations. So what will it take for the market to take off? Some believe increased attention on grid reliability in the wake of superstorms such as Sandy will be the key, but we think several factors may converge.

The Union of Concerned Scientists has released a report that says not only is renewable energy growing rapidly, but we have the tools to make it grow even faster - with existing technologies and without significant cost.

Despite the odds, renewable energy not only grew in 2012, but may have set in motion a repeat performance this year and into the near future. AOL Energy's Peter Gardett has the details of a recent Deloitte overview of mergers and acquisitions in the renewables sector.

In this Intel podcast, Erich Gunther of Enernex covers the hot topics in grid modernization, touching on disaster response, utility core and ICT infrastructure, reliability assessment, interoperability, standards, big data and cybersecurity.

U.S. Senate Energy Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) offers his perspective on the opportunities and challenges in the smart grid during the Edison Foundation's "Powering the People" event.

This Silver Spring Networks webcast highlights how Baltimore Gas & Electric leveraged smart grid technology during Hurricane Sandy. Benefits discussed include greater visibility into affected areas and ease in locating and rerouting power around trouble spots.

An Australian research center has raised a red flag over widespread and increasing use of cloud services with the message that it will be the cause of a "massive surge" in energy consumption. And it's not the data centers - it's the wireless networks connected to them.

A review of the global energy storage market by GBI Research forecasts steady growth through 2020, which is probably driven by continuing smart grid infrastructure initiatives, increasing energy demand, more government support and a steady stream of technological advances.

If you remember the "Where's Waldo?" series, this week's smart grid wins are popping up here, there and everywhere just like the bespectacled Waldo did. Examples: Ventyx in Germany, Hill International in Afghanistan, ABB in China and Honeywell in Kuwait. And that's just getting started; click to take the full tour.

Some new twists on energy generation and storage technologies look like solid bets - and others may be destined for a very short stint in the spotlight. Click for a look at a few intriguing projects currently in R&D mode and see if you think any of them have staying power.

New transformer standards from the Department of Energy toughen up rules for transformers used in buildings but leave mandates for distribution transformers used by utilities largely unchanged. We agree with energy efficiency advocates who say the DOE called it wrong. Click to find out why.

President Obama has proposed a fiscal year 2014 budget that makes it clear he continues to strongly support clean energy investment. While the proposed budget's chances for approval may be minimal in its current form, it calls for more government spending for EVs, wind energy, biofuels and other green technologies.

A squabble is underway between the Wall Street Journal and the California Public Utilities Commission. It started when the Journal warned that California was facing rolling blackouts due to its reliance on wind and other renewables. The PUC didn't hold back in its response.

While Central and Eastern Europe are often overlooked by Western Europe, the region encompasses attractive candidates for smart grid investment. Smart meter spending there is expected to reach a cumulative $10.3 billion by 2023, according to the Northeast Group.

ABB has launched what it describes as the world's first low-voltage circuit breaker with energy management functions, which could potentially produce significant energy savings. Looks like breakers aren't just for protecting circuits anymore.

Suggesting there are critical gaps that underscore the need for science and engineering advances to accelerate innovations in the design and development of leading-edge smart grid systems, this report from NIST is a call to action. It outlines a set of strategic R&D opportunities it says must be addressed to enable the smart grid to reach its potential.

The UK's smart meter rollout is highly unusual. And at first glance, Trilliant's announcement today is about future prepay capabilities as part of that rollout. But dig deeper and you'll see that it holds hints about where the UK market is going next. It may even portend a radically different approach to electric power for other regions, including North America.

The smart grid sector has gained a new association. SmartGridiX intends to create a clearinghouse and forum for developing viable business cases for Smart Grid 2.0. Noble intentions certainly, but do we really need another association?