P10NEERS

It takes a little something extra to champion change in the face of uncertainty. These individuals have what it takes.

They’re teachers and technologists, educators and opportunists, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts. Some are focused on energy, others on automotive; some have the consumer in mind, while others are tackling healthcare head-on. Their backgrounds are diverse and market segments varied, but their drive to succeed and vision for achievement couldn’t be more comparable.

With each new year comes new opportunity and new challenge, and the 10 individuals named Pioneers for 2010 carry on the tradition of the men and women honored before them, championing change and innovation in the M2M (machine-to-machine) technology marketplace.

Looking forward, the task at hand for these individuals is to continue forging new ground in the face of a changing marketplace. As new markets open up and customer segments expand, the opportunities become vast, as do the challenges. But what makes these individuals so unique to begin with is their ability to push forward and forge new ground in the face of adversity.

On the pages that follow we honor 10 individuals that are truly pioneering a new direction in M2M technology.

The growing need for electric power is taxing the capabilities of many generating facilities across the nation. Utilities are scrambling to get “smart meters” and the “smart grid” up and running quickly to prevent brown-outs and blackouts caused by surges in peak power usage.

While companies like Whirlpool and Austin Energy (see their Pioneer pages this issue) are making inroads with intelligent sensors and meters that can remotely regulate energy consumption, individual consumers are being asked to monitor their electricity use and offered both negative and positive incentives such as higher peak time rates (negative) and lower off-peak rates (positive). But how can households know what their electricity usage is on a minute-by-minute basis instead of only finding out after getting that once a month bill?

TED knows. And Dolph Rodenberg, president, Energy Inc., www.theenergydetective.com, Charleston, S.C., wants you to listen to TED. TED—short for The Energy Detective—is a simple yet accurate home energy monitor that allows consumers to see electricity usage in realtime. With a patented solution to home energy management, TED quantifies electricity and displays the results on an easy-to-read LCD screen, your PC or Mac, or on a mobile device.

Rodenberg explains his approach by saying, “We believe that technology is growing at an exponential rate. People want information, and they want it fast. Instead of waiting for a monthly bill from a utility, we wanted to create a device that would allow customers to view their electricity usage immediately. (TED) helps customers receive and transfer data in three different ways: on the wireless display (using ZigBee wireless), through their home computer, or through their wireless router, a method which allows TED customers to view information remotely. All of these options allow customers to instantly see their electricity usage, updated every second.”

The complete TED 5000 system includes one gateway, one pair of CTs (current transformers), one MTU (measuring transmitting unit), and the optional TED 5000 Display. Users who choose to simply access their data via computer can opt for a display-free system. The MTU measures and transmits energy, power, and voltage to the gateway, the heart of TED 5000. The Gateway plugs into any outlet in the home, receives and stores data from the MTU, and transmits the data wirelessly to the display at user-defined intervals. The gateway connects to a computer via Ethernet for programming/Internet access, as well as downloading detailed energy usage data.

Using M2M technology and business alliances, Rodenberg has moved the consumer into the future of energy conservation. He notes, “We have partnered with Google PowerMeter in order to use M2M technology to allow comparison of electricity usage. Once activated, Google PowerMeter will communicate with the gateway through a wireless router and will collect and store the information for customers. Because TED’s code is open source, we have had a variety of third-party design applications. In particular, several iPhone applications use M2M technology. In a very short while, customers will be able to remotely adjust their heating and air conditioning systems using a TED application while driving home from work to ensure that their home is warm in winter and cool in summer when they arrive.”

In the energy industry, companies are seeking ways to save their customers from the aggravation of brown-outs and blackouts caused by peak power overloads. But they want to do it without the cost of building new generating plants while trying to get wind, solar, and alternate generating facilities in place. People are looking for ways to use less electricity while saving money. As Rodenberg says, “M2M technology will continue to grow, as can be seen with the growing popularity of home automation systems.”

Full article: http://www.m2mmag.com/issue_archives/story.aspx?ID=8333