Sidebar: Sample Systems

Computerworld -

• Short-term Weather Analytics
  Vendor: IBM
  Location: Armonk, N.Y.
  What it is: IBM is developing model-based software called Deep Thunder that's designed to help utilities determine in advance where they may need to send repair crews during a storm. The software provides a detailed analysis of locations where thunderstorms are likely to occur and which transformers and other equipment might be vulnerable.



• Demand Response System
  Vendor: EnerNOC Inc.
  Location: Boston
  How it works: EnerNOC sells a combined hardware/software system to commercial and industrial electricity customers that are enrolled in voluntary energy reduction programs with their local utilities. If a utility needs customers to reduce their electricity consumption during a heat wave, it contacts EnerNOC. EnerNOC then sends a signal to the customer's utility meter advising it to reduce consumption. Also, EnerNOC's Site Server, a Linux-based system that's built on a J2EE platform, can turn off a customer's nonessential lighting or air conditioning units remotely from its Boston operations center via the Internet.



• Enterprise Notification Service
  Vendor: EnvoyWorldWide Inc.
  Location: Bedford, Mass.
  How it works: A message from a utility's energy management system is sent to EnvoyWorldWide. That message tells EnvoyWorldWide to contact commercial customers enrolled in an energy reduction program and advise them that they need to curtail power consumption. The EnvoyWorldWide notification system, which runs on HP DL360, CL380 and DL380 machines running Windows 2003 Server software, has a list with the names of the people to contact and information about how they want to be contacted. If the first person listed at a particular site doesn't respond, the rules-based system contacts the next one on the list.