Our news service will be interrupted from July 19th to August 2nd

Terrebonne, QC, July 16, 2010 - Please take note that Electric Energy Online will be on vacation from July 19th to August 2nd inclusively. Our news service will ...... [More]

Central Maine Power Proceeds with Trilliant for Smart Grid Communications Network
Maine Utility Leverages $96M DOE Stimulus Grant and Trilliant's Multi-Tier Architecture to Deploy 620,000 Smart Meters to All Residential and Business Customers

Redwood City, CA, July 15, 2010 - Trilliant Incorporated, a leader in delivering Smart Grid solutions that enhance energy efficiency, utility operations and renewable ...... [More]

UI to Invest in CL&P Transmission Projects

New Haven & Berlin, CT, July 16, 2010 - On July 15, the United Illuminating Company (UI) (NYSE: UIL) and The Connecticut Light & Power Company (CL&P) (NYSE: ...... [More]

Final Phase of PGE’s Biglow Canyon Wind Farm Begins to Spin Power

Portland, OR, July 16, 2010 - Portland General Electric Company (NYSE:POR) announced on July 15 the first turbines assembled for Phase 3 of its Biglow Canyon ...... [More]

The Next Green Thing — Energy Efficiency
Nexant’s Paul MacGregor Comments on Developing a National Market for Energy Efficiency Credits

Washington, July 16, 2010 - Dr. Paul MacGregor, Senior Vice President, Clean Energy Markets for Nexant, Inc. (www.nexant.com), has examined key provisions ...... [More]

B&W and Bechtel Form Alliance to Commercialize World’s First Generation III++ SMR Nuclear Plant

Washington, July 15, 2010 - Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Energy, Inc., (B&W NE) and Bechtel Power Corporation announced they have entered into a formal ...... [More]

Eaton Acquires EMC Engineers, Inc., Enhancing Energy Services Offerings

Cleveland, July 16, 2010 - Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation (NYSE:ETN) announced on July 15 that it has acquired EMC Engineers, Inc. ...... [More]

Westar Energy Names New Member to Board of Directors

Topeka, KS, July 15, 2010 - Westar Energy, Inc. (NYSE: WR) announced the appointment of S. Carl Soderstrom Jr. to its board of directors. As a member of ...... [More]

Venture Capital Investing Increases 50 Percent in Dollars in the First Half of 2010
Clean Technology Investing Doubles From Prior Quarter, Marking Record Investment Level

Washington, DC, July 16, 2010 - Venture capitalists invested $6.5 billion in 906 deals in the second quarter of 2010, according to the MoneyTree™ Report ...... [More]

Haddington Sells Bobcat Gas Storage Assets and Development Project to Spectra Energy

Houston, TX, July 16, 2010 - Haddington Ventures, L.L.C., announced on July 15 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Bobcat Gas Storage ...... [More]

Smart Grid RoadShow
Industry News

Our news service will be interrupted from July 19th to August 2nd
Terrebonne, QC, July 16, 2010 - Please take note that Electric Energy Online will be on vacation from July 19th to August 2nd inclusively. Our news service will ...... [More]

Ask Oncor Website and Hotline Launches to Provide Customers with Answers
New Q&A Site and Hotline Will Give Customers Another Communication Link to Oncor

Dallas, TX, July 15, 2010 - Oncor took one more step toward better serving its approximately 7 million customers with the official launch of its Ask Oncor. ...... [More]

Bloomberg Poll: Americans in 73% Majority Oppose Ban on Deepwater Oil Drilling after Oil Spill
New York, July 15, 2010 - Most Americans oppose President Barack Obama’s ban on deepwater oil drilling in response to BP Plc’s Gulf of Mexico ...... [More]

Advertisement

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Requests Rehearing of Smart Grid Proposal
Company cites need for expeditious review by July 30 to preserve $200 million federal stimulus grant

Baltimore, MD, July 14, 2010 - Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) announced on July 13 it has filed an application for a rehearing of its amended smart ...... [More]

Sharyland Utilities, Hunt Transmission Services Complete Acquisition of Cap Rock Energy Corporation
Sharyland Now Serves as New Electric Utility to Cap Rock Energy Customers

Dallas, TX, July 14, 2010 - Sharyland Utilities, L.P. ("Sharyland Utilities") and Hunt Transmission Services, L.L.C. ("HTS") jointly ...... [More]

Texas A&M Researchers Seek Product Information From Smart Grid Vendors
College Station, TX, July 13, 2010 - Smart grid technology and software companies are encouraged to submit information about their products for inclusion in a Smart ...... [More]

Advertisement

Southern California Edison Installs 1 Million Smart Meters
Redondo Beach, CA, July 13, 2010 - Southern California Edison (SCE), an Edison International company, installed its one millionth smart meter at the home of a customer ...... [More]

IEEE Calls for Participation to Develop Standards for Quantifying GHG Emissions from Small Hydro and Wind Power Projects, and Grid Baseline Conditions
Piscataway, NJ, July 13, 2010 - The IEEE Standards Association announced on July 12 a call for participation for the IEEE P1595™ Working Group to help ...... [More]

As Eastern U.S. Sizzles, U.S. Nuclear Plants Operate at Exceptional Levels to Stabilize Grid
Washington, July 12, 2010 - As the Eastern United States suffered through record-breaking triple-digit temperatures threatening brownouts and blackouts, ...... [More]

Recent Study Shows Additional Hidden Costs of Cape Wind
Report Details High Costs of Cape Wind Construction, Power Purchase Agreement

Hyannis, MA, July 12, 2010 - A new report on the financial threat posed by Cape Wind to consumers makes it even more clear that Attorney General Martha Coakley ...... [More]

New Report: U.S. Electric Utilities Must Embrace Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency to Compete in 21st Century
Climate Change, Emerging Renewable Technologies, Carbon Costs and Volatile Fossil Fuel Prices Driving New Business Models

Boston, MA, July 9, 2010 - The most successful utilities in the 21st Century will be very different from those of the 20th Century. To remain competitive, ...... [More]

Texans Can Use Smart Phone to Control Home Temperature
TXU Energy iThermostat mobile website is compatible with most handhelds

Dallas, TX, July 8, 2010 - Texans can now use their smart phone to manage their home’s temperature, no matter where they are. TXU Energy’s ...... [More]

PSE&G Begins Building Silver Lake Solar Farm in Edison
Facility will generate 2 megawatts of electricity when completed this fall; PSE&G solar installations will provide customers with clean electricity

Edison, NJ, July 9, 2010 - Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) joined with Edison's Mayor Antonia Ricigliano to mark the start of construction ...... [More]

AEP and Allegheny Energy Announce Progress in Transmission Line Case
Testimony filed in West Virginia will be followed by filings in Maryland and Virginia

Columbus, OH and Greensburg, PA, July 8, 2010 - American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) and Allegheny Energy, Inc. (NYSE: AYE) today announced that updated testimony filed in West ...... [More]

Weatherizing 82,000 Homes This Summer
July 8, 2010 - Picture a neighborhood block somewhere in your town. It might have single-story homes for 10 families—complete with front ...... [More]

Over 50% Want Electricity Usage Data Displayed In Their Homes
Wellingborough, UK, July 8, 2010 - A recent consumer survey from IMS Research found that over half of respondents consider displaying current electricity usage ...... [More]

Current Issue
May/June 2010 Issue 4 • Volume14
Cover Story
  • Although a call center typically hums with technology, it is the humanity that makes it sing. Best practices in training, response and delivery, are therefore, as much about touch as they are about tech. Call centers must constantly balance efficiency with genuine customer care and concern. That means taking the time to invest in people skills, helping supervisors understand their own personality styles and how they interact with diverse people and personalities, bringing in guest speakers that make “book” lessons come to life, and developing regular feedback procedures for customer service reps to help them continuously improve. Our new hires get one-on-one training with an experienced specialist as well as several weeks of phone lab, where they handle calls in a closely supervised environment. Here’s how we do it at Duke Energy… [More]
Regular Features
Also in this issue