WRAL Tech Wire

 Duke Energy picks California, Massachusetts firms for more smart grid work

 Cree, ABB land $7.9M in federal funds for energy projects

ABB project focuses on superconducting magnetic energy storage for power grids. Cree will work with NCSU, ABB and others on light-weight electrical substations.

 Cleantech investments surge 43% in second quarter with solar leading way

New report says investments in first six months of the year set a record at $4.04 billion.

 Raleigh-based smart grid firm Consert raises $17.7M

GE Energy Financial Services, Qualcomm, Verizon Ventures, Constellation Energy and other private investors lead funding. Consert, which offers services through software-as-a-service model, has worked with IBM on pilot programs.

 ‘Ghost consumption’ is target of Raleigh smart grid tech firm Consert

In pilot programs, Consert’s technology enables consumer and commercial customers to reduce their utility bills by monitoring and controlling power consumption on demand remotely.

 Duke Energy, Cisco to deploy, test smart grid home energy management system

Cisco rolls out a Home Energy Management Solution that it says will help consumers and utilities take advantage of smart grid and appliance technologies.

Cisco's Home Energy Controller

 Utility companies to focus on ‘smart grid’ at Raleigh conference

Progress Energy CEO to address the IBM Global Intelligent Utility Network Coalition event.

 Duke Energy ready to move ahead with ‘smart grid’ projects

The Charlotte-based utility signs an agreement with the Department of Energy for $204 million in federal funding. Duke is committing more than $850 million of its own for projects.

Duke's "smart grid" map

 Smart grid, LED businesses generate profits for PowerSecure

Wake Forest-based energy technology firm tops Street expectations of earnings. The company also looks to raise $100 million for possible acquisitions and investments plus capital.

 PowerSecure invests $24M in two LED business buys

The Wake Forest-based provider of power solutions, such as smart grid technology, buys a manufacturing firm in Morrisville. It also will assume 100 percent ownership of an LED firm. The two deals include $4.4 million in cash and stock worth $20 million.

 Triangle-based ABB, Sensus team up for smart grid solutions

 Nevada utility picks Raleigh-based Sensus for smart grid

NV Energy selects wireless FlexNet system to link 2.4 million customers as part of plan to improve energy distribution.

 Progress, Duke, Southern Company land nearly $470M in smart grid funds

Three utility firms target North Carolina for portions of upgrade projects, will invest nearly $1.6 billion of their own funds. Nationwide, Obama administration awards $3.4 billion in grants across 49 states.

Progress Energy smart grid project areas in Carolinas