Odds and Ends news
October 21, 2015
Microgrids
Some communities and tribal lands are starting to install independent, small-scale energy distribution systems called "Microgrids" which would allow owners to disconnect from their regional power grid and generate their own electricity in the event of emergencies or power outages. Read more here: Microgrids Sustain Power During Natural Disasters govtech.com, Oct. 20, 2015
Smart Meter appliances as a way to control energy consumption
Household appliances are being designed to be more sophisticated and able to communicate with each other. It will even be possible to load applications on them to do things like share information between the meter and a transformer. Future home appliances such as water heaters, stoves, and refrigerators will eventually be able to communicate with each other and ultimately with utilities trying to balance power loads. The future of energy distribution will become more of a two-way path and not just from the power company to the customer. Read more here: Will Smart Meters Transform Our Power Consumption? govtech.com, Oct. 20, 2015
FAA to require drones to be registered
Amid growing reports of near misses between drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and regular air traffic. the Federal Aviation Administration will require the owners of many drones to register the aircraft with aviation authorities to force operators to fly with more caution. Read more here: Drone Operators Required to Register with FAA govtech.com, Oct. 20, 2015
Trans-Pacific Partnership
The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal (TPP) is a trade agreement among twelve Pacific Rim countries concerning a variety of matters of economic policy, about which agreement was reached on October 5, 2015 after 5 years of negotiations. The agreement's goal is to enhance trade and investment among the TPP partner countries, to promote innovation, economic growth and development, and to support the creation and retention of jobs. The United States government has considered the TPP as the companion agreement to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a broadly similar agreement between the United States and the European Union. A number of global health professionals, internet freedom activists, environmentalists, organized labor, advocacy groups, and elected officials have criticized and protested against the treaty, in large part because of the secrecy of negotiations, the agreement's expansive scope, and controversial clauses in drafts leaked to the public. To date, the text of the treaty had not been made public, Wikileaks has published several leaked documents since 2013. Read more here (Wikipedia).
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