Diversified utility Duke Energy (DUK), the 3rd largest electric utility in the U.S., announced a three-year partnership with Cisco Systems (CSCO), the world's largest network communications company, to co-develop an advanced modern electric "smart grid."

What is a Smart-Grid?

"Smart-grids" deliver electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology to save energy, reduce costs and increase reliability. Many global governments are promoting such a modernized electricity network as a means of increasing energy independence and reducing global warming issues.

An electricity grid is not a single entity but an aggregate of multiple networks and multiple power generation companies with multiple operators employing varying levels of communication and coordination, most of which are manually controlled.

Smart grids increase the connectivity, automation and coordination between suppliers, consumers and networks, which perform either long distance transmission or local

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ZBB Energy Corporation is an energy company engaged in researching the manufacture of energy storage systems for utility companies, renewable energy generators, and commercial and industrial customers. ZBB Energy was formed in 1998 in Wisconsin as a holding company for its subsidiaries in the United States and Australia.

The ZBB zinc energy storage systems (ZESS) can be used by a variety of clients. Traditional energy companies need reliable systems to store surplus energy generated during off-peak periods, which is primarily during the summer months for highly populated areas like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. With more companies and private citizens using alternative energy sources like solar panels and wind turbines, there is a growing need for storage devices to keep the power available for customers who are “on” and “off” the grid. Then there are industrial or commercial organizations that need an uninterrupted power supply and power quality protection

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