People Power Company, an energy efficiency company providing residential monitoring and control systems, won support from the federal government last month in the form of a Small Business Innovation Research-Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR-STTR) grant announced by the Department of Energy on November 24, 2009.

Link to grant winners

One of six applicants that won a Phase I grant (approximately $150,000) for manufacturing smart controllers, People Power is now eligible to compete for a Phase II grant (approximately $1,000,000) to be awarded next summer.

People Power plans to distribute OSHAN (Open Source Home Area Network)—its free, open source wireless software —and SuRF (Sensor Ultra Radio Frequency)—its low-cost hardware and software development kit —to engineers early next year.

“Every home can reduce its carbon footprint while saving money,” said Gene Wang, CEO of People Power. “With a broadband connection and with real-time appliance-level energy monitoring and control, now every household will have the capability to make that happen,” he said. “Winning this grant means that policy makers are interested enough in our business model to be investors and see how our solution helps consumers get tangible benefits from the Smart Grid,” Wang said. “We appreciate the commitment President Obama and his Administration have made to Smart Grid innovation, and are grateful to Energy Secretary Steven Chu and the Department of Energy for awarding us this grant.”

In a video message prepared by E2 for the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Wang emphasized that by reducing their personal carbon footprints, individuals all over the world can each make a difference to address an issue that has profound global consequences. “We believe that the Smart Grid starts in the home,” Wang said. “We’re empowering people to save money while going green.”

The one-minute video is posted to People Power’s website at http://www.peoplepowerco.com

“Open source means you can afford to do things that previously were out of reach because they cost too much,” said John Teeter, People Power’s Chief Scientist and Principal Investigator for the SBIR grant. “Open source means that utilities don’t need to fear proprietary vendor lock-in. Also, developers can design more easily for interoperability which is critical as we work on Smart Grid standards such as Smart Energy Profile 2.0,” Teeter said.

“We are delighted to be working with People Power to bring IP addressability to open source wireless sensor networks,” said Prof. Philip Levis of Stanford University.

About People Power Company

People Power gives people the power to save money on their electric bills while going green. We empower consumers to control energy consumption at the appliance level and compare their usage with others while reducing their carbon footprint. Based in Palo Alto California, People Power Company was founded by successful, serial entrepreneur Gene Wang and has received funding from angel investors and New Cycle Capital.

For more information, visit www.peoplepowerco.com