Smart grid vendor Trilliant today said that it has taken steps to better integrate its UnitySuite with IBM's bread-and-butter Tivoli and WebSphere software platforms.

In reality, what does that mean? It gives Trilliant one more tiny wedge for potentially expanding its product base. IBM has been aggressively courting alliances with smart grid vendors and smart grid companies, in return, have been trying to cement links with IT giants like SAP, Oracle, Cisco and Big Blue. It's not the end of the world, but it also beats being left out.

And, as you already know, the world has gone bonkers for smart grid. A wide range of companies have submitted for federal stimulus dollars for smart grid projects and many will get grants. If the proponents are right (and they probably are) the U.S. can make faster progress in combating emissions by deploying technologies for increasing efficiency and curbing electronic waste than building green power stations.