Smart meter networking
the absolute peak of demand. Real-time monitoring of usage gives a quantifiable figure of this peak, instead of a vague and abstract concept, based on inaccurate and out-of-date monthly, or even quarterly, energy usage reviews.
Cost and energy savings The ‘green’ credentials of smart metering need little publicity. Businesses and individuals alike are aware of the positive behavioural changes in energy consumption that can result from being able to monitor usage. However, when smart meters are networked, transparency is heightened and the benefits are further amplified. Imagine being able to check your smartphone on the train to discover you left the television on, and remotely disconnect it from its power source. The benefits for businesses can also be impressive. For example, lights and computers can be automatically deactivated after a predetermined period of static energy usage, indicating that nobody is in the office. With the EU setting ambitious targets to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2020, individual and business energy use has really come under the spotlight. Networking smart meters will help to drive the efficiencies and changes in behaviour that are necessary if these targets are to be reached.
Smarter customers
Networked smart meters offer more choice and greater flexibility to customers. Instead of quarterly usage estimates, customers will be able to take advantage of a whole host of payment options and plans that real- time monitoring will enable. Similar pricing revolutions have taken place in other industries (telecommunications is a good example), where a movement from quarterly billing to real-time payment has shifted in power from provider to consumer.
The fundamental changes brought about by the advent of smart metering will seem daunting to organisations unwilling to change, but the benefits are for the taking. These changes could actually create important opportunities throughout the utilities sector and its customers. With unprecedented data comes unrivalled insight. For the first time ever, utilities will have huge amounts of demographic and consumption information. They will be able to use this to market to different customer groups and introduce bespoke tariffs – improving both attraction and retention, whilst boosting revenues in the process. Customers can expect better deals than ever at their fingertips, knowing that their provider is fighting for their custom.
Changes are coming to the utilities market, and smart meters have a large part to play in this. By connecting the devices, the benefits to consumers, utility providers and the environment are abundant.
Lantronix products can be used in just about every facet of power management, including utilities. For most power applications, the key to its
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technology is the ability to remotely control and manage devices in the field even when behind firewalls. These products can be embedded inside of the meters or attached externally to equipment. Efficient acquisition of data and control across the network are vital requirements for the power industry. The utilities industry has long recognised the benefits of IP-based communication. At the substation level, however, there are often compatibility issues with communication hardware, which comes from a variety of vendors. With their versatility and protocol independence, the device servers developed by Lantronix can bring
together a diverse array of serial devices on the network. Their remote management capability makes them dependable tools for monitoring power allocations during critical high-demand periods.
The future will be smarter, more efficient and easier, thanks to smart metering. Smarter planning will ensure that infrastructure is prepared for peak demand, and that investment is channelled to those places where it is most required. Consumers will be able to take advantage of smarter and cheaper, tariffs which regulate usage of energy at peak times. Businesses will have real-time monitoring of their consumption, coupled with remote
links to unstaffed locations; allowing them to save further energy and costs. Research conducted by ABI estimates that the total installed base of smart electricity meters that are capable of two-way communications will rise from roughly 76 million in 2009, to approximately 212 million smart meters by 2015. With numbers like this, the smart grid is hard to ignore as an industry- changing initiative. Companies that recognise the benefits of this technology will realise the potential for a smarter world.
Lantronix |
www.lantronix.com Daryl Miller is VP engineering at Lantronix
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