Sprint Nextel, the third-largest U.S. wireless carrier, has collaborated with smart grid software provider, Grid Net, to connect smart meters and smart grid routers using its 4G network.
Grid Net currently has customers using WiMax in the Australian market. The deal with Sprint will use WiMax-enabled electric meters to connect to the Smart Grid offered by power companies. It would make Sprint the first national wireless carrier to embed WiMax connectivity into smart meters.
Grid Net says their advantages include:
- Universal Management — first Utility NOC Network Management System to manage all electric devices (supports Ethernet, Fibre, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and HomePlug)
- Massive Scalability — able to manage 10s of millions of devices from a single deployment of the PolicyNet SmartGrid NMS platform
- Complete Security — end-to-end security (from Utility NOC to Smart Devices) that is based on and is compliant with the US NIST, NERC CIP, and FIPS requirements and standards
- Instant Communication — real-time speeds (<100 milliseconds), or any interval, and 100% Internet Protocol support
- Open Standards-based Interoperability — support for multiple, heterogeneous devices (e.g. transformers, fault monitors, switches, volt/VAR controllers, meters, inverters, etc.) from multiple vendors
- Lowest Total Cost of Ownership — ten year TCO of a full smart grid powered by Grid Net software and smart device technology is cheaper than a dedicated multi-network implementation
Clearwire is currently the only “4G” network available in the United States. MetroPCS and Verizon Wireless plan to roll out 4G services later this year while AT&T plans to begin LTE service in 2011.
SmartSynch struck a deal with AT&T last year to use its public networks for Smart Grid applications. Meanwhile, Trilliant and Silver Spring Networks, say that their private networks provide more secure and customizable networks for utilities.
Smart Grids deliver electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology to control appliances at consumers’ homes to save energy.
Recently, there has been a lot of talk by Google and others to use unused television channels, the so-called “white spaces” to connect smart meters to devices in the home and the electric grid. The prime advantage of UHF television band (below 700 Mhz), is that devices would penetrate concrete walls and would not need an expensive spectrum license.
There’s no defacto winner yet on any national Smart Grid infrastructure.
To connect smart meters, utilities are using their own licensed frequencies, cellular networks and WiMAX, explains Earth2Tech
Grid Net, formed a collaboration with GE Energy and Intel, focusing solely on WiMAX for their last mile connectivity. Motorola, General Electric and Grid Net are part of a group of companies installing smart meters in almost 700,000 households and businesses in Australia by 2013. Grid Net and GE Energy also appear to be positioned to rollout initiatives in U.S. WiMAX cities.
- Cisco is working with big utilities like Duke Energy, Florida Power & Light, Germany’s Yellostrom, and recently invested in Grid Net, a startup specializing in WiMAX. Its vendor partners include General Electric, Accenture, Oracle, Arcadian Networks, Itron, Landis+Gyr, Siemens, Schneider Electric and Verizon. It also has its EnergyWise platform for controlling building and data center energy use.
- Portland General selected a smart metering system developed by Sensus Metering Systems, which uses a wireless fixed network operating on 901 – 902 MHz at 8 KBps (pdf).
- CenterPoint Energy is installing 2.2 million smart meters around Houston with more than 550 sensors and automated switches that will help protect against system disturbances like natural disasters (Coverage Map).
- Alvarion, the world’s largest WiMAX vendor, recently announced it will work with National Grid, the second-largest utility company in the U.S., to participate in a smart power grid (SPG) Proof of Concept with its BreezeMAX 3650 solution (at 3.65GHz), as part of a technology test-bed for potential pilot projects in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Silver Springs Network provides a connection to electricity, water and gas meters over a neighborhood area network (NAN). It supports a variety of WANs, including Zigbee and cellular networks. Florida Light is deploying hundreds of thousands of smart meters in people’s homes throughout Florida using Silver Spring Networks IP-based networking infrastructure.
- Cisco Systems and IBM have pursued smart grid projects across the globe. Cisco officials in May announced a smart grid push as keys to developing highly intelligent and manageable electrical distribution systems from the home to the power source. They say smart grids could grow into a $20 billion business within five years.
- Google has brought home electricity-monitoring to the mobile phone using its Web-based PowerMeter application and a small meter reading device.
- Microsoft has announced launch partnerships with Puget Sound Energy, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Seattle City Light, and Xcel Energy. The Microsoft Smart Energy Reference Architecture (SERA) was developed by Microsoft as a definitive reference in the utility and power industry and addresses technology integration across the full smart energy ecosystem. Enspiria Solutions, a systems integrator, will use it.
The Energy Department has started a new Smart Grid Information Clearinghouse Web site to provide a forum for information sharing on smart grid technologies.
The beta version of the Web portal started July 7 and provides information on technologies, standards, rules, use cases, training and other best practices for smart grid technologies that use sensors, infrastructure and communications devices to better monitor and control energy use.
Governments and private interests worldwide are expected to increase investments in smart-grid technology, spending a total of more than $45 billion by 2015, says a new ABI Research Report.
Dailywireless articles include; Smart Grid Heats Up, First White Space Trial for “Smart Grid”, Obama Announces $3.4B in Electric “Smart Grid” Grants, Smart Grid Gets Unwired, Smart Meters on The Stimulus Channel, WiMAX SmartGrid Coming to 700K Australians, Home Networking: A Universal Spec?, Google Power Meter, M2M: Big Deal, Wireless Power Standard Emerging, and Sprint Announces Smart Grid Ambitions, ABI: Stimulus Means Big Bucks for Wireless, The Smart Grid: Licensed or Unlicensed Spectrum, Cellular-enabled SCADA, Smart Grid: Dumb or What?, Smart Grid: It’s Alive!, Google: Smart Power R US
