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SCE begins installing 5 million Itron smart meters By SGN Staff Sep 21, 2009 - 3:35:23 PM
Summary: Southern California Edison has begun a massive deployment of smart meters — as many as 5 million of the devices — that it hopes will eventually allow the consumer to save money and energy and the utility to better manage the grid. The installation, which will continue from now into the year 2012, is part of SCE’s Edison SmartConnect program, designed to turn the existing electrical system into a Smart Grid. The smart meters, which will be installed for all residential and small business customer’s in SCE’s 50,000-square-mile service territory, are being manufactured by Itron and are part of its OpenWay product line. In addition to providing digital, secure, two-way communication and up-to-the-minute energy usage data, the meters are reported to include advanced features for communicating with future generations smart thermostats, appliances, and other devices.
Quick Take: Everybody has been waiting to see if Itron can really scale up. Now we're going to find out.
More information: SCE plans to use features of the meters to introduce time-of-use pricing, peak-time rebates, and critical pricing programs, although many of these will not be introduced until the last half of 2010. Such features are already supported by the AMI system, according to an Itron press release.
According to Itron, newly installed meters were tested to verify operation and Smart Grid support. Itron’s security architecture successfully registered and authenticated the meters and exchanged data interactively. Security features were provided by Itron partner, Certicom.
The Edison SmartConnect is a $1.6 billion program authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission, with meter installation beginning in Downey, CA, last week.
“OpenWay offers SCE a smart metering and communication system with advanced benefits and functionality,” said Malcolm Unsworth, Itron president and chief executive officer in a press release. “We are delighted that our technology can be foundational to a program like Edison SmartConnect, which is considered among the most advanced in the nation for its thought leadership and management. SCE is to be commended.”
Southern California Edison press release
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