By Jesse Berst

 

What is the single most important smart grid technology choice? I say it is selecting the right smart grid communications technology. Get the network right and you can build on top of it for years. Get it wrong and you may quickly hit a performance ceiling (as several utilities have done already), resulting in the need for a second network alongside your first one.

 

So what questions should you ask to get it right the first time? Experts say the five biggest concerns are:

1.     Capacity or "bandwidth" – how many messages the network can accommodate

2.     Latency – how long it takes for messages to arrive

3.     Coverage – how much of the service territory the network reaches

4.     Reliability – how often messages fail to make it through

5.     Security – how well the network complies with guidelines such as NIST IR 7628

6.     Cost – how much money it takes to put together and operate the network

 

Engineers at Qualcomm recently set out to measure those parameters for three different communications technologies:

·         Powerline carrier

·         RF mesh

·         3G cellular

 

First, determine the requirements

Like all good engineers, the Qualcomm team started by determining the requirements. They studied more than 1,500 use cases from OpenSmartGrid (a subset of the UCA International Users Group). From those use cases, they derived specific metrics for eight important smart grid applications:

1.     Interval meter reading

2.     On-demand meter reading

3.     Remote connect/disconnect

4.     Demand response

5.     Real-time pricing

6.     Outage management

7.     Distribution automation

8.     Firmware updates

.

Then, compare the technologies

Next, they compared all three technologies against those parameters to see how they stacked up. I've seen a sneak preview of the results. I'm sure you will be fascinated to see just which technologies are suited to just which applications.

 

Overall, cellular performed very well. Given the recent price drops in cellular for AMI, you can begin to understand why Consumers Energy recently chose cellular for its 1.8 million meter rollout.

 

We will be revealing the full results from the tests on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 10:30am Pacific / 1:30 pm Eastern in a smart grid communications webinar that is free to Smart Grid News readers. Just click the link to reserve a space. (If you find at the last minute that you can't listen in after all, we will send links to the slides and a "video replay" to the e-mail address you give us.)

 

In addition to sharing the findings, we will also be talking about issues around cellular, including deployment, total cost of ownership and future trends. Plus, we'll reserve time for your individual questions. Joining us are three top experts:

·         Matt Gillmore, Director Enterprise Architecture & Standards, Consumers Energy

·         Joseph Ho from Qualcomm's Corporate R&D team

·         Brian Huey, Sprint Nextel smart grid specialist

 

Please stop by if your schedule allows. Just be sure to register in advance for this smart grid communications webinar on Jan. 18 so we can send you the link you need to log in.

Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com. He consults to smart grid companies seeking market entry advice and M&A advisory. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the US and abroad, he also serves on the Advisory Council of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Energy & Environment directorate.

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Current Comments (5)

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webinar archive

is there an archived version of the webinar that I can access

Eliot Powell - 01/20/2012 - 07:29

webinar replays coming soon

Watch the site and/or the newsletter; we'll be posting the replays asap.

Liz Enbysk - 01/20/2012 - 07:55

Presentation from Webinar?

I know it was said time & time again in the webinar that we'd receive a copy of the presentation via email, but I still haven't seen anything. Just wondering if its still going to be sent or I missed it. Thanks again!

Derek Fakehany - 01/21/2012 - 08:58

Presentation from Webinar:Comparing Comms Technologies

I WOULD LIKE TO GET A COPY OF THE FULL RESULTS OF THE STUDY COMPARING COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLGIES DONE BY THE QUALCOMM TEAM

Njabulo Shabalala - 06/06/2012 - 06:22

Presentation of webinar:Comparing comms technologies

I WOULD LIKE TO GET A COPY OF THE FULL RESULTS OF THE STUDY COMPARING COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLGIES DONE BY THE QUALCOMM TEAM

Njabulo Shabalala - 06/06/2012 - 06:27

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