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CURRENT Group Successfully Demonstrates Interoperable Smart Grid Prime Metering System
BARCELONA, Spain, Oct 06, 2009 (PR Newswire Europe via COMTEX) --
CURRENT Group, along with Iberdrola and leading global technology
partners, successfully demonstrate the first fully interoperable and open
Smart Grid communications infrastructure in support of Europe's Smart Grid
roadmap
- Interoperability provides the foundation for a global non-proprietary
advanced metering solution using powerline communications
- Open solutions pave way for lower cost deployment of Smart Grid in
Europe in support of energy efficiency and carbon reduction
CURRENT Group, LLC, a leading Smart Grid company and founding member of
the PRIME Alliance, announces that it has successfully demonstrated the
interoperability of the first ever open metering solution in support of
Europe's Smart Grid Roadmap.
Interoperability has been successfully tested in multi-vendor
environments based on multiple chipset technologies. "We have demonstrated an
open, non-proprietary, fully interoperable and robust communication carrier
between utilities and their customers. This demonstration provides a clear
path to solving the need for a public, cost-effective Smart Grid
communications infrastructure in support of Europe's Smart Grid roadmap,"
said Tom Willie, CURRENT's Senior Vice President of Product Development and
Technology and Vice Chairman of the PRIME Alliance.
About PRIME Alliance
The PRIME (PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution) Alliance was formed
to develop an open and future-proofed communications infrastructure to
support large-scale metering and other Smart Grid projects. The goal of the
alliance is to define, test and develop the framework in which meters and
other devices can interoperate using a fully open physical layer (PHY) and
Medium Access Control (MAC) specification. PRIME Alliance partners include
ADD, Itron, Landis+Gyr, Microsyscom, ST Microelectronics, Texas Instruments,
ZIV and the Spanish utility Iberdrola, one of the four largest electric
utilities in the world.
Collaboration
In order to achieve this interoperability milestone, CURRENT has worked
closely with leading technology partners and Iberdrola, a world leader in
electric power, through the PRIME Alliance to define, test, and validate the
overall solution.
"Legacy metering approaches often required utilities to accept that the
communications link between the meter vendor and meter collector was
proprietary, in essence locking the utility into a single communications
provider solution. The PRIME initiative is designed to define standards that
allow meter vendors and meter collector providers to integrate open
communications solutions which will speed adoption, reduce cost, and expand
the capabilities of Smart Grid solutions for utility customers and CURRENT
has demonstrated that such a system works. This will result in lower cost
meters, more innovative energy management solutions and a faster realization
of the reliability and energy efficiency gains and carbon emissions
reductions that a Smart Grid will produce," said Tom Willie.
"Our relationship with CURRENT has enabled Texas Instruments to achieve a
power line communication solution that is fully compatible with the PRIME
standard," said Emmanuel Sambuis, general manager of Texas Instrument's
metering business. "Texas Instruments is committed to providing solutions
that enable smart grid deployment around the world."
For more information, visit CURRENT Group October 6th through the 8th at
the 2009 Metering Europe conference in Barcelona at Booth 305.
About CURRENT
CURRENT Group, LLC delivers innovative and industry-leading intelligent
solutions that optimize the distribution system and offer utilities new ways
to monitor and manage the health of the grid. Through CURRENT's distributed
sensing, monitoring, communications and analytical technologies, utilities
are better able to understand, predict and respond to system disturbances and
faults, identify where inefficiencies are, and enable the smartest possible
sourcing and distribution of power by the utility to their customers.
CURRENT's state-of-the-art technologies are being implemented by
utilities around the globe. CURRENT is a member of the Xcel Energy
SmartGridCity(TM) consortium that also includes Xcel Energy, Accenture,
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Ventyx, GridPoint, OSIsoft and
SmartSynch. Xcel Energy's SmartGridCity(TM) is utilizing the fully integrated
CURRENT Smart Grid(TM) solution that combines advanced sensing technology
with two-way real-time communications, 24/7 monitoring and enterprise
analysis software and related services to provide Xcel Energy with
location-specific, actionable intelligence on its electric distribution grid.
CURRENT is also engaged in European Union-sponsored projects in partnership
with Iberdrola, the world's 4th largest electric utility, among others, to
expand the use of smart grid technology in the European Union. This year,
CURRENT was honored by the World Economic Forum as a 2009 Technology Pioneer
and selected by Dow Jones as one of the Top 10 most Innovative Clean
Technology companies in Europe.
CURRENT is a private company that is backed by leading investors
including Liberty Associated Partners, EnerTech Capital, Google, Inc., and
Goldman Sachs & Co.
CURRENT is headquartered outside of Washington, DC, with offices
throughout the United States and in Zurich, Switzerland and has
representation in Australia, Brazil and Singapore. Additional information can
be found at http://www.currentgroup.com/.
Lori Reslock of the CURRENT Group, LLC, USA; +1-301-944-2824
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