Ambient (
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Alert) Corp. and Itron Inc. have developed the Ambient EDC module to transition from automatic metering reading systems, such as the encoder receiver transmitter, or “ERT,” to a more energy efficient, advanced smart metering.
John Joyce, president and CEO of Ambient, said that the possibility of leaving assets stranded without a clear road map, or without a viable option for incorporation such assets into a
smart grid platform, has prevented many utilities from deploying smart grid technology.
“The new EDC module, developed with cooperation from Itron, gives utilities a critical migration path linking their legacy meters to newer advanced communications systems without stranding recently deployed assets,” Joyce said. “With greater than 60 million ERT meters in the United States alone, the market potential is very significant.”
With Ambient’s smart grid module, the EDC is an optional mode that is strategically installed at various points along the distribution grid. The benefit of selecting the EDC option is a constant data collection from surrounding meters that eliminates the need to drive-by each meter to collect reads.
There are various features to the EDC module that make it an attraction option to smart meters. For example, the EDC has a lower unit cost than previous systems, which makes it more equipped to withstand the current economic recession, especially when companies are trying to scale back on expenses.
Ambient officials said that the EDC module provides flexibility for backhaul connections and a migration path from legacy systems to smart metering, eliminating drive-by or mobile systems.
According to company officials, the EDC also listens for meter messages and automatically collects and stores received data that controls the amount of reads and time it takes to store the information. By using the new EDC module, major utility providers can access periodic data for real-time meter reads as well as detect possible outages.
Russ Vanos, director of marketing for Itron, said that the company always believed in the value migration brings to utilities as their business needs for automation continue to grow.
“Ambient's EDC module provides another valuable tool our customers can use, especially those that are looking for ways to bridge to Itron's OpenWay solution,” Vanos said.
When data is collected by the EDC module, it’s transferred to a utility’s meter collection software, then to their billing system.
“This new application continues to demonstrate the flexibility and extensibility of the Ambient smart grid platform,” said Ram Rao, chief technology officer at Ambient. “A node with the EDC module can also be simultaneously utilized to provide other smart grid applications such as distribution system monitoring.”