AT&T announced that it has inked a new agreement with Petra Solar, a company combining solar generation and smart grid technology in a single system, in order to integrate Petra Solar’s smart grid and renewable energy technology with AT&T’s (News - Alert) wireless network to provide smart grid solar system technology. The joint solution will allow utilities to improve power quality and grid reliability.

Under the terms of the agreement, AT&T will be providing Petra Solar with an innovative technology that will enable utility companies to simultaneously address Renewable Portfolio Standard requirements and invest in a smart grid technology.

According to a press release, Petra Solar has designed and a manufactured a smart grid interactive solar electric system. This solar electric system is tailored for installation on utility distribution poles, Utility Grade SunWave UP Series. These systems are being leveraged for the new joint solution – a smart grid solar system.

Petra Solar’s solar electric system operates as individual power generation stations. These systems combine solar power, smart grid and power management technologies to enable utilities to improve power quality and grid management.

In addition, Petra Solar’s solar electric system operates on streetlight and utility poles, connecting directly to the grid’s secondary voltage lines at the pole.

“We’re proud to team up with AT&T to fully utilize the intelligence of our solution,” said Shihab Kuran, president and CEO of Petra Solar.

Available immediately throughout North America, the new joint solution will be utilizing AT&T’s suite of M2M pricing plans.The suite of M2M solutions are tailored for smart grids, thereby making them an economical choice for utilities.

In addition, AT&T will be also providing a range of strategic mobility products and services to the utility industry, such as wireless solutions for field service workers, outage detection and remote monitoring for automated metering infrastructure.

According to Kuran, Petra Solar’s SunWave units are mounted on utility poles and connected directly to the grid at the pole, in order to create a highly efficient distributed solar generation system.

Petra Solar’s solar generation system provides smart grid capabilities to customers through real-time communications between the systems in the field and the utility control center. In addition, Petra Solar’s systems enhance electric distribution grid reliability and also help in stabilizing the grid during periods of increased load, says Kuran.

“By harnessing the scale of the AT&T network to deliver more sustainable solutions, we enable wireless connections across people and businesses helping to increase efficiency,” said Michael Antieri, president, Advanced Enterprise Mobility Solutions, AT&T Business Solutions. “This new relationship with Petra Solar marks another step into integrating our wireless network capabilities with the benefits of smart grid technology and the leading-edge renewable energy solutions available today.”