Bringing AMR and AMI Systems into a Smarter Grid

A Safe Path that Protects Investments while Migrating to a Smart Grid Infrastructure

Utilities  throughout the world have invested hundreds of millions of dollars over  the last few decades to deploy Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) systems to  collect billing information from electricity, gas, and water meters.  More recently, utilities have begun to invest comparable amounts in  deploying Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) systems that can send more  flexible Time of Use metering data to the utility´s data center — a  good step toward a smarter grid. While useful, these single-application  systems weren´t designed to be integrated with other devices and  applications to deliver the information needed to build a smarter smart  grid. And replacing these solutions before the end of their useful life  is usually not an option. Without a way to integrate the information  from these systems into the next-generation smart grid infrastructure,  some utilities are considering delaying or scaling back their smart grid  plans.

Echelon  provides an innovative solution for utilities to integrate their AMR  and AMI meters into a smarter grid with the introduction of the Echelon Control Operating System (COS) software.  Built on Echelon´s 20 years of proven, trusted, and unmatched  experience in control networking and software innovation, The COS  software provides an open, secure multiapplication framework that hosts  much-needed smart grid applications. Taking advantage of the intelligent  distributed control capabilities of the COS  software platform, COS apps can integrate information from many  different types of devices and deliver control at the edge of the grid —  the critical point where the distribution network connects with  customers.

The COS software runs on Echelon´s Edge Control Node (ECN) 7000  series of open, extensible hardware installed at the distribution  transformer. The ECN 7000 series hardware is ruggedized and  purpose-built for integrating any asset into a smarter grid by providing  open, published interfaces that let third parties develop additional  hardware components for it. Any electricity, gas, or water meter,  whether AMR or AMI, can be supported with a third-party expansion card  installed in the ECN. Now, instead of replacing entire AMR or AMI  infrastructures, utilities can simply change an expansion card in the  ECN to support any deployed technology, now and as it changes in the  future.

Seamless Migration Path to a Smarter Grid

The  ECN can seamlessly integrate AMR and AMI systems to enable a smarter  grid. For utilities with drive-by AMR systems, the ECN provides a common  network infrastructure for transporting meter data to the enterprise  that eliminates the costs of the drive-by system. The utility can  continue to operate existing meters and, if desired, replace them  gradually over time with more capable meters that provide additional  smart grid-oriented data (such as phase, power factor, reactive energy,  and total harmonic distortion) that can be used by COS apps to provide  additional valuable services. For all communicating meter types,  regardless of how smart they are, the ECN enables meter data to be used  locally as well, to improve many aspects of the edge of the grid. For  example, consumption information might be used by a microdistribution  management app. Or, voltage information available from an AMI meter  could be used as part of a volt/VAR control optimization app.

Unleashing the Power of Apps

As  an application-ready platform, COS software empowers a new generation  of application development that can share data from every device, over  any protocol, at the last mile of the grid — so utilities can protect  assets deployed today long into the future and reduce costs. Like  loading apps onto a smart phone, utilities and their partners can  quickly build and easily deploy applications to preserve their  investment in AMR and AMI systems while migrating to a smarter grid.

Utilities and their partners can rapidly develop COS apps using the COS SDK.  Echelon also provides comprehensive training and support to ensure  development efficiency and app quality. Scalable COS management software  running at the utility operations center lets utilities deploy new apps  to ECNs in the field quickly and easily.

This rich development and management environment promotes an ever-growing selection of applications developed for the COS  software platform. Instead of replacing an asset, utilities will be  able to respond to new needs or opportunities by simply adding a new  app, upgrading software, or adding new hardware to the ECN.

The Power of Intelligent Distributed Control for a Smarter Grid

COS  apps running on the ECN can collect information from and manage any  device, communicating over any protocol, with intelligent distributed  control embedded throughout the edge of the grid to enable local  autonomous decision-making in nearly real time. For example, an COS app  could simultaneously confirm wire integrity using the low-voltage power  line signal strength, power quality, and distortion parameters, letting  utilities quickly validate restoration of service to a consumer without  having to visit the premise.

COS  apps can not only share data with other apps locally, but also with  apps on other ECNs using the optional Wi-Fi Node-to-Node network. This  gives utilities the unprecedented ability to know what´s happening  across many low-voltage grids and onto the medium-voltage network. And  it provides improved reliability, survivability, and faster response  time — all at a lower cost.

How It Works

The  COS software enables the distribution of mission-critical intelligent  control to the edge of the grid by providing a secure, managed framework  for third-party COS apps that integrate AMR and AMI systems. These apps  eliminate the costly AMR drive-by systems, preserve investment in AMR  and AMI, and allow the collected data to be repurposed to solve emerging  grid problems directly, out at the edge of the grid. Here´s how this  solution would be implemented by third-party COS apps running on the  ECN:

1. An  AMR/AMI receiver/transceiver expansion card is installed into the ECN.  (In the case of the ECN 7650, the antennas can also be installed inside  the enclosure.)

2. An COS driver communicates with the AMR/AMI expansion card and expresses AMR/AMI data as data points.

3. The  built-in Data Logger app logs the received data, creating a load  profile. Many redundant meter reads are received by a single ECN every  day, so the Data Logger is configured to record meter reads only as  frequently as needed, both locally and for the meter data management  system.

4. Since  the AMR/AMI meters are likely to be in communication with more than one  ECN due to the proximity, meter reads are likely to be redundant across  multiple ECNs in the area. The Meter Data app performs de-duplication  of the meter reads both locally and with the Meter Data apps running on  other ECNs in the area using the Wi-Fi Node-to-Node network. The Meter  Data apps do this by performing an election, and then one of them  consolidates the meter reads from the data logs.

5. The  consolidating Meter Data app uses the built-in Data Transporter service  to send the consolidated data package to the meter data management  system only as often as required. This conserves network bandwidth and  reduces transmission costs, as well as reduces data processing  requirements at the operations center.

6. The  electricity meter data points are also shared with the  Microdistribution Management app to coordinate power usage on the  low-voltage network.

7. The  Outage Management app would also use the shared electricity meter data  points to detect and report small-scale electricity outages to the  outage management system at the operations center. The app also  coordinates with the outage management system to speed the confirmation  of service restoration. It does this by verifying that meter reads are  again being received from the electricity meters.

With the application-ready COS  software platform powering the open and extensible ECN 7000 series  hardware, utilities can now deploy a new era of smart grid applications  that leverage existing AMR and AMI assets while moving forward with  their smart grid projects.

Enabling a Smarter Grid and Improving Customer Experience

Stranded  assets hurt both utilities and consumers. But the world´s energy needs  have changed and utilities must evolve rapidly to meet new stresses that  the grid was never designed to handle — from electric vehicle fast  chargers and intermittent customer-owned renewables to community energy  storage. By integrating existing AMR and AMI assets into a smarter grid,  the COS software platform lets utilities leverage data from these  systems long into the future. This eliminates the burden on utilities —  and, ultimately, consumers — to pay for replacing fully functioning and  productive assets before the end of their useful lives.

Now  utilities have a safe path forward to smart grid projects that can  lower consumer energy bills and provide new services. Fewer stranded  assets, happier customers, and a more intelligent grid: That´s the power  of control at the edge of the grid, delivered by COS apps running on the ECN.