In 2008, SEAS-NVE, the leading utility in Denmark, issued a bid to replace its aging meter infrastructure, with the main goal to improve their billing system. Four years later, 380,000 Echelon smart meters, deployed by Echelon Networked Energy Services (NES) VAR partner Eltel Networks A/S, are fulfilling SEAS-NVE’s original goal — and more.
The ‘more’ is that beyond using the smart meters as billing devices, SEAS-NVE sees them as smart grid devices able to improve the monitoring of power quality and outages, including for the utility’s more than 3,500 solar installations, and better manage energy efficiency on its low-voltage grid.
The Echelon smart meters convey information and perform analytics that evaluate grid health. SEAS-NVE uses the meters’ advanced features for load profiling, power quality measurements, remote load control, remote disconnect, and maximum power limiting. The meters communicate with a control node — the Data Concentrator — that collects data from the meters, aggregates it, and sends it back in bulk to Echelon’s NES System Software. The NES management system provides infrastructure management, device management, event management, and data collection.
The Echelon smart grid solution is delivering big benefits to SEAS-NVE and the consumers who rely on the utility. Whether it’s identifying voltage quality issues even before consumers experience equipment malfunctions or failures, avoiding damages from surges, or recovering quickly from outages, the Echelon solution is taking SEAS-NVE far beyond its modest original goals of improving billing. But of course, the billing system has also improved.
Recommended Links:
- Echelon Smart Grid Optimization solution web page
- Echelon Smart Grid Optimization brochure
- Press release: Danish Utility SEAS-NVE Achieves Nearly 100% Reliability Using Echelon-based Smart Grid Solution
- Press release: Danish Utility Selects Echelon’s Advanced Metering System for 390,000 customers