EDGE INTELLIGENCE EDGE INTELLIGENCE changes communication with smart grid AES Eletropaulo, a major Brazilian utility with a base of 6.8 million customers, keeps innovating. AES Eletropaulo will be using the Itron Riva platform to implement a communication board that integrates two communication technologies – radio frequency and PLC – in the same device, applying adaptive communications and edge computing power. The smart communication in the meters will provide significant potential for embedded computing and support for multiple measurement communication protocols as well as other smart devices, providing better decision-making processes for the utility. The platform- enabled meters offer a new approach for various smart grid applications, bringing intelligence to the edge of the network, 50 including detection and analysis of power outages, transformer load management and revenue protection. The solution dynamically selects the optimal communications path based on network operating conditions, data attributes and application requirements. AES Eletropaulo will also benefit from traditional smart metering capabilities, including remote metering, remote disconnect, diversion detection and other operational efficiencies. The complete solution will help AES meet their goals of improving service quality, decreasing operating costs and reducing technical and non-technical losses of low voltage customers of Barueri city. By incorporating Itron Riva into the Itron OpenWay network (smart metering and smart grid network), some new and interesting capabilities in terms of applications and communications will be enabled. Says Tim Wolf, Itron director of marketing, smart grid solutions: “As market needs and drivers change, technology must adapt to these different needs. In North America, there have been in excess of 60 million smart meters deployed and most have been used for such things as advanced metering, improving the ‘meter-to-cash’ business process.” Utilities are collecting and bringing back large packets of data over the network and are starting to use some of that data for things other than billing, such as gathering event data in order to run the distribution system more efficiently, detect outages more quickly or reduce losses. However, Wolf believes we are still at an early point of fully utilising the available data for more advanced capabilities. “We developed the Itron Riva platform to enable applications beyond smart metering: running the grid more reliably and efficiently through immediate responsiveness to changing conditions, distributed energy resources and distribution automation. Then there is the larger driver of the Internet of Things and smart cities, with more general challenges, such as energy efficiency, water conservation and sustainability, that go beyond the utility. We need to use intelligence across the different sections of the grid and decisions need to be made more. Localised and automated decision making needs to occur to make the vision of the smart grid come true. That is the underlying vision – to enable interoperability and data analysis at the edge and build a smarter grid – one that will take us to the next level of the 21st Century.” Technology has changed significantly over the years. Consider the computing power of a first or second generation iPhone, and “think of the possibilities that power could bring to a grid device or smart meter, that opens up a world of possibilities,” comments Wolf. “The first capability many of our customers wanted was the capability of adaptive communications. We are using that computing power to combine RF wireless and power line carrier communications on METERING INTERNATIONAL ISSUE – 1 | 2015