Echelon Announces European Wins: New Grid Modernization Initiatives in Two Key Cities, Plus a 2013 European Smart Metering Award
New Projects Awarded in Basel, Switzerland, and a Pilot in Vienna, Austria, Demonstrate Power of a Multi-Application Solution at the Edge of the Electricity Grid
Echelon Corporation announced significant validation for its grid modernization solutions. Echelon has also been awarded a 20,000 follow-on smart meter order as part of a project in Basel, Switzerland, and a 1,400 smart meter pilot in Vienna, Austria, for its advanced grid sensors, which also provide smart metering functionality.
In addition, Echelon announced that it has won the 2013 European Smart Metering Award for top Network and Communications Company in the Solution Provider category. The awards are determined by an independent panel of judges that includes utility industry experts from a range of European companies. Echelon was selected as “a company that surpassed all others [in their category] due to their strong focus on consumer outputs and extensive use of open-source technologies.”
“Echelon’s multi-application platform is gaining traction in our target markets as our customers realize the value of reliability, and efficiency with clear and measurable return on investment,” said Michael Anderson, senior vice president and general manager, Grid Modernization markets, at Echelon. “In addition to the validation that accompanies these pilots and projects, it’s gratifying to receive awards from your peers and especially from those as prestigious a source as the European Smart Metering Awards.”
Echelon’s partner, Ubitronix System Solutions GmbH, was awarded a 20,000-follow-on unit smart meter project in Basel by Industrielle Werke Basel (IWB). Basel is Switzerland’s third most populous city, and the ongoing project was won based upon the positive results from last year’s 25,000-unit Echelon smart meter deployment. In addition to remote reading of metering and power quality data by the utility, consumers will gain access to current consumption and rate information; remote control of electrical loads; the ability to integrate renewables; and control of rate structure, which will provide them more accurate data to reduce errors and minimize the cost of metering. Installation has started and will continue through 2013.
Through its Austrian partnership with Kapsch, Echelon was awarded a 1,400-unit pilot at WIEN ENERGIE Stromnetz GmbH, the largest Austrian utility with over 1 million customers. The pilot – which covers Vienna, Lower Austria, and Burgenland – is expected to begin in May and is based upon extensive laboratory, safety, and internal testing of Echelon’s smart meters. The pilot will utilize Echelon’s power line technology to measure electricity in 15-minute intervals, employing various security mechanisms, including 128 bit encryption, to ensure reliable and secure data communication and collection. This project is the first phase for WIEN ENERGIE Stromnetz GmbH to fulfill Austria’s aggressive grid optimization and modernization plan to transition 95% its 5 million households to smart meters by 2019, a year in advance of the European Union 2020 mandate.