How Distributed Intelligence is Transforming Smart Grid Strategy and Technology Choices
It’s not unusual for a utility to spend 20 percent of its time and resources deploying the first 80 percent of a smart grid communications network, then spend 80 percent of its time and resources deploying and connecting the last 20 percent of the network. In addition, emerging smart grid use cases -- whether that’s integrating distributed generation, detecting and preventing outages, or shifting peak load -- increasingly require analysis and action to take place at the “edge†of the network, closest to where the problem or opportunity lies, rather than bringing all that data back to the utility for time-consuming analysis.
Consistent with Moore’s Law, which states that computing power increases exponentially while costs decrease, and Metcalfe’s Law, which holds that the value of a communications network is driven by the number of users or connections, the smart grid technology landscape is changing rapidly. Significant advances in edge intelligence, software-defined networks/comms and interoperability of devices and applications are rapidly transforming the idea of what is possible (and affordable) for grid communications, monitoring and control.
By leveraging new technology that extends intelligence to the edge of the network, utilities have the opportunity to innovate and implement an entirely new set of use cases and applications to make the grid more efficient, more reliable and more adaptable to a rapidly changing mix of generation resources, customer expectations, and business drivers. These include new capabilities for revenue assurance, outage management, Volt/VAR optimiziation; renewables integration, management of distribution assets, and demand response/load control.
Join members of Itron’s global technology team for a provocative and visionary discussion about how these technology trends are driving Itron’s R&D investment strategy while also transforming the smart metering and smart grid technology roadmap and business case for utilities.
Presented by
Ty Roberts,
Director of Solutions Marketing for European Market
Ty Roberts has designed, developed, deployed and managed the strategy of several utility solutions with Itron, over the course of 16 years. Most recently, he managed the product strategy of Itron’s smart grid software solutions and is currently responsible for electric product marketing in Itron's Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
Hartman Van Wyk,
Senior Director of Business Development, Itron CTO Office
Hartman Van Wyk is senior director of business development in Itron’s CTO office. Also, based in Europe, Hartman is charged with aligning Itron’s research and development strategy with broader technology advancements in communication, distributed intelligence and analytics. He has played a central role in the development of Itron’s next generation grid communications technology.
