Glendale Water & Power (GWP), the city’s utility, will be replacing all of its electric meters, which serve over 100,000 customers, with smart meters enabled with two-way communications, and automating their 35,000 water meters to communicate over a wireless network.
The new smart metering infrastructure and data management system will support home area networks (HAN) to communicate with home appliances, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, pool pumps, and in-home energy displays. Customers will also have internet-accessible portals to view their electric and water usage.
Rob Wilhite, senior vice president, KEMA, said: “AMI / MDMS is a transformational effort that is redefining the way utilities interact with their customers, improve operations and leverage detailed service point information within the organization.
“Ultimately, the GWP Smart Grid Project will connect customers to the grid in new, more dynamic ways. When fully implemented, customers will be better enabled to make sustainable energy use choices and manage their utility costs–all while supporting a more reliable distribution system and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
The new AMI / MDMS system will have the flexibility to integrate new grid capabilities, as they become available or feasible for integration. In addition to technical modernization and smart grid capabilities, the project is expected to enable GWP to make ongoing improvements in customer service, service reliability, and revenue management.
KEMA also assisted GWP in its application for up to $20m in US Department of Energy AMI-smart grid grant funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to help implement the AMI / MDMS project and smart grid development.
