© 2001 San Diego Gas and Electric. All copyright and trademark rights reserved.

Real Time Energy Metering(RTEM)

A Step Into The Future

Robert BriceSan Diego Gas & Electric Company

Metering Americas 2004

Metering Americas 2004 2

Challenging Questions

• What internal and external systems (hardware and software) will be required to facilitate widespread dynamic electric rates?

• What will our customers want and need to help them adapt and respond to dynamic electric rates?

• What impact will this very fundamental change have on utility operations, infrastructure and budgets?

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Search for Answers

Researched the AMR Industry

Extensive RFI / RFP Process

System Demonstration and Evaluations

Proposal Evaluation and Analysis

Supplier Selections

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Findings from our Search

• Apparent disconnect with an AMR industry focused on replacing meter readers

• Limited industry focus on electric interval data collection and processing for dynamic rate billing

• No one product would meet all of SDG&E’s needs

• No “off the shelf” solutions were available

• Product development would be required

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Technical Requirements

Collect electric interval data at the meter• Solid state ANSI / IEEE compliant meters

• Built in data recovery method

• Sufficient memory at the meter to support data integrity

• Restrict and Enable customer access to meter data• C&I Real Time Access via KYZ output

• C&I and Residential via next day Web data presentation

• C&I and Residential via limited RF direct access (future)

Consumption gas and water meter reading • Full intrinsic safety compliance for Gas AMR device

• Adaptable to majority of current meter inventory

• No external wiring between meters

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Technical Requirements

Two Way Communications• Leverage existing public and private networks

• Adaptable to changing communications industry

Scalable System • C&I customers in phases (25,000)

• Spot deployable to a geographic area

• Residential expansion to all customers (1,300,000)

• Economies of scale: decreasing average O&M and Capital costs as meters are added to the network

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AMR System Supplier

Silver Spring Networks (formally Innovatec Communications)

• Had the appropriate system architecture to meet our technical requirements

• Wanted a utility ‘proxy’ to aid in further system development efforts

• System Development Relationship• Provide utility requirements (gas and electric)• Provide technical development assistance / testing

• Data systems integration• Communications systems integration• Hardware testing and certification• Deployment planning

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System Architecture

Solid state ANSI / IEEE compliant IDR Meters• Single and poly phase• C12.19 data tables

Integrated two-way communications • Under glass, plug and play installation

Wireless 900-MHz LAN• (.1 watt) between gas and water meters and the electric

meter • (1.0 watt) between the electric meter / relay / gateway

Multiple WAN options• Land line (POTS)• Cellular (CDMA – circuit and packet switched)• Private (DataTac, others)

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System Architecture

CIS

Gateway

Meter Communications Underglass

Relay Relay

Gas

Public / Private Networks

Utility Operations

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System Architecture

• Meters and communications devices self configure to the network with redundant communications paths

• Gateway manages schedules and consolidates data for LAN/WAN transmission

• Gateway communicates with host using a combination of public and private SDG&E owned networks

• Host software is Web-based application server that manages data export to utility measurement and billing systems

• Host software facilitates scheduling, alarm management, on-demand reads, etc.

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Accomplishments

• Successful• Integration with the GE kV2 single and poly phase electric

meter

• Integration with the Qualcomm CDMA circuit switched modem

• Engineering of SSN gateway to accommodate Motorola DataTac and SDG&E fiber assets

• Design and integration of multi-hop relay capability at the electric meter

• Design and integration of a pole top stand-alone relay device

• Design and integration of scaleable system operating software

• Demonstration of very robust and reliable communications system performance

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Going Forward

• Kearny Mesa C&I Pilot• 50 meters in 2004

• Mission Village Residential Pilot (electric, gas and water)

• 50 meters in 2004

• San Clemente C&I and Residential Pilot• 50 meters in 2005

• RTEM C&I Expansion• 500 - 1,000 meters in late 2004 – early 2005

• Balance of approved RTEM deployments will be dependent upon the outcome and timing of the current Statewide Pricing Pilots (SPP)

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Findings

• Lack of a true “standards compliant” meter makes communications integration difficult and costly for any AMR supplier

• Some meter companies are entering the AMR market and are slow to work with other AMR system providers who are now looked at as competitors

• Meter industry is slow to produce a low cost interval meter (single phase or poly phase)

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Findings

• Utility back office systems may require a lot of reengineering / development to move to interval data processing and billing

• Public communications technologies are changing at a rapid pace

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Conclusions

• Strategic Planning is absolutely necessary• Understand the changes facing our industry

• Invest in defining requirement up front• Think long term

• Keep your options open• Watch the industry

• Look for flexibility over the long haul

• Don’t forget your sister utilities• Develop partnerships

• Be relentless, don’t settle for less than you need

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Questions

Real Time Energy Metering(RTEM)

A Step Into The Future