Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ:ELON) today announced Networked Energy Services (NES) system-wide enhancements including a new generation of CT (current transformer) meter, enterprise smart metering network operating system software, downloadable smart meter enhancements, and updated system tools. Nearly two million homes are connected to the smart grid using Echelon's NES system, one of the most widely-deployed, next-generation smart grid platforms used by utilities.
The award-winning NES advanced smart grid infrastructure consists of a family of highly integrated, advanced electronic electricity meters accessed via a Web services based network operating system over an IP networking infrastructure. Much more than a simple AMI system focused on billing related services, the NES System embeds intelligence into the grid itself, which provides utilities with information about the topology of their network that is essential when building a smart grid and is unavailable from other AMI systems. The NES system provides utilities with a service-enabling platform that includes a wealth of information about the status, operation and health of the grid that enables them to reduce operating costs while increasing service quality and customer satisfaction.
"The promise of the NES System is a highly flexible infrastructure that we can adapt to our changing customer, operations, and regulatory needs. This latest system-wide update keeps us on track with new capabilities that can enable additional services and improved operations," said Erik Nordgren, project director, Vattenfall Distribution Nordic, a leading European energy company and Echelon NES customer. "We're excited at the prospect of extending our investment in the NES smart grid infrastructure with compelling services for our customers."
"NES is by far the leading smart metering system today in the Danish utility market. The NES enhancements will further improve the excellent performance of the system and further support our utility customers' ambitions to create state-of-the-art smart grid solutions," said Sonny Nielsen, CEO of Eltel Networks A/S in Denmark.
According to Friedrich Eidenberger, CEO of LINZ STROM, an Echelon NES customer "The NES System has provided us with substantial competitive advantages in our metering market. By extending the electricity metering infrastructure to other residential meters, and through the direct control of high-consumption devices inside the home, LINZ STROM has created a truly market leading project – not only in Austria, but globally."
Enhancements cover key hardware and software products across the NES System. Product highlights include:
- NES CT Meter
- Integral to the smart grid, the CT (current transformer) meters help utilities identify theft at the distribution transformer by monitoring the overall usage for comparison to individual metering sites on the transformer. The CT meter also provides the ability to measure electricity at residences and commercial sites using higher currents than serviced by direct-connected meters. The new generation IEC CT meter has an optional expansion port. Partners within the NES ecosystem can provide applications and network extensions via the expansion port either at the time of the initial smart meter installation, or anytime thereafter.
- NES Smart Meter Firmware
- The new meter firmware enables meters to provide load profiling for heat meters, water meters, and gas meters connected to NES meters via M-bus per DIN 13757 – allowing utilities to accurately profile usage from these devices and institute flexible pricing based on consumption.
- NES System Software
- The NES System Software provides a web services based network operating system for the smart grid. It works in harmony with the data concentrator and smart NES meters to deliver next-generation smart grid services. Enhancements to the system software include those for increased overall performance and reliability, more efficient messaging for higher scalability to support millions of meters with daily data collection.
"The new products and updates across the entire NES product line enable utilities to evolve their existing NES system-based smart networks to become extensive energy networks," said Michael Anderson, Echelon's senior vice president of NES sales and market development. "We are continuing to invest in our smart grid infrastructure to offer utilities the very best solution possible for their investment, one that will last years into the future and meet their changing needs."
Echelon's NES technology is used by utilities worldwide, including in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.
For more information regarding Echelon's NES System visit www.echelon.com/nes.
About Echelon Corporation
Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON) is leading the worldwide transformation of the electricity grid into a smart, communicating energy network, connecting utilities to their customers, enabling networking of everyday devices, and providing customers with energy aware homes and businesses that react to conditions on the grid.
Echelon's NES System – the backbone for the smart grid – is used by utilities to replace existing stand-alone electricity meters with a network infrastructure that is open, inexpensive, reliable, and proven. The NES System helps utilities compete more effectively, reduce operating costs, provide expanded services and help energy users manage and reduce overall energy use. Echelon's LonWorks® Infrastructure products extend the smart grid, powering tens of millions of energy aware, everyday devices made by thousands of companies – connecting them to each other, to the electricity grid and to the Internet. LonWorks based products work together to monitor and save energy; lower costs; improve productivity; and enhance service, quality, safety, and convenience in utility, municipal, building, industrial, transportation, and home area networks.
More information about Echelon can be found at http://www.echelon.com.
Echelon, LonWorks, and the Echelon logo are registered trademarks of Echelon Corporation registered in the United States and other countries. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
This press release may contain statements relating to future plans, events or performance. Such statements may involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with uncertainties pertaining to market acceptance of Echelon's products and the timing and level of customer orders; risks that Echelon offerings do not perform as designed and that liability may accrue as a result; and other risks identified in Echelon's SEC filings. Actual results, events and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Echelon undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6342390&lang=en
Contacts:
Echelon Corporation
Julia O'Shaughnessy, +1-408-938-5357
julia@echelon.com
or
Atomic
Public Relations
Allyson Stinchfield, +1-415-402-0230
allyson@atomicpr.com
