Lamar County Electric Cooperative Association has announced plans to use the eTWACS power line communications system from Aclara Technologies.
Based in Paris, Texas, Lamar County ECA will begin replacing its legacy system with Aclara’s eTWACS solution over the next two years.
“Aclara’s advanced, reliable technology will provide fast and accurate meter reads, and automated meter reading procedures, as well as reducing the time at which problems can be discovered and alleviated,” said Jerry D. Williams, general manager and CEO at Lamar County ECA. “We have also implemented other uses, like outage assessment and restoration using the company’s PROASYS® software.”
Aclara’s eTWACS technology dramatically increases the capacity to perform daily, interval and on-request meter reads to meet the data requirements of Lamar County ECA. Data provided by Aclara’s AMI system will allow the utility to better understand patterns of usage and identify programs to reduce system peaks and costs. Moreover, meters on the eTWACS system can be connected automatically, eliminating service calls.
Utilities employing eTWACS can reduce the loss of power line electricity, and send and receive bi-directional data concurrently over power lines. All substation buses are read in parallel, and the protocol allows a single outbound command to retrieve data from all feeders.
