S&C Electric Company and Silver Spring Networks Announce Smart Grid Interoperability

Oct. 28, 2008
Washington, DC, September 23, 2008 - S&C Electric Company and Silver Spring Networks today announced successful completion of Phase 1 interoperability testing of S&C's IntelliTEAM II(R) Automatic Restoration System with Silver Spring's Smart Energy ...

Washington, DC, September 23, 2008 - S&C Electric Company and Silver Spring Networks today announced successful completion of Phase 1 interoperability testing of S&C's IntelliTEAM II(R) Automatic Restoration System with Silver Spring's Smart Energy Network. It marks a milestone toward a unified Smart Grid network supporting reliable, secure Distribution Automation, SCADA, Advanced Metering Infrastructure, and other intelligent applications. Testing will now focus on validation of high-frequency SCADA polling and interaction of DA and AMI traffic.

The true promise of Smart Grid will be realized with the convergence of these complementary, but traditionally separate solutions into one secure network, ultimately enabling automation of an entire distribution system. “We look forward to working with S&C to provide Smart Grid networking support for their entire range of industry-leading distribution automation equipment,” said John O'Farrell, EVP of Business Development at Silver Spring Networks. “Our interoperability with S&C will enable world-class capability for automating and monitoring the entire distribution system, increasing energy efficiency and reliability and decreasing operating costs. It is great to be teamed with such an innovative company in the DA market.”

Silver Spring's Smart Energy Network meets the critical requirements of a network supporting SCADA: It's secure, fault-tolerant, high-availability, and compatible with industry-standard protocols. This high-density mesh network delivers ample bandwidth, low latency, and ubiquitous coverage for DA, AMI, and other Smart Grid applications. Leveraging a common network infrastructure significantly lowers both the capital and operational costs of implementing wide-scale DA. Smart Energy Network also provides DA traffic prioritization, easy deployment and maintenance, and centralized network management.

IntelliTEAM II is a recognized, field-proven Smart Grid solution. This self-healing, scalable, distributed-intelligence-based fault isolation and reconfiguration system supports any source and feeder configuration and can be applied with Intelligent Electronic Devices from nearly every manufacturer. It automatically restores power to unfaulted line segments in seconds without overloading any section of the system, and can handle multiple fault contingencies without custom programming, extensive validation, or testing. Thousands of IntelliTEAM-equipped devices have been deployed on the overhead and underground systems of utilities around the world.

“A secure, reliable, and common communications infrastructure is a key element of a future distribution system,” said Witold Bik, Vice President of S&C's Automation Systems Division. “By working with Silver Spring Networks we can now offer a secure Smart Grid network that is a huge advantage for our customers. We are excited to be able to validate IntelliTEAM II with Silver Spring's industry-leading communications network.”

About S&C Electric Company

S&C Electric Company is a global provider of equipment and services for electric power systems and is the recognized leader in distribution automation. Founded in 1911, S&C designs and manufactures electric power switching and protection equipment and power quality products, primarily for application at high voltage. These products are used on the transmission and distribution systems of electric utilities and large power users around the world. Some are used to switch circuits. Others minimize damage to equipment in the event of a fault or reduce the area of an outage by automatically rerouting power flow. And S&C's sophisticated power quality products can deliver uninterrupted power for an entire facility. In addition, S&C offers a wide range of engineering, laboratory, and testing services for electric utilities and commercial, industrial, and institutional power users. For additional information, visit www.sandc.com/it2s.

About Silver Spring Networks

Silver Spring Networks creates the critical networking infrastructure for the Smart Grid, known as a Smart Energy Network. Based on the Internet Protocol (IP) suite, it addresses the challenges of running multiple applications and devices on a common networking infrastructure using multiple transport technologies, dramatically improving efficiency, lowering costs and ensuring the reliable delivery of services. This smarter, more efficient grid could cut the growth rate of worldwide energy consumption by more than half over the next 15 years and drastically reduce carbon emissions. Silver Spring Networks was named a Technology Pioneer at the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was named to the 2008 Red Herring 100, 2008 Global 250 and was a recipient of the GoingGreen and Brilliant Innovation Awards in 2007. For additional information, visit www.silverspringnetworks.com.

Media Contacts

S&C Electric Company

Steve Strand

[email protected]

773-338-1000

Silver Spring Networks

Lisa Magnuson

[email protected]

415-531-9199

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of T&D World, create an account today!