Elster Leads Smart Grid Voltage Conservation Alliance With ABB, Survalent and Quanta

Aug. 2, 2011
Elster has formed the Smart Grid Voltage Conservation Alliance, a working group that seeks to accelerate the adoption and validate the business benefits of voltage conservation for utilities through the convergence of distribution automation and advanced metering infrastructure.

Elster has formed the Smart Grid Voltage Conservation Alliance, a working group that seeks to accelerate the adoption and validate the business benefits of voltage conservation for utilities through the convergence of distribution automation and advanced metering infrastructure.

Charter members of the alliance include smart grid companies Entergy, Elster, ABB and Survalent. Quanta Technologies will assist the alliance in validating the business justification.

The SGVCA will focus initially on an end-to-end voltage conservation program with a two-fold goal of enabling operational efficiency for utilities and advancing the business case for voltage conservation. After the completion of an initial field study at Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C., the findings will be expanded to drive commercial application for all utilities.

Reducing voltage by as little as four to six percent can result in a three to five percent increase in energy conservation, but most utilities are currently unable to effectively manage voltage variations because of the lack of visibility in the distribution area network. By leveraging the convergence of DA and AMI for voltage monitoring, utilities will be able to gain additional insight from the substation down to the customer endpoint and increase operational efficiencies through voltage conservation while extending the capabilities and advantages of AMI.

Elster currently has a range of solutions that are already in deployment for DA and AMI convergence, including load control of agricultural rice wells at Entergy Arkansas and transformer monitoring with Toronto Hydro.

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