Benton REA states the tech will also help manage rising demand from distributed energy resources such as EV chargers, heat pumps and other new loads. Based in West Richland, the rural electric cooperative serves roughly 17,000 member accounts in the southeastern part of the state.

The utility explains they're linking these application assets to the Revelo grid sensors over a two-way, hybrid wireless system. It will combine Landis+Gyr’s Gridstream RF Mesh IP network with omni-carrier cellular endpoints, ensuring reliable data connectivity in mountainous and remote areas while supporting cost-effective power delivery.

“Our primary goal is ensuring we can maintain reliability, manage costs and provide flexible demand management options for our members,” said Aaron Welling, lead project manager at Benton REA, in a statement. “The Revelo platform expands our options with sensing capabilities that support load disaggregation, smart switching and power quality applications to improve system planning and maintenance.”

With new loads coming online, such as EV charging and agricultural irrigation, Benton REA states it will utilize Landis+Gyr’s captured data to identify and balance heavy appliance loads on its distribution system.

"Rural utilities are being asked to manage increasingly complex demands on the grid while maintaining the reliability and affordability their members depend on," added Mark Ortega, distribution sales director at Landis+Gyr.

So far, Landis+Gyr’s latest AMI solution deployments have been enabled in more than 2,000 utilities worldwide as it aims to scale real-time operational control for modern energy providers.