Distribution Control Systems, Inc. (DCSI) has signed a contract with Empresa Distribuidora de Electricidad del Sur (EDESUR) for installation of the Two-Way Automatic Communication System (TWACS) AMI for 100% of its commercial/industrial (C/I) customers.
EDESUR wanted to reduce lost revenue, operational and meter reading costs. It also realized if it provided customers with reliable electric service by controlling demand, instituting proactive maintenance programs and expanding the power distribution infrastructure, the possibilities increased for attracting new businesses and improving the Republic’s economy.
Not only can EDESUR communicate directly with each C/I meter in its system (within less than 20 seconds for individual on-demand reads), when downloading mass readings, the speed increases rapidly. Special applications that are built within the TWACS system include reverse energy detection to help pinpoint non-technical losses and the OPTIMUM software solution that provides web service integration to third-party software applications including Customer Information Systems (CIS), Information Technology Departments (IT), legacy software and billing systems.
EDESUR has also included OASys in its deployment plans. This system leverages the TWACS system connectivity to provide the utility with outage location and scope as well as distribution system reliability information. Such information enables the utility to promptly and accurately pinpoint energy delivery problems, restore the system and deliver dependable electric power to its C/I customers.
Matt Dhillon, director of marketing for DCSI, said, “Our TWACS two way communication system provides EDESUR capabilities to detect theft, read meters on request, collect data at daily, hourly, and 15-minute intervals, provide TOU rates, detect outages and speed power restoration, assess phase and feeder load balances, determine voltage levels at each customer and obtain vital data to help EDESUR to optimize its operations. The data is also very valuable for engineering planning and analysis to improve the distribution asset efficiencies. The installed C&I TWACS system can be easily expanded to provide remote connect/disconnect, load control, prepayment and to read all residential meters.”
