Silver Spring Networks Adds Support For Itron CENTRON II & Elster A3 ALPHA

As the worldwide adoption of smart grid networks is increasing, market demand for advanced and innovative products to support various functionalities within the smart grid is also rising. Enterprises are coming up with a range of cutting edge solutions for the smart grid, with an aim to address this growing need.

Silver Spring Networks, a provider of smart grid networking platform technology and solutions, has announced that it will add two new solution options within its Silver Spring Smart Energy Platform. The company offers a range of products that allow utilities to seamlessly integrate renewable energy sources and enable the customers to manage their overall energy consumption in an effective manner. Claiming an impressive line up of utility clients such as Baltimore Gas & Electric, CitiPower & Powercor, Florida Power & Light, Jemena Electricity Networks Limited, Pacific Gas & Electric and Pepco Holdings, Inc.; the company has connected more than 10 million homes and businesses globally.

The two new solution options launched by Sliver Spring Networks are CENTRON II from Itron and the A3 ALPHA from Elster, which allow utility customers to benefit from extended line of endpoints. Smart Energy Platform enables enterprises to adopt a standards-based approach while building the smart grid, which offers customer choice as a prime advantage over other solutions.

“One of our original motivations for selecting Silver Spring Networks when we were evaluating smart grid technology providers was the flexibility and selection they provided,” commented Kazi Marouf, chief operating officer at Guelph Hydro Electric Systems Inc. “Having two more meter options to choose from adds even more value to the platform for us.”

Adopting a multi year strategy to offer various Itron products on the Silver Spring platform, Silver Spring Networks has introduced the new Itron CENTRON II meters, which is a solid-state, single-phase residential electricity meter offering enhanced digital accuracy, reliability and serviceability to the utilities at much lower costs. Further, the device is equipped with personality modules that offer various communications and measurement options to them, in addition to an optional service switch that enables disconnect and reconnect activities in a remote manner. The meter features comprehensive meter reading and remote meter upgrades functionalities through the Silver Spring platform.

A3 ALPHA meter, a C & I meter by Elster enables high accuracy, repeatability and low ownership costs powered by company’s patented digital measurement techniques. Other advanced features of the device comprise of form consolidation, voltage and class consolidations, 0.2 percent accuracy class meters and functional scalability as well. In April 2012, meter reading for the A3 ALPHA meters will be launched across the Silver Spring platform; while remote meter upgrades will be introduced in the later phase of the year.

“Our proven, open platform is a powerful draw for customers worldwide,” said Chris Montgomery, senior director of the advanced metering business at Silver Spring. “We’ve listened to them and are pleased to bring these two highly valued meters onto the Silver Spring Smart Energy Platform.”

In November 2011, Silver Spring Networks announced its selection by Maui Electric Company or ‘MECO’ and the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute at the University of Hawaii or ‘HNEI’ for a smart grid project on the island of Maui.