Silver Spring Networks, Inc., a smart grid networking platform and solutions provider, has begun the second phase of a large-scale demonstration project for EDP Distribuição in Portugal. During this part of the initiative, the rollout will be in of Batalha, the seat of a municipality in central Portugal with a population of 15,000.

DP Distribuição (EDPD) is Portugal’s incumbent distribution system operator (DSO) — serving 97 percent of the market, with more than six million customers. EDPD coordinates the InovGrid Project, a smart grid pilot test already completed in Évora, in the southeast part of the nation; and expanding to other cities in Portugal. The project is expected to impact more than 150,000 consumers nationwide. 

InovGrid combines:

• Advanced distribution automation features, to minimize customer interruptions;
• Automated meter reading, to facilitate new customer services; and
• Smarter integration of distributed generation.

What Redwood City, Calif.-based Silver Spring is bringing to the table is its Smart Networking Platform—an open, IPv6 network that enables utilities of all sizes and across all geographies to deploy a broad set of smart grid applications atop a common platform; ensures seamless and system-wide connectivity and interoperability.

“We’re proud to help EDP Distribuição unlock more value and better serve their customers with our proven, market-leading smart grid networking platform,” said Scott Lang, chairman, president and CEO of Silver Spring Networks. “We look forward to continued success in our project and helping EDP Distribuição continue to transform its power grid.”

“We believe that Silver Spring is a partner that can help us to achieve our smart grid vision in this new project,” said João Torres, CEO of EDP Distribuição. “Silver Spring's multi-application networking platform has demonstrated its performance in a previous pilot project and we now want to extend it to more customers and deliver a wide array of advanced smart grid services.”

Smart Metering-as-a-Service

In related news, in mid-September, Silver Spring Networks announced a partnership with Metrix, a metering service provider based in Auckland, New Zealand, that will leverage the Smart Networking Platform to deliver smart metering-as-a-service to retail energy providers.

The first joint deployment between Silver Spring and Metrix will be for Counties Power, a lines company serving more than 37,000 customers in New Zealand’s North Island. Metrix already has successfully deployed more than 330,000 smart meters in the greater Auckland area and is expanding into other areas to meet the increasing demand for smart metering services.

Counties Power is leveraging Silver Spring’s Gen4 networking technology for smart metering and smart grid deployments. In New Zealand’s disaggregated energy market, lines companies oversee energy distribution while energy retailers are responsible for deploying smart meters to end customers. Counties Power and Metrix will partner to utilize Silver Spring’s networking platform and UtilityIQ head-end software to deliver smart metering-as-a-service to their energy retailer clients.

Gen4 makes it easier and more cost-effective for utilities to support:

• Any transport: Mix and match Gen4 options, including cellular and mesh, as desired;
• Any territory: Cost-effectively reach any service area;
• Any endpoint: Support more intelligent grid devices; and
• Any application: Run more demanding applications.

Counties Power is also expected to employ Silver Spring’s platform to improve the reliability and performance of its network, enable faster outage detection and restoration, and deliver improved power quality to its customers. On the demand side, Counties Power’s customers will be able to take greater control of their electricity consumption and their bills through the latest smart grid technology.

“Counties Power looks forward to using the Silver Spring and Metrix solution to improve the reliability and consistency of service for our customers,” said CEO Neil Simmonds. “Counties Power will also use the platform and its new smart meters to minimize future network capital costs and, therefore, prices over the next decade.”