The partnership between Siemens IT Solutions and Services in Norwalk and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative has gained ground in its goal to create a sustainable energy grid.
“This is a big step forward in achieving Bluebonnet”™s goal of a fully sustainable grid,” said Paul Maier, a general manager for Siemens IT Solutions and Services.
Siemen”™s, a provider of information technology services, has helped Bluebonnet, an energy company based in Bastrop, Texas, to build a successful test of its meter-to-bill system, an integral component of its ultimate goal for a sustainable grid.
“The proof of concept we”™ve delivered validates the important connection between a smart meter at a member”™s home or business with the entire operational infrastructure of the utility. This technology will have a profound impact on energy consumption by enabling the consumer to dynamically alter their usage of electricity.”
Maier said the future of this venture has the potential to deliver “dramatic energy and operational savings throughout the grid.”
Maier said a major advantage of the Siemens solution is that it takes a “meter-agnostic” approach.
“Utilities can purchase smart meters from the supplier of their choice and use this solution to integrate it into the rest of their operations,” said Maier. “This is an important step in helping to achieve energy efficiency here and around the world,”
Maier said Siemens”™ has incorporated smart meters to be deployed by Bluebonnet into the operational infrastructure of the utility and in doing so, has proven that the solution can successfully utilize a utility”™s real-time data to run more efficiently.
“This solution from Siemens allows us to fully realize the significant investment we”™ve already made with our smart meters,” said Mark Rose, CEO of Bluebonnet. “Smart meters realize their full benefits when the data generated through them is able to be used to optimize energy usage and increase customer satisfaction.
Rose said the solution allows the smart meters to send energy usage data directly to operational infrastructure and securely share that information between the energy company and its members. “The result is a far better-informed consumer and a far more efficient use of energy,” said Rose.
Rose said the company will be able to offer off-peak consumption discounts, empower members to generate their own energy through solar or wind technology and sell it back to the grid and help members to make better decisions about their own energy usage.
“It”™s a major step forward in our implementation of smart grid technologies,” said Rose. “Bluebonnet will be one of the first utilities in the nation to fully implement the smart grid, which we call the sustainable grid.”
