Ongoing gradual deregulation of the electricity market is provoking EU country members to test and install meters of a newer smarter kind. With the tendency to “pay less and get more” this is exactly what you receive deploying smart meters of the latest generation.
Government and the energy industry insist on usage of smart grid technologies as smart meters offer the potential for some undeniable benefits. At different times each one of us has met some serious doubts about the cost, inconvenience and effectiveness of traditional meter exploitation. Therefore, smart meters are promoted to consumers as a way to reduce their bill costs by checking their usage in real time via a monitor and avoid estimated bills as a result of the meter sending automatic readings to the supplier.
Various smart meter systems give different benefits, therefore in 2016, within the framework of the promotion of PLC solutions in the Slovak market, ADD Grup together with TRANSTECH a.s. Slovakia and Energa Operator Poland held a two-day seminar for the representatives of Slovakia’s power grids, in which Energa Operator shared its experience of large-scale implementation of smart metering on PLC basis and described the advantages of PRIME technology.
Inspired by the positive experience of Energa Operator, Východoslovenská distribučná, Košice (VSD), part of innogy Group decided to try PRIME technology in its electrical networks. ADD Grup gladly accepted this idea, in connection with which an agreement was reached which laid the foundation in a trust-worthy relationship that is based on mutual respect and willingness to succeed. While carrying out the projects both participants always adapt their solution, not only with regard to the customers’ demands, but at the same time make provision for practical skills, experiences and specialized qualification for the company’s profile.
The pilot project with the installation of the proposed metering system is a part of a large VSD project. The main goal of the pilot is the verification of various technologies from different suppliers. The company insisted to try out PRIME, G3, BPL, LoRa technologies in order to learn the possible variations in providing the most high-quality equipment for data reading on consumed electricity. The pilot with 330 ADDAX three-phase smart meters and 2 concentrators was installed in February 2017 in the little village Veľká Ida near the Košice – the second largest city in Slovakia.
Smart meters deployed in the pilot have the following features: multi-rate registration, event log, load profile (by demand, request, event), energy consumption in accordance with the needs of a particular customer, differential current detection, reserve power supply, open protocols, optical port, disconnecting relays, meter cover opening sensor, magnetic field sensor, PRIME PL communication channel, additional multifunctional communication interfaces.
Being based on universal hardware platform offering transition from PRIME to G3 PLC meters are highly interoperable which is a definite advantage for the distributor and for the vendor himself as it releases the pressure from working with one and the same manufacture without experiencing any discomfort and dependence from a particular energy supplier.
All of the ADDAX solutions are reliable and guarantee a stable uninterrupted connection and as the goal of the project set by your company was to convince VSD that PRIME technology is reliable and most suitable for mass rollout in Slovak networks. VSD intends to test the reliability of individual technologies and their behavior in real conditions. The PRIME meter proposed by ADD Grup collect data every 15 min and perform an irreproachable index which left a good overall impression about the technology and the company’s potential.
At this stage of the project deployment our Slovakian companions from VSD express the desire to extend the pilot project to another 100pcs of PLC PRIME single-phase meters and 1 router due to good experience and performed results. We believe, that the tested technologies and potential shown throughout the whole process of deployment will be exploited in further bigger project throughout the country.
