Leveraging the best technology

Bill Yeates of Sensus tells Power & Energy why AMI systems are essential to the development of the smart grid.

P&E. Sensus is often called the technology innovator for smart grid and AMI initiatives. Why is that?
Bill Yeates. Sensus has a foundation of experience and success from which to lead utilities into the smart grid and AMI era. We have led the North American metering industry for decades with a demonstrated performance and a proven track record in reliable products and advancements that keeps pace with emerging technologies. We also have the most installed smart grid applications in the world, with four million endpoints and 188 deployments for electric, gas and water, and more than 200 customers just in North America. 

What are the key tools a successful utility needs in a smart grid era?
A successful utility will have an AMI system as its smart grid foundation. The Sensus AMI system, FlexNet, moves operations beyond meter reading and into demand response, home area networking, and distribution automation, which allows all devices on the network to communicate. A successful utility will turn to FlexNet to leverage the best available technology in systems operations and integration, program, customer relationship and installation services management, and deployment strategies. Doing so will create a more reliable grid and optimize energy efficiency, operations and maintenance.

North America is leveraging Flexnet for the smart grid, but what is the environment in Europe?
The smart grid is not yet a major factor in Europe, but with a focus on conservation, the smart grid gets more attention every day. Fundamental value propositions vary from country to county, with focus ranging from in-home display of energy usage to carbon footprint reduction, to managing solar energy. European utilities will need the features and bandwidth that comes with FlexNet in order to achieve an end-to-end smart grid system.

How is Sensus preparing for a European customer?
We view our role in Europe as identical to our role in North America - to deliver on our technology innovator reputation. We are ready to match FlexNet's reliability, flexibility and minimal infrastructure with Europe's greater focus on resource conservation for utilities as their core business driver. Our European partnering entities already own spectrum and towers and have experience in wireless network deployment and management. We are modifying our wireless radio technology to meet European standards, and we are creating standard developer kits so that manufacturers with a wide range of equipment needs can interface with the network. This approach will create competition while driving innovation.

How will Sensus be positioned once the smart grid is a common fixture in the global utility industry?
The future is today, as far as Sensus is concerned. We can provide solutions, directly or through our ecosystem of industry partners, for any utility around the world. One immediate solution is FlexNet's open standard. We're compatible with any gas meter, and with any modern water meter. Our goal is to give our customers the technology that allows them to help their consumers have consistent easy access to information regarding energy usage.

FlexNet will also open doors around the globe for consumer education. If we show people how to lower their energy consumption, whether their motivation is to protect the environment or save money, then they will do it voluntarily. Time-of-use pricing will eventually be mandated by governments, and tools like the Sensus FlexServer will help with that education.

It will be clear that Sensus supplies solutions to unique market needs around the world in an efficient manner. We don't take our reputation as being the global technology innovator lightly. We work every day to offer progressive solutions and reliable products that allow utilities to operate successfully on the smart grid.

Bill Yeates is Executive Vice President of Conservation Solutions. He joined Sensus in July 2008 to manage advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and advanced meter reading (AMR) technology solutions for electricity, water and gas, and electricity meter word wide. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Louisiana Technical University.