IoT Connectivity

Governments and utilities worldwide are transitioning towards a low-carbon economy and changing the way power is both produced and consumed. The traditional power grid is seeing a revolutionary transformation that will unlock the integration of renewable energy sources, meet growing usage demands, increase power efficiency and quality, and enable new services to meet environmental targets.

Smart metering benefits utilities by improving customer satisfaction with faster interaction, while giving consumers more control of their energy usage to save money and reduce carbon emissions. With power visibility all the way to the meter, utilities can optimize energy distribution and even take action to shift demand loads. The Internet of Things (IoT) transforms traditional energy infrastructure into interconnected “smart grids.” Smart metering is an essential element—and usually the first milestone—in smart grid implementations.

The widespread introduction of renewables (solar and wind generation) has been a tremendous benefit in helping to reduce greenhouse gases and diversify the energy supply. However, integrating these new distributed energy resources (DERs) into the grid is not without challenges.
Ongoing retirement of copper lease lines is forcing operators of distributed electricity grids to find new ways to deploy Direct Transfer Trip (DTT), an essential technique for clearing faults. LTE cellular delivers the performance and security DTT needs, at a cost dramatically lower than that of fiber-optic cabling. LTE cellular is supported by management systems that create a solid foundation for complete grid modernization.

Utilities have embraced the IoT with applications like demand-side management, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Distribution Automation, and more. Most of these IoT applications connect traditional grid assets and are associated with the direct delivery of energy. Utilities also own and operate many other assets that do not directly deliver energy but are just as critical to the safe and reliable delivery of energy—such as power poles, weather stations, environmental sensors, underground facilities and more.