2022 was a record year for renewable capacity at 340GW and electricity generated by photovoltaics alone is expected to grow 15% per year until 2030 according to the International Energy Agency. However, integrating PV plants comes with challenges for both grid operators and plant operators. Grid edge intelligence and remote DER control can help protect, automate and balance our increasingly dynamic networks.
Traditional electricity network management has been based on one single direction of the energy coming from large production units to the end-users. With the energy sector shifting from fossil-based to zero-carbon energy sources connected to medium- and low-voltage, grid operators come across completely new challenges. Moreover, with the electrification of transportation and heating sectors as well as the latest socioeconomic developments, energy demand and energy prices increase dramatically. In this new energy era commercial and industrial meters are called to serve a wider range of applications than energy billing.
Every year, millions of households wait for the manual readings of their water meters, having to stay home or organize friends or neighbors to be present so that the reading can take place. Additionally, for water utilities the annual reading is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and causes high expenses. In the 21st century, with everything going digital or even virtual - from planning and simulation to diagnostics, from offerings-as-a-service to digital twins, and from small IIoT components to AGVs, robotics, and e-mobility, the measurement of water is still largely done in an analogue manner. Why not use the benefits of digitalization to make readings easier, more comfortable, more reliable, and more efficient for all parties involved?
Colorless, odorless, indispensable for life. Arguably the most important, resource on the planet, water is under constant threat from climate change and leaky infrastructure. Ironically, while sea levels are rising on one hand, water shortages are becoming increasingly common on the other.
When France’s biggest electricity distributor, Enedis, launched the “Linky Project” in 2017 to replace 35 million residential meters with smart meters, they were going beyond EU requirements to set the foundation for the country's future smart grid.
With soaring energy prices and a looming energy crisis, we all face a tough winter ahead. Utilities too are facing multiple challenges from financial constraints, revenue protection and regulatory pressures as they serve an increasingly volatile market. More and more utilities are moving to service-based delivery models to make business processes more flexible, reduce technology risks, and minimize costs.
