+update 02|2014: Landis+Gyr Customer Newsletter

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02 14

Unique, yet interoperable more on page 4

Market News

Customer Projects

Product Updates

Strategic acquisition

Landis+Gyr supports

E450 rigorous testing

strengthens smart grid

interoperability in Poland

secures end-to-end solution

portfolio Page 7

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integration Page 15


Editorial

It works! Welcome to our newsletter “update”! Open standards and cross-vendor interoperable devices are indispensable for the success of the large scale smart metering projects. That is why we are moving interoperability into focus for this issue of “update”. We are pleased to be able to make a contribution to such an important debate. Smart meters are the foundation of the smart grid, but to ensure that the ‘smart grid’ as concept functions in reality, interoperability of these intelligent devices is absolutely crucial. Landis+Gyr is proving this in practice, not only by co-founding IDIS (Interoperable Device Interface Specification) Association but in customer projects as well. Talking about the future is one thing, creating it is another. We at Landis+Gyr recognize our role in providing the technological basis for the development of the smart grid in order to tackle the industry´s challenges. With the acquisition of PowerSense, we have once again strengthened our portfolio to be able to deliver the crucial components for the smart grid from a single source and to continue the development of the next generation advanced smart grid applications in close collaboration with Toshiba. It works, it’s already here: this conclusion is based on the result of our test series at Tecnalia smart grid research lab, where our new Automated Network Management (ANM) solution of Toshiba’s Micro Energy Management System (µEMS) and Landis+Gyr’s Smart Grid Terminal S650 has been successfully tested. Our solutions work not only under laboratory conditions but have proven themselves in the field. This has been recently demonstrated by the fact that Landis+Gyr has been selected as one of five suppliers for the nationwide smart meter rollout in the Netherlands, as reported in this issue of “update”. Enjoy the read!

Andreas Brun Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing EMEA Landis+Gyr


Table of Contents Focus Article Unique, yet interoperable

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Market News Strategic acquisition strengthens smart grid portfolio

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Validation of μEMS and Smart Grid Terminal joint solution in Tecnalia Smart Grid Lab

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Landis+Gyr supplies first stage of smart meter rollout in The Netherlands

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Customer Projects Landis+Gyr supports interoperability in Poland

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Product Updates Landis+Gyr initiates collaboration-led service development

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E450 rigorous testing secures end-to-end solution integration

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A new dimension of ultrasonic meter from Landis+Gyr

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Modular ripple control transmitter launched

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E35C 2G/3G Module V4.0 launched

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New white paper on Interoperability / IDIS available now

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Focus

Unique, yet interoperable According to Berg Insight*, the rate of smart meter penetration in Europe reached 22% at the end of 2013 and is expected to increase to 60% by the end of 2019, resulting in 170.1 million installed units. Now that utilities are looking to replace their entire meter parks with intelligent devices, open international standards and interoperability are becoming more important. Acting in accordance with the EC Mandates M441 and M490, the official European Standardization Organizations CEN, CENELEC and ETSI have produced a series of open international standards that support the development of interoperable smart metering solutions. Industry associations like IDIS (Interoperable Device Interface Specifications) deliver detailed companion specifications based on these standards and the conformance testing environment for manufacturers willing to serve their utility customers with future-proof interoperable smart metering devices. As a founding member of IDIS, Landis+Gyr contributes to availability of open standards as a basis for a robust smart metering market, for example, by enhancing its end-to-end smart grid solution GridstreamÂŽ with leading edge interoperable smart metering components. One of the recent additions to the Gridstream portfolio

* “Smart Metering in Europe� Tenth Edition, 2013 Berg Insight 4


is the new series of IDIS-compliant smart meters E450 S3, which combines advanced capabilities and unique functionalities with interoperability and security that exceeds the industry´s standards.

IDIS was founded to ensure tested and validated interoperability through certification in compliance with companion specifications based on open standards. Building on the capabilities of previous generations, E450 S3 integrates powerful e-metering, multi-energy data collection and state-of-the-art power line communication (PLC). Designed for high volume deployment across Europe, the smart meter conforms to international interoperability standards and, like its predecessor, is designed to integrate seamlessly into an existing system environment. As the core component of Gridstream, the IDIS-compliant E450 S3 has security at the heart of its production, deployment and day-to-day operation, including a secure data flow on the latest PLC communication technology. The E450 S3 is flanked by the modular E350 S3 meter, which ensures 100% coverage while

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Focus / Market News

providing wireless communication such as GPRS or UMTS. As with all certified IDIS meters, both are among the first interoperable PLC products which support access protection, data integrity and the protection of personal data according to the key IEC 62056 standards. Together with Landis+Gyr’s Gridstream system, the E450 S3 and E350 metering devices enable utilities to efficiently establish and maintain secure, future-proof interoperable end-toend solutions based on open standards. Whilst ensuring freedom of choice and securing investments in large-scale projects, open standards also pose major challenges to manufacturers, solution providers and utilities. IDIS was founded to tackle these challenges by ensuring tested and validated interoperability through certification, while maintaining the definition of the standards and the companion specifications, thus providing sustained investment protections for the utilities. n

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Strategic acquisition strengthens smart grid portfolio With the acquisition of PowerSense, a manufacturer of high-quality supervision and control systems for the power distribution industry, Landis+Gyr has strengthened its smart grid offering. Customers stand to benefit from a costeffective, scalable and modular technology which has already proven itself in a large rollout and perfectly complements Landis+Gyr’s core portfolio. Founded as a spin-off of Danish utility DONG Energy in 2006, PowerSense has become a widely recognized provider of patented optical sensor technologies, as well as smart grid monitoring and controller products. Its product line has been designed for digitizing existing power distribution infrastructure to create an end-to-end smart grid solution. This solution is realized through retrofitting sensors onto the existing medium and low voltage power cables, transformers and switch gear, and through the integration of already installed electronic devices (e.g. S650, sub-meters, fault locaters, power quality analyzers, etc.) located at the substation level. In combination with Landis+Gyr’s and Toshiba’s existing grid management offerings the synergies become even more powerful, enabling grid operators to meet the challenges of distributed power generation, unpredictable loads and changing power consumption patterns. Since 2006, PowerSense has sold and delivered products and services to 35 utilities throughout the world. Landis+Gyr plans to integrate PowerSense into its European operations thus providing significant added value to its customers. Andreas Umbach, CEO at Landis+Gyr says, “This acquisition sees the start of a powerful and attractive next generation of products, giving our customers a unique advantage to manage energy better in the fast developing world of smart grid applications. n

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Market News

Validation of μEMS and Smart Grid Terminal joint solution in Tecnalia Smart Grid Lab Landis+Gyr engaged with Spain-based independent smart grid research and validation center Tecnalia to test the company’s new smart grid solution under real-life conditions in a smart grid demo environment. The study’s main objective was to demonstrate how existing innovative Automated Network Management (ANM) solutions, such as µEMS/Smart Grid Terminal S650, enable utilities to improve voltage quality, manage decentralized generation and balance energy demand and supply within the network under the most strained conditions.

Tests have proven that with such solution successful operation of the microgrid as a part of the larger smart grid infrastructure is a reality. Based on the learnings from other smart grid projects and taking advantage of the lab’s network control capabilities, Tecnalia was able to simulate different scenarios, including impact of controlling elements such as the voltage regulator (line and/or distribution transformer), load and generator combinations, as well as a storage system demonstrating the usability of network assets and performance when used with TOSHIBA µEMS control solution and Smart Grid Terminal S650 from Landis+Gyr. Results show that it is possible to control and keep the voltage within foreseen limits, hence preventing flicker resulting from undervoltage and losses resulting from overvoltage situations. With the potential to manage State-of-Charge of grid-connected 8


energy storage, as well as curtailment of loads and/or renewables, the solution is able to perform predictive capacity management, matching a particular region’s demand and supply. Tests have proven that with such solution successful operation of the microgrid as a part of the larger smart grid infrastructure is a reality. The solution is able to predict mismatch between electricity demand and supply in the selected region, automatically applying corrective measures to the grid, hence maximizing its operational efficiency and reliability. Tecnalia is the first applied research center in Spain and one of the most prominent labs in Europe with around 1,500 staff, a ₏110 million turnover and has over 4,000 clients participating in various European smart grid projects. n

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Market News

Landis+Gyr supplies first stage of smart meter rollout in The Netherlands

For the first phase of the nationwide rollout of smart meters in The Netherlands, Landis+Gyr has supplied smart electricity and gas meters to all Dutch DSOs. Dutch grid operators are obliged to offer all residential customers a smart meter for both gas and electricity, while customers have the right to opt out. To gain experience of implementing smart meters, and to carefully monitor the process in its early stages, the initial – small-scale – rollout is limited to meter replacements and installations in newly built and renovated houses. The DSOs joined forces in a ‘Smart Buying’ project for this first stage. As a successful bidder in the respective categories for electricity and gas smart meters, Landis+Gyr was able to prove it has the required expertise to develop meters in compliance with the Dutch DSMR 4.0 standard, to demonstrate production capability and also quality control and management. 10


Though the small-scale rollout will continue throughout 2014, the conclusion of a mid-term Parliamentary evaluation, conducted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, was successful. The evaluation encompassed all aspects of the rollout, including installation efficiency, costs, customer acceptance and the impact of smart meters on end users’ energy efficiency. An opportunity that emerged out of the positive evaluation, reported by the Ministry, relates to potential development of in-home energy visualization devices and commercial services that use smart meter data to stimulate end consumers to increase energy savings. Coco Geluk, Managing Director, Landis+Gyr Netherlands, explains: ‘From the outset we worked closely with Dutch grid operators. The company invested in its resources in the Netherlands, with a 10-strong local team that has established good lines of communication with clients and is able to respond to them quickly. Despite the complexity of the project, we have been able to design the electricity and gas meters according to the required DSMR 4.0 standard, demonstrating to DSOs we are able to support them in their smart meter rollout.’ As a result, the company has a good share of the first stage and the initial full-scale rollout.

The large-scale rollout will begin in January 2015, where around 1.6 million* smart gas and electricity meters, are expected to be installed during the first year. The large-scale rollout will begin in January 2015, where around 1.6 million* smart gas and electricity meters, are expected to be installed during the first year. For the remainder of the rollout, from 2016 to 2020, the DSOs are in the process of issuing new tenders. This last stage of the rollout will see a total of around 12 million smart gas and electricity meters connected to homes and small businesses throughout the Netherlands by 2020*. n *Source: “Besluit grootschalige uitrol slimme meter” Voorstel van wet 10-03-2014 Ministerie van Economische Zaken The Netherlands 11


Customer Projects

Landis+Gyr supports interoperability in Poland Landis+Gyr helped TAURON Dystrybucja to conduct a successful pilot project in Poland to deliver a full end-toend smart metering solution, integrating meters from three different vendors. Smart meter interoperability is crucial for utilities to ensure that their investment in modern energy management solutions is futureproof. Landis+Gyr has recently completed a pilot project for Polish utility Tauron where IDIS-certified meters from three different manufacturers are being used in the same meter park, all managed in the Gridstream AIM smart metering system. Landis+Gyr Poland CEO, Andrzej Szymanski, says, “We have been working with technology familiar to us from previous projects and at the same time integrating devices from other vendors – without experiencing a drop in system functionality.” While the majority of the nearly 12,000 devices in the field are Landis+Gyr meters, Tauron also had to integrate 1500 meters from other IDIScertified manufacturers. The delivery includes Landis+Gyr data concentrators. For Tauron Dystrybucja the smart metering system needed to be a full end-to-end solution interoperable with third-party vendor devices. Two-way communication throughout the metering chain was imperative, as well as remote firmware upgrades. “The massive data flow increase is like a stress test for our customer’s IT infrastructure and challenges us to help them in the best possible

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way,” says Szymanski. In total, the Tauron Dystrybucja Group has a domestic customer base of 5.2 million – 33% of total population – and delivers 23% of electricity in Poland. Simultaneously, 600 Tauron customers participated in an energy efficiency pilot enabled by Landis+Gyr’s solution. Tauron can now optimize its customer service further. End-customers participating in the pilot can track their personal consumption data via a web-portal and initial results suggest customers appreciate increased control over their energy use and have started reducing it. However, to maintain energy saving efforts over the longer term, additional demand response programs are needed. Closer to the smart grid Tauron Dystrybucja is preparing for a full rollout of smart metering to its entire 5.3 million customer base by 2020, in accordance with regulation set out in Poland and the EU. The DSO will now be able to identify and establish best practices across the business and understand how the company, and its customer base, can maximize the benefits that smart metering technology offers. “We are very happy with Landis+Gyr’s comprehensive Gridstream solution. Due to their broad experience in smart metering, we know that they can provide us with functionality that delivers a lot more than just billing values – their advanced network monitoring tools are bringing us one step closer to a smart grid”, said Tauron Dystrybucja CEO Piotr Kołodziej. Rapid smart metering development in Poland follows a declaration signing in June 2009, calling for the introduction of smart metering to increase energy efficiency for individual, institutional and industrial customers. The declaration is supported by the Polish National Energy Conservation Agency and the three largest consumer organizations. n

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Product Updates

Landis+Gyr initiates collaboration-led service development With key customers Landis+Gyr is establishing a collaborationled approach to developing new smart metering services. Prior to developing a new service content, Landis+Gyr aims to get an in-depth understanding of customers’ needs, concerns and current practices. To be able to define the exact scope of the service to meet customer requirements, Landis+Gyr recently hosted a workshop with nine representatives from four electricity utilities in Finland. The aim of the workshop was to facilitate candid discussions, from the perspective of each customer, with the purpose of defining a “clean up” service as a solution. In a utility language, “clean up” service means resolving issues with non-communicating devices. These can range from a new building blocking communication, to interference caused by electronic gadgets installed by the end consumer. As a result of the workshop, Landis+Gyr has defined a “clean-up” service for utilities, with three key features, including daily monitoring of the utility’s meter park, identifying specific areas in the park with the persistent communication problem and applying analysis to possible causes. In the third step, Landis+Gyr provides the customer with a system report containing the list of identified problems and recommendations for possible actions to be taken by the utility. ‘This workshop produced really good results, and allowed us to engage in an open dialogue with our customers,’ says Esa Eerola, Senior Product Manager Smart Energy Solutions EMEA. “We have already identified possible future topics around which to develop services with customers’ input. These would include secure smart meter data transmission and new device installations within an existing smart meter park,” he concludes. n 14


E450 rigorous testing secures end-to-end solution integration E450 Series 3, Landis+Gyr’s latest IDIS-compliant residential electricity meter, is being tested to meet industry and international standards. The product launch is planned for the second half of 2014. The meter is undergoing system integration testing with Gridstream®, Landis+Gyr’s end-to-end smart grid solution. The new device employs the company’s automated test environment, which provides more thorough and consistent testing in reduced timescales. The E450 Series 3 is fully compatible with the existing E450 Series 1 and 2 meters in Landis+Gyr’s portfolio and is supported by the same DC450. Existing customers can enhance their meter park with minimum change in system support for more advanced devices. New customers will be able to order Series 3 with the latest support system, as it will replace Series 1 and 2 respectively. Meter samples are available to order for customers wishing to explore the product’s functionality and gain necessary local approvals. n

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Product Updates

A new dimension of ultrasonic meter from Landis+Gyr Landis+Gyr presents a new generation of large ultrasonic meters, ULTRAHEAT qp 150, extending the existing portfolio by nominal size DN 150 with nominal flow of 150 m3/h, available to order in June/July 2014. The product incorporates a revolutionary concept as the flanged body can remain permanently in the system, without any influence on measuring accuracy and stability. For testing, exchange and recalibration only the calibrated measurement insert requires changing. The robust flow part and the measurement insert are made from high-quality stainless steel. The ability of the flanged body to remain permanently in the system, as well as the simple exchange of the measurement insert saves time and money over the long term. The new concept is unique as the complete measurement technique can be changed, refined and calibrated without entailing metrological restrictions or risks. n

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Modular ripple control transmitter launched Landis+Gyr has launched a brand-new ripple control transmitter R800 that can be individually adapted to local conditions. The R800 supports all prevalent coupling technologies and can accommodate up to four couplings per transmitter. The R800 adds a number of useful functions to the scope of existing FQD and SFU-K transmitters, including voltage and current control settings, an integrated emergency controller , as well as table overviews and graphic representations of a wide range of operating values for state-of-the-art monitoring. Thanks to an integrated web server, the transmitter can be configured and maintained both locally via the 12� LCD touchscreen and remotely from a PC, laptop or tablet computer linked to a company network. Access is granted by means of a browser without the need to install any additional software. Together with the FPS Ripple Control Command System, the R800 delivers a system solution to meet the highest standards of the ripple control market. n

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Product Updates

E35C 2G/3G Module V4.0 launched The new communication module enables GSM and UMTS communications between the E350 meter and the customer central system. E35C 2G/3G module has been designed to combine the cellular P2P E350 and E450 meter platforms and to strengthen Landis+Gyr’s offering by focusing on E350 as a single cellular P2P platform in the future. The first phase of the product launch involved development of the functionality set to cover key use cases for Landis+Gyr’s project with Elektrilevi, Estonia. The next release of the module will see its functionality enhanced with the multi-energy meter support and Landis+Gyr’s standardized consumer information interface CII. Certified in accordance with the IDIS pack II, E35C 2G/3G will leverage every deployed E350 meter to the level of standardized IDIS use cases and functionality, hence securing customer’s long-term investments. n

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New white paper on Interoperability / IDIS available now In accordance with EU directives, energy utilities have to ensure that by 2020, 80% of consumers are equipped with intelligent metering systems. To support this transformation, the European Commission issued two Mandates M441 and M490 authorizing the three officially recognized European Standardization Organizations CEN, CENELEC and ETSI to develop open standards that would form the basis for the interoperable smart metering solutions. Interoperability, however, requires the development of companion specifications and conformance testing.

Organizations, such as the IDIS association provide detailed companion specifications and the corresponding conformance testing environment which enable the manufacturers to develop interoperable smart metering and smart grid equipment in compliance with the international open standards. Through initiatives like IDIS, utilities can profit from interoperable products and thus rest assured that their investment in smart metering technology is future-proof and open for inevitable technological progress. n

Find out more about IDIS approach to interoperability Find out more about IDIS approach to interoperability from from Landis+Gyr’s new white paper on www.landisgyr.eu Landis+Gyr’s new white paper on www. landisgyr.eu

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Photography: © istock.com; sitox (titel & page 4+5) © istock.com; kruwt (page 10) © istock.com; jacek_kadaj (page 12+13) Additional photos by Landis+Gyr/Seidl PR & Marketing GmbH

Landis+Gyr AG Theilerstrasse 1 6301 Zug Switzerland www.landisgyr.eu © Landis+Gyr 2014


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