IT and Data Management

Data management : Smart applications for your incoming AMI data

AMI solutions like EnergyAxis can deliver a huge volume of data to a utility. That data can have tremendous value if it is stored, formatted and analyzed to create actionable intelligence and to make it easily accessible throughout the organization. This session explores how three premiere MDM providers use can manipulate actual AMI data to give utilities the timely and relevant information contained in the promise of the “smart grid.” Specific applications for each MDM will be announced.

Marc Lipski, Elster Solutions

Life on the other side of the meter : How commercial and industrial customers leverage meter data in their day-to-day operations

This presentation looks at how C&I electric utility customers make use of AMI type interval data in their day-to-day operations in a quest to reduce/optimize energy bills. Based on experience, EnergyICT will highlight the types of instrumentation, communication, data processing, and services major energy users are implementing on their own or in parallel with utility sponsored AMI initiatives. The presentation will also cover load forecasting for energy procurement, what large customers require to participate in demand response programs, measurement and verification of energy saving capital expenditures, as well continuous commissioning and other topics.

Claude Godin, President of North American Operations, EnergyICT

Streamlining loss detection and service orders

Traditional utility methods for discovering issues with meter installations required a meter reader to “discover” the problem. Meter issues can fall into two categories: intentional (theft/tamper) or installation (improper installation, meter failure and leakage). Standard and custom MDMS tests can be used to analyze the AMI data for groups of meters to create actionable lists of meters to be investigated. MDMS reports can be run and distributed to utility personnel for investigation. To further streamline the process, the MDMS can create service orders on the MDMS service bus to be processed by utility service order systems.

Steve Pascoe, Senior Product Manager, Aclara Software

Outage events made simple : Improving efficiency by streamlining the process

Utilities are finding it challenging to handle the volume of data delivered by their AMI systems. In order to realize the true value of their AMI investments they need to manage the data and tie it seamlessly into their processes without investing a lot of manual effort. This presentation will describe how the MeterSense meter data management system is used to filter outage notifications and then interrogate other systems for additional intelligence before taking action automatically and sending out the appropriate notifications. This is an example of technology being used not just to turn data into actionable intelligence but to go one step further and automate the action being taken, thereby helping utilities realize the true value delivered by AMI.

Tim Berson, MeterSense Solution Manager, Harris Computer Systems

IT roadmap for the Smart Grid

Emergence of advanced grid technologies will present significant opportunities for the utility industry and consumers. The Smart Grid will be a large, complex system that evolves with new technologies and emerging products over the next 20 years. Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) is an important early step in our journey. This presentation will explore important aspects of the IT roadmap for the smart grid at Toronto Hydro Electric System, Ontario.

Andre Mikelakis, Manager IT Strategy and Governance, Toronto Hydro

Will AMI data lead to changes in business processes?

The deluge of data from EnergyAxis smart metering systems has required some utilities to evaluate, re-work and sometimes replace existing business processes. This case study from the Peterborough Utilities Group, Ontario, Canada offers lessons learned and best practices for designing, documenting and implementing new processes to leverage AMI data most effectively.

David Whitehouse, Manager Customer Service, Peterborough Utilities

All About EnergyAxis

EnergyAxis : A unifying multi-technology solution

The home, the neighborhood, the service territory and the utility business office each require a network tailored to their needs and challenges. Not only must data be able to seamless traverse these networks, but the underlying and unifying system platform must be able to evolve and adopt advantageous technologies in the future. In this session you’ll learn how EnergyAxis unifies technologies to serve the needs of metering, demand response, grid modernization, and customer service and how EnergyAxis will adapt to keep your Smart Grid solution current.
This session includes a high level overview of the new products, features and enhancements incorporated into EnergyAxis 7.0.

Vic Sittion, VP Market Management, Elster Solutions
Mike Longrie, Director Product Management, Elster Solutions

EnergyAxis System 7.0 architecture enhancements and scalability strategies

A deeper look into system architecture and performance improvements delivered in EA 7.0, including scalability and remote “over-the-air” upgrades. In this session, you will learn how EnergyAxis will handle increasing volumes of data and what your utility needs to do to get ready for multi-millions of meters and other end-points. This session includes a discussion of EnergyAxis’ crucial ability to perform OTA firmware upgrades quickly, accurately and effectively.

Ken Jones, Product Manager, Elster Solutions

EnergyAxis security

In 2009, the cybersecurity of the Smart Grid made headlines in the mainstream press. Securing a network that reaches every home and business to supply the key commodity of energy is a daunting task. This session covers security enhancements and describes how the architecture of EnergyAxis delivers secure service while remaining open, interoperable, and upgradeable.

Ken Jones, Product Manager, Elster Solutions

Meeting the rural / low density challenge

Rare is the totally urban utility. Most utilities – both large and small – have remote, rural or low density areas that are served and need to be covered by the AMI system. In this session, Elster shows how EnergyAxis is solving the rural / low density challenge. Turlock Irrigation District concludes this session with a case study of their experience with EnergyAxis repeaters and pole-mounted gatekeepers (collectors) in the agricultural central valley of California.

Keith Skelly, Turlock Irrigation District, California
Carl LaPlace, Senior Product Manager EnergyAxis Infrastructure, Elster Solutions

WAN options and EA_Gatekeeper product overview

The EA_Gatekeeper gives you a wide range of options for WAN technology, power supply and installation. This session compares and contrasts the options to help you select the best option or option set for your utility. In late 2009, Salt River Project deployed EnergyAxis Gatekeepers in A3 ALPHA meters with SmartSynch wireless under the cover. SRP will describe their objectives and experiences with this WAN technology. See training on Thursday for a hands-on workshop on this topic.

Ritesh Patel, Salt River Project, Arizona
Bryan Shang, Product Manager EnergyAxis WAN Solutions, Elster Solutions
Carl LaPlace, Senior Product Manager EnergyAxis Infrastructure, Elster Solutions

Network management tools / network troubleshooting

Elster has a number of tools and best practices to troubleshoot networks when a network element isn’t communicating. This session will educate EnergyAxis users on how to use the EA_MS and the EA_Inspector field tool to best advantage, and will include a few clever applications developed by some utility field teams.

Steve Makgill, Product Manager Multi-Utility Solutions, Elster Solutions
Susane Nemecz, AMI System Support Manager, Elster Solutions

Smart Grid Infrastructure and Modernization

Grid Modernization / distribution automation

Leverage your EnergyAxis communications infrastructure to make your grid more efficient and reliable with very little incremental investment. We’ll take a quick look at how EnergyAxis supports utility grid modernization priorities such as voltage conservation; on-line power flow; integrated volt/VAR control; load management; remote load control; loss detection; outage detection; and fault location, reconfiguration, and restoration. Toronto Hydro will share their plans, objectives and experiences as they deploy and begin to use a large number of EnergyAxis Low Voltage AGInodes throughout their electric grid.

Joshua Wong, Smart Grid Engineering Lead, System Reliability Planning, Toronto Hydro Electric System Ltd
Carl LaPlace, Senior Product Manager EnergyAxis Infrastructure, Elster Solutions

Dominion's AMI deployment : An update on voltage conservation

Last year, you heard the theory and the plan. This year get the results! This follow-up session by Dominion reports the results of the Voltage Conservation project in Virginia and the success of their collaboration with Elster.

Richard H. Walden, Director Business Planning & Strategic Solutions, Dominion Virginia Power

Electric, water, and gas metering with EnergyAxis

Product experts from Elster will present updates and future product directions for our Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) multi-utility solution set. Products will include water and gas modules as well as repeaters and pole-mounted gatekeepers (collectors) for water or gas only areas.

Steve Makgill, Product Manager Multi-Utility Solutions, Elster Solutions

Smart Grid 101

Everyone expects you to know about the Smart Grid because of where you work. But do you really know what makes up the Smart Grid and how it is already impacting your utility, your customers, and your job? Attend this session to get smarter about the Smart Grid and build your understanding of how it can contribute to economic growth, environmental quality and national security.

Kevin Cornish, Executive Consultant, Enspiria Solutions

New regulations and policies for AMI and Smart Grid

Fuel costs, peak energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions, cybersecurity—many different issues are driving adoption of advanced metering and smart grid solutions. These issues and solutions have associated regulations and standards designed to ensure interoperability and cost effectiveness. This session maps issues, regulations and standards into a coherent picture of the marketplace.

Ed Gray, Vice President Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, Elster Solutions

Standards for the Smart Grid as they pertain to AMI and EnergyAxis

Questions that will be answered in this session include the following:

• How does the standard-making process work and how should my utility be involved?
• How does the national smart grid roadmap affect the future of interfaces and systems?
• What are the effects of building a set of interfaces and process methodology that don’t match the future of industry collaboratives?
• How is Elster incorporating standards into EnergyAxis?

Ed Beroset, Director of Technology and Standards, Elster Solutions
Ron D. Pate, Senior Product Manager EnergyAxis, Elster Solutions

Leveraging public & private wireless networks for Smart Grid deployments

Going deeper into the unifying multi-technology that is the basis for EnergyAxis, this session covers the benefits to leveraging existing communication infrastructures while dispelling myths regarding public and private networks. Highlights will include discussions by Elster and representatives from wireless networks on the topics of data security, network reliability and interoperability. Attendees will learn the long-term benefits to be gained through the utilization of a public or private network.

Bryan Shang, Product Manager EnergyAxis WAN Solutions, Elster Solutions
Al King, Director, Applications Engineering, Wireless Networks Group, CalAmp
Mike Brander, Vice President Sales, Utility and Industrial, Verizon Wireless

Customer Service, Conservation and Other Benefits

Customer service and AMI panel discussion

Beginning with statistics to demonstrate how EnergyAxis AMI solution has helped their utilities improve customer service, enhance workplace safety and save money, this panel of experienced utility representatives will describe best practices, safety procedures, and policies for move-in/move-outs, delinquencies, service restoration/outage management, and the like.

Panel discussion facilitator: Tammy McCleod, Chief Customer Officer, Arizona Public Service
Amber Morrow, Salt River Project, Arizona
David Whitehouse, Petersborough, Ontario
Irvin Lane II, Orlando Utilities Commission

Energy efficiency and demand response

Utilities are looking beyond the meter toward Home Area Networks to engage their customers. This presentation will discuss how the smart metering network enables demand response and energy efficiency solutions that are designed to save generation cost and improve customer service. In-home displays, thermostats, and load control devices can support innovative pricing programs, reduce loads at peak times and give the customer the information needed to become more energy efficient.

Carol Fisher, Senior Product Manager Demand Response Solutions, Elster Solutions

Prepayment and customer service in the Caribbean

Engineers at Dominica Electricity Services Limited (DOMLEC) are looking forward to the day when they can use data from AMI for better system modeling. Service personnel will use these data to map outages and verify restorations. They also believe that AMI will add value to DOMLEC’s most popular product offering, prepaid metering, which is called “Pay-As-You-Go.” Some 20% of DOMLEC’s customers have prepaid metering and the service represents about 10% of its revenue. There is a common theme behind the many benefits that are anticipated to come from AMI: Almost all of them translate into better service and higher value for the utility’s customers.

Nathaniel George, Commercial Manager, DOMLEC
Felix Julien, Commercial Engineer, DOMLEC

Detecting and deterring tamper, theft, and loss

Deliberate theft or technical failure? What is the best way to isolate and identify the cause of system losses? This session looks a numerous ways to leverage EnergyAxis to protect revenue and minimize many kinds of losses. We will examine solutions for gas and water as well as electricity.

Carl LaPlace, Senior Product Manager EnergyAxis Infrastructure, Elster Solutions
Steve Makgill, Product Manager Multi-Utility Solutions, Elster Solutions

Where standards & customer service intersect : What you need to know and do!

In this presentation, industry thought leader Consumers Energy presents their view on the importance and value of industry standards throughout the smart grid. With a broad look at standards used in AMI solutions and more detailed examination of standards in HAN technology, you will discover the importance of becoming more engaged in standards and understand the value your participation extends to your customers.

Matt Gillmore, Enterprise Architecture & Standards, Consumers Energy

For utilities only

Utility forum

Elster will be present at utilities-only forum to receive comments from utilities.

Victor Sitton, VP Market Management, Elster Solutions