Ambient
Smart Grid™
Functionality & Benefits
Ambient Smart Grid™ Communications
Platform Functionality and Benefits
Complete turnkey delivery. Ambient designs and builds the core network hardware and management software incorporating the leading smart grid and BPL technologies. Our familiarity with multiple communications architectures, hardware, and software requirements, coupled with pilot and then staged deployments supervised by experienced field engineers, provide us with the tools necessary for a successful rollout.
Flexible and expandable network architecture. An Ambient Smart Grid™ communications network permits incremental expansions corresponding to actual demand. When the network is first deployed, separate network elements can be “bridged” at specific points. As the network load increases, switches and/or routers can maximize the bandwidth available to each user. As requirement for bandwidth increases, additional backhaul connectivity points may be added. By allowing utilities to build networks that provide just the capacity that is needed, as it is needed, we help our customers minimize initial installation costs, shorten the time between investment and realization of revenues, and reduce operations and maintenance expenses.
Outage detection and restoration confirmation. Rather than dedicated outage detection systems that employ either customer premise or service side equipment, the node is powered from the low voltage line itself and can be equipped with an optional battery which can help a utility pinpoint line outages and allow for continued node operation in the event of such a power outage. Access to the nodes in an outage scenario allows timely recognition of outage locations and provides invaluable input to the restoration process.
Support External Applications. A high-speed Ambient Smart Grid™ enhances traditional low bandwidth, one-way applications such as meter reading. In addition to the elimination of the labor required to visit every customer location each month, or the inaccuracies introduced by customer self-reporting, the constant real-time load data can enhance a utility's ability to balance its supply portfolio, improve its load profiling, and increase its knowledge of customer usage patterns. Meters that remotely turn service on or off can be deployed, eliminating the labor involved in this non-repair, non-revenue task. Additionally, real-time communications enabled by Ambient’s high-speed backhaul network allow utilities the flexibility to introduce time of use pricing models.
Utility operators are not limited to Advanced Meter Reading (AMR) and other applications at the end of the distribution grid. The Ambient Smart Grid™ platform transforms the distribution grid itself into a series of data points. Grid operators can monitor and communicate with nodes or IP-based equipment integrated at any point along the Ambient Smart Grid™ distribution network, which can range from Distributed Generation resources, Power Quality control devices, and a range of Demand Side Management and Demand Response applications. When couplers are integrated into the Ambient Smart Grid™ communications network, real-time information on the current of the distribution grid can be obtained in real-time enabling better energy management, predictive maintenance and less system down-time which can combine to reduce the need for additional generation facilities.