The integration, believed to be a first for quantum-based cyber protection in smart meters, sees quantum computing-hardened encryption keys integrated into all Honeywell’s smart meters for gas, water and electricity.

This enhanced security is aimed to set a new benchmark for protection against data breaches and to help ensure the uninterrupted operation of the utilities infrastructure.

“By integrating Quantinuum’s encryption technology into our smart meters, we’re advancing data security for our customers and shaping the dialogue on how the utility industries should approach cybersecurity in the quantum era,” says Hamed Heyhat, President of Smart Energy and Thermal Solutions at Honeywell.

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“This integration underscores the necessity for continuous innovation to stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape. It is a level of protection that is imperative in our increasingly digital and interconnected world.”

Quantinuum’s Quantum Origin generates keys through quantum computing-enhanced randomness – a feature of the quantum world – which makes them unpredictable and thereby able to significantly enhance the data security.

Specifically a quantum cryptographic seed is generated on a quantum computer, which is then verified for strength and the keys are generated.

Tony Uttley, President and COO of Quantinuum, comments that robust cybersecurity requires a multifaceted approach, taking advantage of the latest technologies.

“Our work with Honeywell demonstrates the importance of using the power of today’s quantum computers to create a more resilient cyber infrastructure to better protect customers.”

Quantum Origin is designed for both devices and infrastructure, with keys generated directly into devices or on demand via the cloud.

The smart meter products with Quantum Origin from Honeywell are available now to customers in North America and Europe.

The partnership comes courtesy of Virtual Peaker, a cloud-based SaaS company and distributed energy platform, along with Hoosier Energy, a Bloomington, Indiana-based generation and transmission electric cooperative that provides wholesale power and related services to distribution cooperatives across central and southern Indiana and southeastern Illinois.

The programme, Connect to Save, was made possible due to the collaboration between Hoosier Energy and three of its member co-ops, including Jackson County REMC (Brownstown, IN), South Central Indiana REMC (Martinsville, IN) and Southeastern Indiana REMC (Osgood, IN).

Connect To Save uses Virtual Peaker’s Shift, a Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) suite, to manage residential electric demand through machine learning and real-time control of internet-enabled appliances.

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A voluntary management programme, Connect to Save aims to reduce electricity demand while minimising impact on homeowners.

Designed to shift power consumption to off-peak times of the day, the programme is hoped to help Hoosier Energy reduce demand while transitioning to cleaner and renewable energy sources.

Devices used in the programme include smart thermostats from Google Nest, ecobee and Honeywell Home, alongside EV chargers provided by Enel X and ChargePoint.

Shifting energy use

Shift connects in-home smart devices to run real-time residential demand response programmes that leverage distributed energy resources (DERs) to reduce cost and avoid peak times when energy is more expensive.

The first phase of the programme launched in June and allows Hoosier Energy to use the data collected by Virtual Peaker to measure its effectiveness. The company plans to recruit more of its member distribution cooperatives to participate.

“We look forward to working with Virtual Peaker to provide software and expertise to help our member co-ops reduce demand on the electric grid,” said Ryan Henderson, senior manager of Emerging Energy Resources at Hoosier Energy. “We take seriously our role as trusted energy providers, and this is another area where Hoosier Energy and its members will benefit from strategic collaboration.”

“The energy industry is constantly evolving, so Virtual Peaker is pleased to partner with Hoosier Energy to reduce demand on the electric grid while helping maintain member comfort at home,” added Colin Lamb, vice president, Client Success at Virtual Peaker.

The 20MW ESS will form a battery-powered platform that integrates asset monitoring, DER management, supervisory control and analytics functionality.

The ESS system will combine with the Experion energy control system to enable Hecate Energy to accurately forecast its energy costs.

The aim is to allow Hecate, developer, owner and operator of renewable power projects and storage solutions, to optimise its energy costs and support users with access to reliable and cost-effective clean energy.

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According to Honeywell, which manufactures technologies to address energy challenges, asset owners will be able to utilise the ESS for more than one use case, including peak shaving, backup power generation and demand response programmes.

“Honeywell is in a unique position to address today’s challenges in energy management and our work with Hecate represents another key step in global decarbonisation efforts,” said Ujjwal Kumar, president and CEO, Honeywell Process Solutions.

“We chose Honeywell for this landmark project because of their depth of knowledge and decades of expertise,” added Alex Pugh, Hecate’s project manager. “We believe in collaborative relationships with the clients and communities we serve, and Honeywell will work closely with us to deliver carbon-free energy to the people of New Mexico.”

Expected to be complete in fall of 2022, the 50MW solar farm will be capable of supplying enough electricity to power up to 16,000 average New Mexican homes for a year.

The project is further hoped to help meet the state’s decarbonisation goals.

The services are intended to focus on communities with pressing resiliency needs such as those that suffer frequent power outages and other grid disruptions related to climate change, said the companies.

DESS and Honeywell said they would develop municipal microgrids so that cities can provide essential services during outages, including water distribution, wastewater management, or providing power to community centers that can serve as warming or cooling centers for citizens.

The two companies said they plan to integrate distributed energy resources owned by DESS – including solar photovoltaic (PV) and resiliency solutions – with Honeywell’s battery energy storage systems and smart cities software to manage the microgrid deployments alongside city-owned assets. The software is expected to enable communities to make faster, more informed decisions, said Honeywell.

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“A smart city starts with resilient and sustainable energy resources,” said Matthew Britt, general manager, Smart Cities and Communities, Honeywell Building Technologies.

“Investing in energy infrastructure is a national priority that requires strategic vision,” said Robert Vary, senior vice president, Sales and Relationship Management, Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions.

Honeywell said it would use its IoT platform to build technologies and system-of-systems command and control capabilities. DESS will own and manage the energy assets.

Honeywell added that its City Suite Software can integrate multiple software systems into one platform for command and control across municipal, utility, and commercial assets and systems and integrates data from city infrastructure systems such as traffic, streetlights, environment, emergency services, public safety and security, and utilities.

DESS is a nonregulated commercial brand of Duke Energy.

Originally published on power-grid.com

The 400KWh system will be deployed at Duke Energy’s Mount Holly Microgrids Innovation facility in 2022. Duke will test the ability of the solution to speed up its transition from fossil-fuel power generation to renewables.

Honeywell claims its new flow battery is safe, cost-effective and provides long-duration energy storage compared to other technologies available on the market.

The new flow battery uses a non-flammable electrolyte that converts chemical energy to electricity to store energy for later use, while meeting the environmental, longevity and safety objectives of utilities, according to a statement.

The technology can store and discharge energy for up to 12 hours, a development that can enable utilities to store energy during times when renewables generation is high to meet demand during peak periods.

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The majority of lithium-ion-based batteries, the technology dominating the utility-scale storage market, can discharge power for up to 4hrs, according to a statement. This means the new flow is a huge milestone within the power sector and can help utilities to meet the growing demand for renewable energy.

Today, renewables represent 70% of all new power generation capacity that is being added onto the grid, according to Honeywell.

The market for long-duration energy storage is expected to grow to $13.7 billion by 2030 and 115GW of capacity is required to meet the growing demand for renewable energy, according to a statement.

In addition, Honeywell claims the new flow technology has a long life span of 20 years. Honeywell aims to deploy a utility-scale pilot project of 60-megawatt-hours starting in 2023.

Ben Owens, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions, said long-duration energy storage such as the flow battery will help Duke Energy to meet its carbon-neutral goal. The utility has set a target to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels and to achieve zero emissions by 2050.

Tom Fenimore, director, Smart Grid Emerging Technology and Operations, added: “Duke Energy has followed flow battery technology for a number of years.

“Our Emerging Technology and Innovation Center is an ideal proving ground to study this technology. Over the next five years, Duke Energy plans to install almost 400 megawatts of battery storage capacity in our service territory. We have a keen interest in breakthrough technologies.”

The council, comprising more than 120 member companies from across the globe, will be led by existing co-chair Benoît Potier, chairman and CEO of Air Liquide, as well as newly-elected co-chair Tom Linebarger, chairman of Cummins.

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Linebarger has taken over the role from Takeshi Uchiyamada, chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, whose two-year mandate has come to an end.

Cummins has been a member of the Hydrogen Council since 2018, and this new opportunity to lead the group will create even more momentum for the company’s global decarbonisation efforts.

Linebarger said it was “encouraging to see major economies around the world advance clean energy technologies, and I’m especially proud that the United States is pushing forward with new policy initiatives to support the scale-up of hydrogen”.

“As the new co-chair of the Hydrogen Council, I’m eager to work with all of our members to accelerate hydrogen deployment globally through strong international partnerships.”

The organisation now counts 123 companies representing a variety of sectors, all committed to scaling up the hydrogen value chain to contribute to a clean and diversified energy system.

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The council now includes four new steering members: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Honeywell, Sasol, and Wood; eight new supporting members: cellcentric, Howden, Indian Oil Corporation, John Cockerill, Komatsu, MAN Energy Solutions, Parker Hannifin Corporation, and TÜV SÜD; and two new investors: Barclays and FiveT Hydrogen.

The new members are based across Europe, Middle East, Asia, and North America, and integrated energy and chemical company Sasol is the first South African company to join the Council.

“We are delighted to welcome new members to the Hydrogen Council, coming from a wide range of geographies and sectors,” said Potier.

“Their joining confirms that the interest in hydrogen is coming from across many sectors of the economy, and is turning into a priority for actors committed to energy transition. I look forward to working alongside Cummins as new Co-chair to foster dialogue and collaboration in order to accelerate the development of a low carbon economy.”

According to the Hydrogen Council statement, the latest companies to join the council show how hydrogen ecosystems are rapidly expanding to involve a wide variety of sectors active in hydrogen production, distribution, or different end uses. Barclays and FiveT Hydrogen, new additions to the Council’s investor group, demonstrate the continued investor appetite for clean energy solutions.

Honeywell’s Immersive Field Simulator is a virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality-based training tool that incorporates a digital twin of the physical plant to provide targeted, on-demand, skill-based training for workers.

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“Faced with increasingly complex technology and an experienced workforce nearing retirement, operators need robust technical training and development solutions that accurately depict real-world environments,” said Pramesh Maheshwari, vice president and general manager, Lifecycle Solutions and Services, Honeywell Process Solutions.

“Traditional training approaches often fail to meet the mark when it comes to helping panel and field operators and maintenance technicians in process plants become better at their jobs. The result can be reliability issues and increased operational incidents.”

The Immersive Field Simulator includes:

• A smooth, virtual walkthrough to familiarise workers with the plant
• Avatars that represent virtual team members
• Cloud-hosted, device-agnostic platform, which incorporates flexible 3D models, grows with the user as plant operations change.
• It’s customisable to meet specific instructional needs and project team members and plant subject matter experts can easily create customized training modules.

Honeywell’s Immersive Field Simulator transforms training for today’s digital-native workforce, enabling employees to learn by doing while increasing knowledge retention, minimising situations that can result in operational downtime improving competencies across a variety of areas.

“With our end-to-end solution, console and field operators can practice different operating and safety scenarios, including rare but critical situations, in a safe, simulated environment,” said Maheshwari. “This approach significantly improves upon current training tools and methods. VR-based training boosts confidence and retention while improving overall professional skills. Experience shows that students using VR can learn significantly faster than in the classroom.”

Honeywell’s Competency Management program, which includes the simulator training, is built upon decades of workers’ experiences using integrated control and safety systems. Honeywell has incorporated this experience into state-of-the-art competency-based offerings that improve worker performance and safety.

The building infrastructure upgrades by Honeywell are expected to deliver significant savings in energy operations.

Mayor Ras J. Baraka, and Philip Scott from the department of engineering announced that upgrades will be performed on 17 facilities, as part of the city’s Sustainability Action Plan. This, along with a $2.3 million rebate from New Jersey’s Clean Energy Programme, and a 20-year, $15.4 million energy savings service agreement are funding the project.

The upgrades are expected to cut Newark’s annual energy operating costs by over $1 million per year, or 36% once completed.

Plans include implementing three cogeneration plants to supply energy and heat for Newark’s City Hall complex and two other facilities in the city.

The plan also calls for the City Hall’s central boiler plant to be modernised with high-efficiency LED lighting, and heat loss reduction has been targeted.H also plans to install energy-efficient control solutions that incorporate the city’s HVAC, like room occupancy sensors, and multi-location control of building systems.

Plans also include reducing desktop computer electric power consumption throughout the city, and gas and electric submeters will help accurately measure and manage the city’s energy use.

 “We understand how important it is for cities to lead the movement for climate action, energy equity and cleaner air,” Mayor Baraka said. “This is why Newark is committed to doing our part by developing solutions, implementing programs, and working with partners like Honeywell.”

Smart water infrastructure will include smart water metering, networks and analytics.

According to Northeast Group, less than half of residential water customers in the UK have a meter measuring their consumption, despite utilities projecting severe water shortages by 2040 and witnessing very high rates of non-revenue water.

Efforts to address these challenges will drive increased investments in smart water infrastructure.

In addition, regulatory support will enable investments in the UK smart water infrastructure market to realise.

Ben Gardner, president of Northeast Group, said: “The UK market has a water metering penetration of just 48% despite projections of water shortages at several of its utilities by 2040.

“We project that this penetration will rise to 61% by 2027 with significant investment in smart water metering. In addition, smart water networking at the district metering level will also take place over the forecast period, as will investment in software and analytics.”

Northeast Group says the 12 large water utilities in the UK have already drawn up metering investment plans through to 2030. The large utilities include Thames Water, Severn Trent Water and Anglian Water

There are a number of leading smart infrastructure vendors either already active in the UK smart water infrastructure market or positioned to enter it. These include Honeywell, Itron, Schneider, Kamstrup, Sensus and Suez.

The report can be accessed via the company’s website…

Market research firm Northeast Group forecasts the majority of the investments to be directed towards smart grid infrastructure including smart metering and battery storage systems.

Investments towards the sector will grow as utilities seek to modernise energy systems to address “…high rates of electricity theft, poor reliability and subpar operations. Brazil alone loses $6.5 billion per year due to electricity theft and other non-technical losses,” says Ben Gardner, president at Northeast Group.

“South America has always had great potential to benefit from smart grid infrastructure investment.”

Investments in smart grid have been low over the past years due to lack of funding as the region suffered from economic challenges. For instance, Brazil has experienced an economic downturn for eight consecutive quarters.

However, economic recovery by most countries in the region will drive investments towards smart grid infrastructure.

Regulatory back-up is also expected to improve investments towards smart infrastructure, evidenced by Chile and Colombia having established policies supporting rollout of smart meters.

Energy stakeholders in Brazil are discussing a smart meter regulatory target.

The market is expected to be dominated by international vendors including ABB, Honeywell, Itron, Kamstrup, Landis+Gyr and Schneider.

South America is also emerging as a key geography for Chinese vendors hoping to gain market share from the European and North American vendors. A number of Chinese vendors have established themselves in the market, in some cases acquiring local Brazilian companies.

In a previous deal, the solutions provider supplied the utility with 250,000 advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) units.

The smart meters are being installed to ensure consumers are accurately billed and to help the energy provider to optimise its revenue collection by reducing non-revenue expenses associated with energy theft and technical energy losses.

In the event of meter tampering incidents, a smart meter will quickly detect operational error and send the data to DEWA.

Dubai electricity consumption

According to a statement, the AMI units will help the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority to improve management of its energy distribution system amongst residential consumers.

The project will provide consumers with access to real-time energy consumption data which they can use to improve their energy efficiency, reduce monthly bills and to help the utility company to stabilise grid network during peak periods.

The installation of the smart electric meters is in line with efforts by the energy distribution firm to meet energy efficiency and sustainability goals set under the UAE 2021 and the Dubai Plan 2021. The two initiatives aim to develop a smart and low-carbon Dubai. The energy provider says it will replace all of its existing analogue meters with digital smart meters, and by 2020 the utility plans to have installed a total of 1 million smart meters.

The smart meters will form part of a smart grid which the public service infrastructure company is developing to ensure its customers reduce water and energy usage by 30% by the year 2030.

Between 2009 and 2016, demand side management and smart grid initiatives employed by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority have helped reduce residential energy usage by 19%, commercial energy consumption by 10% whilst educational institutions have reduced usage by 9% and government institutions by 12%.

Amongst water consumers, efficiency has increased by 28% amongst residential customers, by 30% amongst commercial consumers and by 21% and 24% amongst industrial and educational institutions respectively.

According to Norm Gilsdorf, president of Honeywell in the Middle East, Russia, Turkey and Central Asia region, the smart meters to be delivered are Honeywell’s first to use RF mesh communications technology in the Middle East.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Texas Instruments have unveiled a new family of MSP430 microcontrollers (MCUs) with an integrated ultrasonic sensing analogue front end that is said to enable smart water meters to deliver higher accuracy and lower power consumption. In addition, Texas Instruments have introduced two new reference designs that make it easier to design modules for adding automated meter reading (AMR) capabilities to existing mechanical water meters.

According to a company release, “the new MCUs and reference designs support the growing demand for more accurate meters and remote meter reading to enable efficient resource management, accurate measurement and timely billing.”

Add wireless communication to mechanical meters with compact, low-power reference designs

Texas Instruments’ new low-power water flow measurement with inductive sensing reference design is a compact solution for the electronic measurement of mechanical flow meters with low power consumption for longer battery life. Enabled by the single-chip SimpleLink dual-band CC1350 wireless MCU, this reference design also gives designers the ability to add dual-band wireless communications for AMR networks. Designers can take advantage of the reference design’s small footprint to easily retrofit existing mechanical flow meters, enabling water utilities to add AMR capability while avoiding expensive replacement of deployed meters.

A second new reference design is an ultra-low power solution based on the SimpleLink Sub-1 GHz CC1310 wireless MCU. The low-power wireless M-Bus communications module reference design uses a wireless M-Bus software stack and supports all wireless M-Bus operating modes in the 868-MHz band. This reference design provides best-in-class power consumption and flexibility to support wireless M-Bus deployments across multiple regions.

Smart water meters for Dutch utility

Vitens, the largest water utility in the Netherlands, has selected Honeywell to supply up to 600,000 V200P water meters over the next five years.

The polymer-bodied volumetric meter is said to deliver high accuracy over an extended lifetime and flow range. The V200P meter incorporates the patented eSens high-integrity smart meter interface, which seamlessly connects to a comprehensive range of data communication options. 

According to a company release, these innovations add value for utility customers by improving revenue generation, enhancing customer service, empowering consumers and supporting effective water resource management.

Vitens is the largest water supplier in the Netherlands, serving approximately 5.6 million people and companies in the provinces of Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Utrecht and Overijssel. Vitens delivers 350 million cubic metres of water annually.

The municipal utilities that will use the Honeywell EnergyAxis smart grid solution – Hope, Arkansas, and Fayetteville, Tennessee – will take a significant step toward becoming connected utilities by realising the benefits of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system, including reduced operating expenses, enhanced data analytics for better grid management and improved reliability. AMI systems also help utilities better serve customers through frequently updated billing data, greater convenience during move-in/move-outs and faster recovery from power outages.

“As a municipal utility, we have a responsibility to city leadership, constituents and taxpayers, as well as to our customers. We strive every day to provide the best and most reliable utility service possible, as well as applying practices and technology that help us manage operational costs,” said Steve Saum, general manager, Hope Water and Light Commission. “Our choice of … a smart metering system provider was based on the superior capabilities of their solution, their ability to provide a technology platform that uses the MultiSpeak 4.1 specification to interact with the products offered by  National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC), their smart grid experience and a thorough consideration of the alternatives.”

Britt Dye, CEO and general manager, Fayetteville Public Utilities, said, “Building on the legacy of innovation we established by becoming one of the first counties in Tennessee to bring electricity to its residents, we look forward to providing the benefits and performance of a smart grid to our customers throughout Lincoln County. Through its EnergyAxis solution, Honeywell has provided a comprehensive and unified AMI platform for electricity, water and gas that will support the ongoing delivery of excellent services to our customers.”

“We are excited to provide our Honeywell EnergyAxis smart grid solution to Hope and Fayetteville as they rapidly move from traditional grid infrastructure to a connected utility model built on a smart grid,” said Gary Bennett, vice president and general manager of Smart Energy Electricity Americas, Honeywell Home and Building Technologies.

Each utility will own and operate the EnergyAxis system, including the network communications system, and connected smart meters and modules. The electricity meters will provide data on customer energy consumption to enable more accurate billing, and also help detect meter tampering and outages for faster power restoration. Two-way communications and embedded intelligence enable electricity, water and gas meters to transmit data to the utility, as well as accept instructions and respond to requests from utility departments or customer service.

In addition, each utility uses enterprise-wide smart grid software solutions from NISC to fully leverage the power of the EnergyAxis system data through the MultiSpeak Specification (version 4.1) for standards-based data transfer.

Both utilities are receiving EnergyAxis connected electricity meters, communications network and system management technology, as well as monitoring and data analytics capabilities.

• Hope Water and Light Commission, City of Hope, Arkansas – Hope is deploying smart electricity meters and water meters/modules with a fixed communication network infrastructure that leverages existing assets owned by Hope. Honeywell is delivering the system as a turn-key operation including the Honeywell Connexo NetSense network management software, hardware, installation, training and ongoing customer support services.
• Fayetteville Public Utilities (FPU), City of Fayetteville, Tennessee – FPU provides electricity, gas, water/wastewater, and cable/internet/VOIP services to the 33,000 residents of Lincoln County. Honeywell is providing a turn-key deployment including installation, which began in April of this year. The project includes smart electricity meters, smart gas and water modules, Connexo NetSense software and network communication infrastructure. FPU is Honeywell’s third “triple-play” utility (electricity, water and gas) in the Tennessee Valley Authority region.

Our electricity, gas and water solutions provide cost savings, reliability, real-time monitoring, and notifications, which put valuable, actionable data in your and your customer’s hands. Like all Honeywell products, our Connected Utility solutions are engineered to perform when it matters.

Together, we are reshaping the way the world uses energy.

www.honeywell.com

According to company release, Honeywell’s subscription services offer an alternative for smaller utilities, which typically have fewer IT resources, that choose not to own and manage their own advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) software. The release adds that managing AMI software is a resource-intensive task that many smaller utilities often struggle to accomodate.

Honeywell managed smart grid services

With its managed services, the three municipal utilities will leverage the full benefits of an AMI system, says Honeywell, including reduced operating expenses and the ability to better serve customers through improved billing accuracy and faster outage recovery.

“Utilities have to provide power in a consistent and reliable way, but grid modernization makes this complex because it involves choosing the right smart grid framework and ensuring its ongoing management,” said Nitin S. Kulkarni, president of Smart Energy, Honeywell Home and Building Technologies. “This can be particularly challenging for smaller communities and their IT resources. Honeywell’s expertise and connected services reduce risk and provide added resources to level the playing field for all utilities so they can focus on their core business.”

The release adds that through the Honeywell managed services subscriptions, all three utilities will receive portal access and analytics for the company’s EnergyAxis connected electricity meters. The meters will provide data on customer energy consumption to enable more accurate billing, and also help detect meter tampering and outages for faster power
restoration.

“As a smaller utility, we have many of the same fundamental objectives as any large power provider, but the added obstacle of operating with often limited resources – especially when it comes to IT,” said Jeff Williamson, utility director for the City of St. John, Kansas. “Honeywell’s managed smart grid services help us more easily cover off on important network management tasks so we can focus on our ultimate objective of providing our customers with affordable and reliable power.”

The smart meters project will be deployed in Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Ramsey, Sherburne, Washington and Hennepin counties.

The smart meters will be installed through to mid-2018 and will replace existing analog meters which customers of Connexus have used for the past 22 years.

In addition to installing the smart meters, Honeywell will also deploy its SynergyNet mesh networking software to provide a platform for data transfer between smart meters and the utility firm.

The smart meters project will help Connexus to accurately bill its consumers as well as assist them to reduce their energy usage and costs through participation in energy efficiency and demand response programmes.

[quote] By implementing the project, Connexus will have access to consumer usage data on an hourly basis. This will reduce utility’s operational costs through the elimination of monthly door-to-door meter readings.

The AMI system will help Connexus to quickly identify meter tampering incidents and power outages.

“Our mission is simple: keep the lights on for our members by providing electricity in the most cost-effective, reliable and responsible manner,” said Greg Ridderbusch, CEO of Connexus.

Smart meters project deployment

In early October, Honeywell announced that it has been selected to help utility companies owned by Entergy to improve customer services.

Image credit: www.palmbeachpost.com.

The $250 million deal falls under efforts by Entergy to ensure that its subsidiaries reduce power outages through quick detection using data provided by smart meters.

In addition, the project will ensure Entergy customers improve their energy management, reduce energy usage and costs through access to real-time energy usage data.

Entergy is using the contract to help its subsidiaries optimise their revenue collection through accurate power billing. The advanced meters are expected to help the utility firms reduce their carbon footprint by eliminating manual meter readings done using motor vehicles.

Installation of the smart meters is expected to begin in 2019 through to 2021.

In total, Entergy said it is need of 2.9 million advanced meters.

Rob Tupker, president of the smart energy division at Honeywell, said: “The advanced meter project with Entergy is the latest example of how keeping the lights on for customers doesn’t have to be complicated—or costly—if the right technology is in place.”

The project falls under efforts by Entergy to modernise its grid infrastructure to meet customer, environmental and grid demands in future. [Louisiana firm to deploy Silver Spring networking platform].

Smart meter deployment

In early October, Honeywell got selected by Mexico’s state utility Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) to help CFE continue modernising and stabilizing grids in east and southeast regions.

Under the agreement, Honeywell will deploy more than 200,000 smart electricity meters, with communications devices and software analytics tool to seven cities in the utilities east and southeast regions.

Honeywell has to date, provided more than one million meters to CFE since 1992 in a bid to reduce costs and boost energy efficiency for 35 million customers.

The smart meter deployment will include the installation of 700,000 smart meters – for residential and commercial customers as part of multiple network upgrades in all of the utility’s 16 regional divisions in Mexico.

Image credit: www.entergy.com.

Honeywell has to date, provided more than one million meters to CFE since 1992 in a bid to reduce costs and boost energy efficiency for 35 million customers. The deployment includes the rollout of 700,000 smart meters – for residential and commercial customers as part of multiple network upgrades in all of the utility’s 16 regional divisions in Mexico. [Smart grid Mexico: 30.2 million smart meters by 2025]

According to a release, the work will help the utility reduce costs and enhance service by minimising electricity losses across its transmission network and more quickly identify and respond to power outage.

CFE grid modernisation

Says Rob Tupker, president Honeywell Smart Energy, “These new CFE awards are the latest in our expanding base of successful turn-key projects across Mexico.” [Mexico touted to be the largest emerging smart grid market]

“The Mexican Electrical Utility estimates the country’s electrical grid loses 13.11% percent of the electricity it produces, as stated in the 2015 CFE Annual Report. For more than 10 years we’ve partnered with Honeywell to help CFE modernise its operations and work toward its goal of reducing electrical losses using smart grid technology,” added Bernardo Castro, general manager of Tecnologías EOS, a member of the consortium chosen by CFE to manage its smart grid initiative.

Comisión Federal de Electricidad is the largest utility in the Central America and Caribbean region and is in the process of replacing outdated energy transmission infrastructure and metering equipment with modern technology that enables remote monitoring as well as outage detection. The rollout in CFE’s east region was completed in August and the southeast region is expected to be completed in July 2017.

More importantly, the project will help to stabilise the UK power utility National Grid’s network during times when demand is high.

In addition, the development will also help in the reduction of carbon emissions.

Honeywell will integrate its DR Automation Server (DRAS) software-as-a-service (SaaS) to automate communications with participants of the DR programme.

[quote] Pearlstone Energy will sell the power saved the peak times period to  National Grid under a Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) agreement between the power utility and The DR technology firm.

The STOR was signed in early 2016, aims to reduce grid demands using clean methods and targets to grow to more than 200MW over the next five years.

Dr. Azad Camyab, CEO of Pearlstone Energy, said their partnership with Honeywell aims to “boost grid stability and provide the much needed energy and equilibrium at times of distress for the UK’s National Grid in the future.”

Demand response and grid benefits

The deal follows the release of a study by Open Energi predicting that the UK could save GBP1bn and tonnes of carbon emissions should consumers and businesses be paid to use electricity at different times.

Data and modelling analyst at Open Energi, Remi Boulineau, who carried out the study, said: “Instead of building more capacity to satisfy our energy needs, we could simply displace the peak.”

Image credit: Wikipedia.

The five-year smart meters award is also expected to contribute towards the country’s efforts to meet European Union energy efficiency goals.

Through the contract, Enexis has the ability to leverage an end-to-end smart grid solution using Honeywell Elster technology.

Enexis is one of three multi-utility distribution system operators in the Netherlands and is said to be leading rollout of smart meters in the country, with over 1.3 million units installed. [Honeywell chosen by US utility for 1m smart meter rollout]

The operator has opted for electricity smart meters based on LTE (long-term evolution) mobile communication technology.

Ben Vermeulen, managing director Elster Solutions Netherlands, said: “We have achieved a trusted and long-term relationship with Enexis based on our technical knowledge and our hands-on approach.

“The implementation and development of our LTE smart electricity meters is helping to future-proof the grid management capabilities in the Netherlands.”

Jan-Willem Janse, director of smart metering at Enexis, added: “This procurement process has played a key role in ensuring affordable energy over the next five years. Developing the ESMR5.0 LTE smart meter is an integral part of our mass rollout strategy. The technology is more cost-effective compared to the current generation of meters and will help Enexis to minimise rates for their customers in the future.”

Honeywell partners with US army

In addition to the Dutch smart meters deal, Honeywell also recently partnered with the US Army for the rollout of an energy and water management project in Pennsylvania. [Honeywell lands US$29m energy management deal]

Under the US$29 million deal, the solutions provider will upgrade water and power facilities at the Tobyhanna army depot to reduce consumption by 20% and 8% respectively.

The upgrades will include replacement of HVAC and lighting systems with energy efficiency models as well as introduction of sub metering of the systems.

The facility’s utility monitoring and control systems will also be updated, ageing steam heating and distribution systems, and inefficient cooling pipes replaced.

Image credit: www.theodysseyonline.com

The upgrades will include replacement of HVAC and lighting systems with energy efficiency models as well as introduction of sub metering of the systems.

The facility’s utility monitoring and control systems will also be updated, ageing steam heating and distribution systems, and inefficient cooling pipes replaced.

According to a calculation made by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the 8% reduction in energy usage at the depot will equal the removal of 2,000 cars from the road every year, and a decrease in carbon emissions of up to 9,500 metric tonnes.

The project will be funded by the capital raised on an annual basis from a 23-year energy savings programme deployed by Honeywell for the US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville.

John Rajchert, president of Honeywell Building Solutions, commented: “Performance contracts have proven to be a powerful mechanism for public entities to address important infrastructure needs while not sacrificing the level of service that these organizations deliver to their communities.

[quote] “Rising energy costs can be a significant hindrance to public entities because budgets are less flexible and are needed for mission-critical activities,” added Rajchert.

The contract is a measure by the federal government to meet the demands of the Presidential Executive Order 13693 stipulating that federal facilities must reduce power consumption by 2.5% and water usage by 2% per year through to 2025.

Col. Gregory Peterson, Commander, Tobyhanna Army Depot, said: “This project will not only help us upgrade our aging infrastructure but it will also improve our ability in managing our energy use with the information we need to make operating adjustments as we evolve.” [Canadian firm wins IESO funding for energy management upgrade].

Honeywell will also provide maintenance service to the building’s systems after completion of installation of the equipment.

Smart grid technologies

The contract follows the development and launch of a new solution by Honeywell to help utilities better manage their grid data.

Image credit: pixabay.com.

Honeywell claims its new version of the solution allows utilities to capture, communicate and process gas, water and electric network data from smart grid devices and sensors in a more simplified and secure manner using a single platform.

The smart grid technology is said to optimise utilities’ operations in line with business, regulatory and customer expectations by providing features such as the provision of advanced security models and management of device configurations in the field.

[quote] The solution is also designed to provide automation of various processes in the rollout and management of smart meters  and provides easy integration with other Connexo applications, states the company statement.

Commenting on the features of the platform, Koen Bas, head of Product Management Software & Services in the EMEA and APAC regions for Elster Electricity, said: “Connexo MultiSense goes beyond data collection by providing built-in device asset management and device lifecycle management functionality. [Deal of the week: Honeywell buys Elster for US$5.1bn].

“Utilities need to meet the various energy demands of their customers; whilst keeping the supply reliable, cost-effective and profitable. MultiSense has been designed with meter operators in mind,” added Koen.

Smart grid technology deployment

According to a release, MLGW is the largest public service territory in the US.

The smart meter installation builds upon a smaller smart meter project which began in 2013, for which Elster was chosen to deploy its EnergyAxis Advanced Metering Infrastructure and EIServer Meter Data Management systems.

Under the first phase of MLGW’s smart meter installation, 60,000 electric, gas and water endpoints were deployed, completed in 2014.

Efficiency through smart meter tech

The smart meter solution provided by Honeywell includes communication modules to facilitate automated meter reading and software solutions to analyse and manage meter data.

The rollout is expected to help Memphis Light, Gas and Water achieve cost savings, efficiency through more accurate billing, diversified payment options and improvement with which resources are used to manage energy consumption.

Customers will also benefit by having access to more data about their energy consumption and resources to help them better manage their usage.

Jerry Collins Jr., president and CEO of Memphis Light, Gas and Water said: “Memphis and Shelby County joins communities across Tennessee and the nation who are using smart meters and benefiting from efficient utility service delivery, enhanced payment options and increased customer savings.”

Jeff Tolnar, vice president and general manager of Honeywell’s Elster Smart Energy Electricity Americas (formerly Elster Solutions), added: “We are committed to working closely with MLGW to continue to strengthen the reliability and security of its utility services.

“As part of Honeywell, we now have access to its extensive technology portfolio, and will contribute to the company’s growth in home and building connectivity around the world.”

The rollout is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

Honeywell will supply its demand response automation server to manage the reductions expected to save a minimum of 3MW by early 2016.

The automation server will also allow Pearlstone Energy to communicate with participating buildings to trigger the reduction measures.

The demand aggregator firm will conduct site audits to assist in the design of the energy reduction measures.

In addition to payment for their participation, commercial and industrial customers will reduce their energy bills by avoiding costly peak pricing periods and network demand charges.

Pearlstone Energy also intends to sell the aggregated customer energy load saved by the programme on the wholesale energy markets at profitable trading times to drive additional potential revenue for participants.

Pearlstone and Honeywell said they expect the program will grow over the next five years to more than 200MW of capacity.

“Shifting energy use is a viable alternative to producing additional megawatts of energy, especially as countries like the UK seek cleaner sources to balance the grid while meeting carbon reduction commitments,” said Justin McCurnin, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Smart Grid Solutions.

Customer billing in the UK

The Honeywell-Pearlstone collaboration to improve customer billing follows a partnership in late November’s between CGI, Junifer Systems and energy solutions provider Utiligroup to develop a solution targeted at UK energy retailers’ customer billing systems.

The three launched new software ER360 that allows established and new retailers to respond to UK regulatory and market changes.

CGI says the solution meets UK-specific billing and regulatory requirements such as the Climate Change Levy, Ofgem reporting and other specific energy sector’s legislations.

The company said ER360 combines Junifer’s customer care and billing applications with Utiligroup’s automated flow management system to manage processes such as customer registration and CGI’s smart data service.

Honeywell’s recent acquisition of Elster after just three years under its current owners came as a surprise for the industry, writes Jonathan Spencer Jones, contributing editor to Engerati, the sister portal to Metering & Smart Energy International. 

Honeywell has been quietly expanding over the past decade, with more than 80 acquisitions in that period, and Elster, with its smart metering and other products for electricity, gas and water, makes a strategic and substantial addition to the company’s smart grid portfolio.

In our analysis of the deal, we point out the recognition of the broader value in smart products and services and the potential for new products and solutions integrating energy efficiency, energy management and metering. [Honeywell Elster Deal Shows Utility Metering Evolving Into Something Bigger]

Small hydropower, with a capacity up to a few megawatts, is expected to be pivotal in providing energy in remote areas of Africa and elsewhere.

Several such projects are currently under development in southern Africa, where hydro is under-developed, with the latest proposal for a scheme near the Augrabies Falls. [Hydropower Should Have a Place in South Africa’s Power Mix]

As a popular tourist destination in a national park, there are strong environmental objections. However, the developer, HydroSA, believe the project would help solve a number of existing socio-economic problems in the area.

Keeping our focus on Africa, we discuss the potential for energy efficiency on the continent and the need to look beyond energy efficient appliances and lighting for a long term and more sustainable plan. In particular, efficiencies can be found in generation and transmission and distribution. Energy efficiency can also enhance access. [Africa’s Energy Efficiency Plans Need To Be Broader]

Enjoy these and other stories on Engerati.

In the US, multinational conglomerate Honeywell International, has agreed to purchase manufacturer and supplier of integrated metering and utilization solutions, Elster, in an all-cash deal for £3.3 billion (US$5.1bn).

The acquisition will give Honeywell access to Elster Group’s niche technologies and customers in the highly regulated heating, controls and metering industries.

Dave Cote, chief executive of Honeywell, explained that Honeywell showed interest in Elster because the utility metering market is “rapidly evolving as new smart technologies and software and data analytics capabilities are being adopted around the world”.

He added that Elster “also creates a new platform for acquisition targets for Honeywell”.

Expected close in Q1 2016

Honeywell, which has set aside US$10 billion (US$15.6bn) for acquisitions by 2018, said it was paying 12.6 times Elster’s estimated 2015 consensus core earnings.

The all-cash deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2016, would have a minor dilutive impact on Honeywell’s 2016 earnings per share, the company said.

The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory review and Melrose shareowners’ vote.

Reuters reported that a source familiar with the matter stated that Honeywell had approached Melrose this year. The two sides quickly began talks and no other bidders were involved, the source said.

Return on investment

Melrose, an engineering turnaround specialist that buys businesses with the intention of selling them at a profit, said it would return more than £2 billion (US$3.12bn) to shareholders after the sale.

Melrose Executive Vice-Chairman David Roper said the sale of the entire Elster business, which the company acquired in 2012, had happened sooner than planned.

According to Roper, the market expectation was that Elster would be sold in parts.

Roper explained: “I think we’ve always said that, if an opportunistic bidder comes along and offers tomorrow’s price today, we will talk to them.”

Honeywell acquisitions

Honeywell said in March 2014 that it would spend about US$10 billion on deals through 2018 as part of its five-year financial plan, double its budget for the previous five years.

The company has since spent about US$5.5 billion on acquisitions, including the Melrose purchase, according to Thomson Reuters data.

The sale of Elster leaves Melrose with one remaining business, Brush, a manufacturer of electricity generating equipment.

Melrose scouting

Melrose’s Chief Executive, Simon Peckham ,said the company was scouting for an acquisition in the range of £2 billion ($3.12bn), preferably in Northern Europe or North America.

However, he declined to say when this might happen.

Rothschild acted as lead financial adviser on the deal along with advisers JP Morgan, while Investec acted as joint broker.

In the US, climate monitoring company Weatherbug has partnered with global conglomerate company Honeywell in a bid to extend the reach of its jointly developed Wi-Fi smart home thermostats featuring weather-tracking technology.

The Wi-Fi enabled smart home thermostats are able to determine ideal energy outputs for every moment during the day, conserving energy and saving users money.

The weather-tracking technology is capable of adjusting room temperature based on local weather information and data about the home itself.

DCInno reports that the smart home thermostat is currently available for compatible households in Texas, but will be expanding to other US states, claim the companies.

Extension of in IoT offering

According to the Washington Business Journal, Weatherbug has been employing remote sensors to collect weather data, used by more than 20 million consumers on Weatherbug’s app, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Bob Marshall, president and CEO of Weatherbug’s parent company Earth Networks commented: “The next evolution is to leverage that hyperlocal, granular weather data we have and couple it with Internet of Things sensors and connect it to the home.”

The Washington Business Journal adds that the jointly developed smart home thermostat will be close competition for Nest and Apple’s new Homekit devices.

Smart home device uptake

Consumers in North America and Europe bought twice as many smart thermostats in 2014 compared to 2013. The number of homes with an installed smart thermostat topped 3.2 million in 2014, a rise of 105%, according to data compiled by market research company Berg Insight.

The North American market recorded a 107% growth in the installed base of smart thermostats to 2.5 million. In Europe, the total number of homes with a smart thermostat grew by 96% year-on-year to reach 0.7 million.

North America is believed to offer the largest market opportunity for smart appliances growing to 24.6 million homes by 2019.

The market is led by Nest, Honeywell and Ecobee that have each sold hundreds of thousands of thermostats, primarily through the retail, utility and professional installer channels.

The project will enable a ‘resource efficient, environmentally friendly grid,’ Honeywell reported, and will enable better balancing of supply and demand in order to reduce power disruptions. Commercial and industrial customers will also thus be able to better manage energy usage and costs.

Employing Honeywell’s Akuacom software as a service (SaaS) coupled with smart meters, building systems will automatically enable load-shedding measures to bring the grid back into balance.

According to the Economic Times, demand for electricity in Delhi has almost doubled over the past decade. With an increasing gap between demand and supply, utilities are under pressure to more effectively manage resources and ensure stable supply.

If this technology were to be adopted across India, it is predicted to reduce consumption by approximately 7% or 10.5GWh. It is predicted to reduce peak demand by 11.5MW for TPDDL.

“This is an initiative — one that supports our mission to build a resource-efficient, environmentally friendly electrical grid,” Praveer Sinha, CEO & ED of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited told the Economic Times. “We are committed to extend ADR [automated demand response] to other customers, thus playing a role in helping to meet Delhi’s energy needs.”

Global industrial automation company Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) has introduced a new meter designed to measure natural gas that communicates data using activated cellular radio.

HPS announced this week it has developed the EC 350 PTZ gas volume corrector to help gas distributors in the delivery of natural gas while meeting government and industrial standards.

Pierre Dufour, HPS product marketing manager at HPS, said: “The EC 350 family of PTZ gas volume correctors offers gas distribution firms the assurance of more precise gas measurements in standard meter applications, which enables them to effectively monitor and document gas custody transfer and usage.”

The EC 350 PTZ is the first member of a new HPS family of electronic volume correctors (EVCs), the company said.

It uses pressure, temperature and compressibility factors to accurately measure gas volume.

An important element in the gas value chain from the meter to billing data, the Honeywell ECV also offers a plug-and-play digital pressure transducer and an enclosure that is optimised for serviceability and outdoor operation.

Data is communicated from the meter using activated cellular radio, that can be analysed with its Total Data Services PowerSpring meter data management software to help IT integration in advanced metering or smart metering infrastructure.

Legacy EVC users can migrate to the new metering device.

Flowmeter for gas pipelines

The EVC joins Honeywell’s range of metering for gas distributors.

In April 2014, the company launched an ultrasonic flowmeter designed to help natural gas producers better measure the volume of gas in pipelines and more accurately track its movement.

The USM GT400 Ultrasonic Flowmeter measures natural gas at every stage of its movement, storage and use.

It aims to help companies keep better control on their overall costs as the volume transported to customers is metered for billing purposes.

Compliant with CEESmaRT technology – a cloud-based solution for condition-based monitoring – the USM GT400 provides stability during flow perturbations due to its direct-path technology with six measuring paths on three levels.

The USM GT400 Ultrasonic Flowmeter measures natural gas at every stage of its movement, storage and use.

It aims to help companies keep better control on their overall costs as the volume transported to customers is metered for billing purposes.

Tony Tielen, vice president of Honeywell Process Solutions’ Engineered Field Solutions division, said: “As the natural gas industry continues expanding, companies have a tighter margin of error when it comes to lowering operating and capital costs, improving uptime and reducing risks.”

Mr Tielen says the flowmeter also helps to reduce the amount of effort needed to maintain pipeline metering, which is seen as important as the oil and gas industry faces a skills gap as many experienced engineers retire.

Measuring paths

Compliant with CEESmaRT technology – a cloud-based solution for condition-based monitoring – the USM GT400 provides stability during flow perturbations due to its direct-path technology with six measuring paths on three levels.

The paths are arrayed in an “X” pattern in horizontal planes. This orientation enables measurement of swirl, cross-flow and asymmetry, as well as transparent path velocity weighting per the Gauss-Chebyshev profile model for compressible fluids.

The USM’s electronics are used to handle path-specific measurements while optimising internal diagnostics.

It includes speed of sound (SoS) and flow velocity calculations, signal processing and data storage capabilities, and can interface to flow computers, gas chromatographs and SCADA systems.

Windows-based RMGView software allows manufacturers to monitor the health of the flowmeter, alerts users to upset conditions, and provides diagnostics for alarming.

It also allows direct access to the electronic measuring system via a PC to read out and change parameters, represent measured values, and create test certificates and data sheets.

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