The partnership also is an expansion of San Antonio’s New Energy Economy initiative which helps citizens use energy wisely. In addition to providing smart grid networking services, Silver Spring will help expand the initiative’s economic development, job creation and workforce development efforts.
As part of this partnership CPS Energy has selected Silver Spring Networks to deploy a smart grid network to support its 740,000 electric and 340,000 natural gas customers in the Greater San Antonio area.
In addition to Advanced Metering, CPS Energy will also leverage Silver Spring’s standards-based smart grid networking platform to roll out a Distribution Automation initiative across the service territory and extend availability of CPS Energy’s demand reduction programs.
Silver Spring Networks will also open an office in San Antonio to employ product testing and engineering personnel, professional technical consultants, technical operations teams and a variety of permanent staff. This office will also work to develop strategic partnerships with other local companies.
Further CPS Energy and Silver Spring Networks will establish a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholarship and intern-training program, supporting students at universities in San Antonio with a goal of creating permanent, new energy-sector jobs in the San Antonio area.
Silver Spring Networks provides a high-performance IPv6-based network that supports a myriad of solutions including smart energy metering, smart street lighting, environmental sensors, traffic signals, electric vehicles, information panels, and parking meters, among others.