Cyan, the integrated system design company delivering wireless solutions for utility metering has announced that a consortium of 5 companies has organized a concept pilot of 60 meters to prove CyLec Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology with the Uttar Gujarat Vij Company (UGVCL), India.
The pilot program, in Naroda and Deesa, is part of a competitive tender process that began in 2013 with four other bidding consortia supplying AMI solutions for assessment.
Cyan technology is considered to be the only one to have confirmed an interoperable, sub-GHz smart metering solution. If its consortium proves effective, it would endorse hardware and software as well as illustrate the CyLec convincing value proposition for other electricity utilities.
The UGVCL pilot is one of 14 smart grid pilots under the Smart Grid Task Force (SGTF) in India.
At present, UGVCL will initiate AMI on completing its evaluations of the various solutions in pilot phase and Cyan is pleased that its technology has already proven its interoperability across meters.
In another initiative, Cyan was invited by UGVCL to install 100 meter 865MHz smart metering proof of concept, with a specification that the meters be capable of self-forming mesh networking and of being read at a range of 100 meters.
Whilst UGVCL has not yet committed to rolling out its smart grid pilot projects, Cyan’s technology has already proved its interoperability between two meter manufacturers, which was a key criterion of the tender, said, John Cronin, executive chairman, Cyan.
Further, in case the AMI solution beat the competition under evaluation by this utility, these pilots have a better chance of converting to commercial orders, said, Cronin.
Moreover, with 200 million legacy meters currently deployed, it is estimated that India will install 130 million smart meters by 2021.