Greentech Lead Asia: Silver Spring Networks, a provider of networking platform and solutions provider for smart energy networks, has been selected by SmartCo to deploy an advanced smart grid network across New Zealand.
SmartCo is a consortium of New Zealand electricity lines companies including Alpine Energy, Counties Power, Electricity Invercargill, Network Tasman, The Power Company, and WEL Networks, serves more than 250,000 urban and rural consumers across New Zealand.
SmartCo is pursuing an innovative new business model in New Zealand’s disaggregated market where retailers are responsible for deploying smart meters. The company is proving that in disaggregated markets like New Zealand, both distributors and retailers can work together to use a single network to improve grid reliability, increase operational efficiency, and empower end-consumers to better manage their energy consumption.
SmartCo and its lines company members will use Silver Spring’s platform to generate incremental revenue by providing smart metering services to energy retailers. The lines companies will also leverage the same platform to improve services for consumers including faster outage detection and restoration and improved power quality.
“SmartCo chose Silver Spring’s standards-based platform because it was the only solution that served the needs of both our energy retailer customers and lines company owners,” said John O’Hara, executive chairman at SmartCo.
“Building our own Silver Spring mesh network will allow us to cost-effectively provide the highest possible meter coverage for our retailer customers,” O’Hara added. “Moreover, Silver Spring’s open platform gives our lines companies the broadest choice of meter partners and advanced features that will allow them to improve their network services for consumers.”
Scott Lang, chairman, president and CEO of Silver Spring Networks, said, “SmartCo is proving that in disaggregated markets like New Zealand, both distributors and retailers can work together to use a single network to improve grid reliability, increase operational efficiency, and empower end-consumers to better manage their energy consumption.”
Silver Spring’s proven smart grid networking platform can be rapidly scaled across a diverse service territory, allowing utilities to quickly and economically expand and improve their service offerings and add new solutions on the same, standards-based platform.