CPS Energy said Monday that it had struck a deal with California-based Silver Spring Networks to develop a communications system for the city-owned utility.
CPS says the new system, which will feature both wire and wireless components, will allow it to better monitor its electric and natural gas systems and to diagnose problems when they arise.
?The energy industry is undergoing a major transformation, driven in part by technological advancements and customer expectations for more information,? CPS CEO Doyle Beneby said in a written statement.
The utility refused to say how much the new system would cost, saying the deal is protected by a confidentiality agreement.
The deal was part of the utility's New Energy Economy initiative, which aims to use the utility's purchasing power to require suppliers to invest in the local economy. Silver Springs agreed to open an office in San Antonio and will establish a scholarship and intern program.
As part of the new system, the utility's new smart meters would be linked to ?nodes? ? think communication hubs ? by radio. Those hubs, in turn, will be wirelessly linked to the utility's substations, which are located throughout the region.
CPS also would be able to attach the radios to other parts of its infrastructure, such as circuits and network switches, allowing it respond more rapidly to outages and malfunctions.
CPS spokeswoman Lisa Lewis said the rollout is expected to begin late this year. It could take as many as five years to install the system throughout the utility's service region, which includes all of Bexar County and slivers of several surrounding counties.
?Down the road, if there's a major section of town that is out, we should be able to better isolate where that fault is? with the new system, said Frank Almaraz, CPS' vice president of corporate development and programming.
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Source: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/energy/article/CPS-to-build-a-new-communications-system-4327619.php
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