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In this exclusive interview, Jeremy Cowan talks to John Cronin, executive chairman of CyanConnode, about the lessons of interoperability, security, simplicity and collaboration.
IoT Now: What is India teaching us about the future of smart metering and the Internet of Things (IoT)?
John Cronin: Global demand for energy continues to rise and meeting the demand cost-effectively means investing in new technologies that increase efficiency. Governments, city authorities and businesses are looking to find ways of achieving more efficient management of devices such as utility metering.
In India, the adoption of smart metering is driven by the need to reduce current Aggregate, Technical and Commercial losses, which are equivalent to US$32 billion, as well as connect 240 million people without electricity. To address these challenges, the Indian government has approved the UDAY scheme, which aims to deliver the financial turnaround for utilities and has a target to install 35 million meters by 2019.
Smart metering solutions, such as Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), provide bi-directional communication between consumers’ meters and utilities. AMI technology enhances utilities’ service delivery, improves business efficiency and saves energy through improved revenue collection and cash flow.
However, delivering robust AMI solutions requires a complex ecosystem, including government, regulators, meter manufacturers, technology providers and system integrators. Each element, from meter to application platform, of this critical infrastructure needs to be validated, and must work together seamlessly. Like all critical infrastructure, it is imperative to minimise the vulnerabilities in each element to deliver a secure system.
CyanConnode’s enabling technology is delivered through a collaborative engagement model. The company has established a market-leading position with a strong partner ecosystem which includes meter manufacturers and system integrators. CyanConnode’s proven technology and expertise in system integration ensures it can provide a robust solution from meter to the application platform, working with and across any third-party technology thanks to its standards-based, technology-agnostic design.
Selecting a sustainable, cost-effective solution is key to delivering a system that is suitable for the environment and meets market requirements. Smart metering solutions deployed in next-generation economies such as India must cost as little as possible to manufacture and operate. In addition, they must be able to work in densely populated urban environments as well as on the fringes of the electricity network.
The Ministry of Power in India, through institutions such as the National Smart Grid Mission and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), has accelerated the implementation process and analysed the benefits of Smart Grid Technologies, such smart metering, OMS, PLM, PQM, and Microgrids. Following this research and analysis, the BIS has created standards for metering, the communication network and AMI systems, deeming IPv6 and 6LowPan mandatory technology for RF mesh communication in India. CyanConnde’s Omnimesh product addresses the requirements set out in these standards.
The key things that India is, therefore, teaching us about the future of smart metering are:
- Interoperability is mandatory
- Security is imperative
- Simplicity is key, and
- Collaboration is the way forward
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