Siemens, eMeter Land First Joint Meter Data Management Deal

Engineering giant Siemens and meter data management startup eMeter announced Thursday that they have landed California utility Burbank Water & Power as the first customer for their partnered-up system for putting smart meter data to more effective use.

The two companies have had a partnership since March 2008, with eMeter providing its core software for managing the masses of data that come from two-way communicating smart meters, and Siemens integrating that with utility systems for things like utility customer service and distribution grid management.

That's according to Kevin O'Hara, vice president and general manager of Siemens Energy's transmission and distribution service solutions unit. The two companies expect to announce a similar project with a European utility in the coming weeks, he said Thursday (see eMeter Lands $32M for Smart Meter Data, Home Energy Software).

EMeter is one of the leaders in managing smart meter data, with customers including Southern California Edison, CenterPoint Energy, Alliant Energy, Toronto Hydro and others (see eMeter: Data-Keeper For the Smart Grid).

Competitors in the meter data management software business include startup Ecologic Analytics, with customers including Oncor and Pacific Gas & Electric Co., as well as smart meter makers like Itron. Enterprise software giants SAP and Oracle are making moves into the business as well (see Oracle Launches 'End-to-End' Smart Grid Software and Integrating the Smart Meter Universe).

Part of the partnership involves integrating data from smart meters into Siemens distribution automation systems, which monitor and automatically react to problems in the section of the grid that carries power from substations to customers, O'Hara said.

By early next year, Siemens hopes to have a "distribution network modeling" system that includes smart meter data in a visual display to help utilities get a better understanding of how their distribution grids are working, he said.

Siemens is also doing distribution automation work for Texas utility Oncor, he said. It's one of many companies involved in making distribution grids work more efficiently (see Distribution Automation: Smart Grid's Quiet Efficiency Offering).

San Mateo, Calif.-based eMeter may also find a home for its new Web-based customer energy management portal, EnergyEngage, in the homes of Burbank Water & Power customers, he said. The utility plans to bring the portals to customers starting next year, he said (see eMeter Intros Home Energy Platform).

As for Burbank Water & Power's smart grid plans, they're a mixed bag, including smart water meters from Itron, smart electric meters with communications modules from Trilliant, and a whole host of distribution system upgrades planned for a total of about $70 million, Joanne Fletcher, assistant general manager of customer service and marketing, said Thursday.

The utility plans to apply for up to $20 million in grants from the Department of Energy's $3.4 billion Smart Grid Investment Grant Program, she added (see Smart Grid Stimulus Applications Accelerate as Deadline Approaches).