SmartSynch says AT&T Inc. will offer its suite of smart grid products along with wireless data services. AT&T will also offer its utility customers up to ten years of prepaid machine-to-machine data usage on smart meters purchased directly from AT&T. “Prepayment of 10 years of data usage gives electricity providers assurance around their data costs,” said Chris Hill, VP of advanced mobility solutions at AT&T Business Solutions. “We’re responding to the evolving needs of the utility industry by delivering a complete, affordable package of smart meters, software and cellular connectivity.”
The nation’s 3,200 utilities have a major incentive to upgrade to smart grid technology. The International Energy Agency estimates that the worldwide cost of energy transmission over the next two decades will be $5 trillion, and as providers (currently) of 22% of the world’s power, American utilities will certainly bear a large portion of that cost. Smart grid technology offers the potential for significant cost savings. According to George Arnold, National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability within the U.S. Commmerce Department’s National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST), the smart grid is the integration of information technology and advanced communication into the power system to increase system efficieny and cost effectiveness. Arnold says that because the existing power grid in the United States is built to accommodate infrequent peak demand, it normally operates at just 50% of capacity. He says that the idle capacity of the power grid could supply 70% of the energy needs of all the cars and light trucks in America today, and displace half of U.S. oil imports. Smart grid technology offers the possibility of tailoring supply to meet demand, thereby eliminating some of that waste.
Arnold was in Austin this week for the first-ever World Smart Grid Forum, hosted here because Austin is recognized worldwide as a leader in the implementation of smart grids. Arnold cited Texas as a state where some utilities are giving consumers what he calls a “green button” – a website where consumers can click on a button to download real-time data about their home energy use. Arnold hopes to see this model proliferate throughout the rest of the country. He sees his group’s role at the Commerce Department as a role similar to that of DARPA during the development of the Internet, meaning that he wants the government to model standards and coordinate a frameowork that includes protocols, and then let the private sector control the the smart grid.
