GE to Provide 4G Communications Smart Grid Solution to SP AusNet

GE Energy Services announced that SP AusNet, an Australian utilities company, will be the first in the world to implement GE's WiMAX fourth-generation (4G) smart grid solution.

Working with other top-tier technology and telecommunications companies, GE is introducing a game-changing smart grid solution to deliver security and reliability benefits to nearly 700,000 Australian households, while helping SP AusNet prepare for the future of smart grid development, from plug-in cars to solar on rooftops.

"SP AusNet is installing a highly capable smart grid communications system," said Bob Gilligan, VP of GE Energy Services' transmission and distribution business. "This smart grid solution will help the utility enjoy the immediate benefits of smart metering, while providing them with a platform to readily adopt additional smart grid technologies."

Because the solution is based on open standards, GE was able to work with a consortium of open standards-based technology companies to deliver this holistic solution to SP AusNet. GE is providing the meter communications technology across the entire network, while supplying half of the project's smart meters. GridNet supplied the PolicyNet network management system software suite to manage the meters, controllers, switches and other devices throughout SP AusNet's smart grid network. Motorola is providing the communications infrastructure.

The Victoria state government has mandated its entire service area be upgraded to smart meters by 2013. In addition to meters, future functionality is a benefit for Australian utilities. Australia's Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts expects the country to have 10 million households in 2020, resulting in a 56 percent increase in energy demand. At the same time, the Australia government aims to reduce carbon emissions by 10 percent and increase renewable generation to 20 percent by 2020. The GE smart grid infrastructure being installed will help meet those goals while improving reliability in the face of increasing demand.

This solution also will enable utilities to monitor the health and status of smart grid devices in real-time, helping ensure consistent reliability for customers. As one of the industry's most secure, standards-based, scalable 4G technologies for smart grid, the GE solution will lay the foundation for a host of smart grid applications-from plug-in vehicles, to grid control, to alternative energy sources, such as solar on rooftops.

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