Sierra Wireless has announced that it has been recognised by this year’s Fierce Innovation Awards: Energy Edition, a unique industry awards program powered by the publishers of FierceEnergy and FierceSmartGrid. Sierra Wireless received top honors in the “Smart Grid Communications” category.
Winners were selected by an exclusive panel of judges that included: Kevin Dasso, director of Technology and Information Strategy, Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Lisa Davidson, director of Customer Programs, San Diego Gas & Electric; Conrad Eustis, director Retail Technology Strategy, Portland General Electric; Robert B. Frazier, director of Electric Technology, CenterPoint Energy; Stuart Laval, Manager of Technology Development, Duke Energy; Bryan J. Olnick, vice president of Distribution Operations in Power Delivery, Florida Power & Light; and Joseph E. Svachula, vice president of Smart Grid and Technology, Commonwealth Edison.
Judges evaluated submissions based on technology innovation, financial impact, market validation, ability to integrate into existing network environments, and end-user customer experience.
Smart Grid applications can be built utilising Sierra Wireless AirPrime® WP Series Embedded Modules, which come with a dedicated application processor and Legato™, the company’s Linux-based, open source embedded platform, seamlessly integrated with AirVantage® M2M Cloud for upgrading devices and enabling new services in the field.
Utilities and OEMs can use the Sierra Wireless Integrated M2M Solution for Smart Grid Communications to enable smart meters as a hub to aggregate information from multiple services (water, gas, etc.) and support advanced customer-facing applications for monitoring energy usage, integrating home appliances and more.
This integrated solution from Sierra Wireless allows OEMs and service providers to focus their resources on developing innovative applications and services, since much of the effort to deploy and scale cellular wireless communications has already been done. It also means that OEMs are no longer locked into proprietary solutions. OEMs now have long-term flexibility with the ability to easily change hardware components and vendors without re-architecting the entire solution, protecting their development investments.
“Cellular connectivity to the meter holds significant potential for the utilities industry in terms of both operational efficiency and enhanced services for consumers, but realising this potential can often be challenging for those in the ecosystem. Our integrated solution is designed to help meet this challenge, by simplifying the development of applications and making them easier to scale for utilities and energy companies,” said Olivier Pauzet, vice president of Market Strategy for Sierra Wireless. “We are delighted to have been recognised for innovation by the Fierce panel of judges, who clearly understand the complexities of deploying smart grids and related services.”
For more information about the Sierra Wireless solution for Smart Grid Communications, please visit http://www.sierrawireless.com/energy or visit http://www.sierrawireless.com/sales.