HM Power, a system integrator based in Sweden, provides smart metering and smart grid solutions to virtually all Swedish utilities. The company has an established customer base of approximately 650,000 smart meters and now has approximately 30% of the Ring Main Unit and advanced fault indication equipment market in Sweden. Following a Parliamentary Bill mandating hourly energy metering, the company needed to upgrade its communications capability in its smart meters to enable and manage the increased functionality required.
In 2012, a Bill was passed in the Swedish Parliament enforcing hourly metering – which would not be possible to achieve without the functionality of an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) smart metering solution.
Sweden was one of the first countries in the world to install smart meters and since 2009 customers have received monthly bills based on their actual consumption rather than an estimated annual bill. This early adoption strategy gave the country’s utilities the lead in delivering accurate customer billing and more information about actual consumption. Since the rollout, smart meters have enabled both financial benefits as well as improvements in service quality and customer satisfaction. However, in recent years Sweden’s infrastructure focus has switched to looking for next generation smart metering to support plans for smart grid technologies and IoT capabilities, leading to the requirement to upgrade its AMR infrastructure to AMI, to enable these facilities.
Omni IoT technology
HM Power selected CyanConnode’s Omni IoT technology because it is a robust, scalable and future-proof platform that offers flexibility as the Swedish market continues to evolve. CyanConnode’s communication platform enables machine-to-machine (M2M) communication from single applications, such as smart metering, to multi-application IoT networks. HM Power saw a major advantage in CyanConnode’s use of narrowband technology, as applications using narrowband consume considerably less power and are less spectrum-intensive than those using higher frequencies. In addition, narrowband RF networks enable significant growth in the number of connected devices which will allow HM Power’s customers to grow their networks economically and sustainably.
Based on IPv6, using licence-free, regulated narrowband technology CyanConnode provides HM Power with a flexible, cost effective communication platform that supports rapid innovation and integration with third party technology. The platform enabled by CyanConnode’s IPv6 LowPAN OmniMesh network is plug and play, self-configuring and self-healing and is designed to deliver a versatile solution with a low cost of ownership. Each device uses the most efficient route to its gateway every time, maximising the use of bandwidth whilst minimising power consumption and continually optimising and adapting the network.
In addition, CyanConnode’s partner ecosystem provides expertise for seamless integration of the end-to-end communication technology with HM Power’s preferred smart meter vendor and the utility’s Meter Data Management system, at every stage of the contractual implementation and milestones.
As the market evolves, HM Power is now well positioned to provide next generation smart meters and smart grid equipment in a comprehensive, end-to-end system. CyanConnode’s technology will support HM Power as its IoT network develops, enabling interoperability between any third-party device or technology, and alternative HM Power customer networks. HM Power will be able to add services and capabilities individually or collectively as customer demands evolve, whilst being supported at all stages by CyanConnode’s flexible platform and experienced partner ecosystem.
The results
CyanConnode’s solution provides highly secure, bidirectional communication between HM Power’s utility customer and its consumers, enabling always-on smart metering functionality and is delivering a meter reading success rate of 99.92% over 24 hours. The platform enhances HM Power’s service delivery, improves business efficiency and saves energy through improved revenue collection, reporting analytics and enables other functionality such as grid optimisation, demand response and asset management. CyanConnode’s narrowband mesh technology is easy to implement and will allow HM Power to build its networks as they deploy the solution, supporting its customer’s cash flow, up-time and end-to-end security.
HM Power’s consumers also benefit, as the optimised AMI network allows them to measure and control their energy consumption, benefit from time of use tariffs, improving cost management and budgeting.
“The Swedish market is now implementing nextgeneration technologies to support both IoT sensor applications that enable smart grid solutions, and AMI solutions,” says Anders Hjort, the chief executive of HM Power. “Since 2000, HM Power has been a leading supplier of smart metering (AMI) solutions in Sweden. With a large customer base, HM Power is now well positioned to provide next generation smart meters and smart grid equipment. CyanConnode’s IPv6 based solution delivers flexible, cost-effective communications for single and multi-application networks.”
