PG&E opts for Landis+Gyr as one of its primary AMI suppliers

Landis+Gyr has signed a four-year contract to supply a major portion of the planned deployment of more than five million advanced electric meters to Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).

The San Francisco-based utility plans to deploy Landis+Gyr Focus advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) meters to empower residential and small business customers in Northern and Central California.

Landis+Gyr's electric meter contract is part of PG&E's SmartMeter programme. Through this initiative, PG&E is rolling out advanced metering technology to its entire customer base, including over four million natural gas and five million electric customer accounts. As per the information available, this $1.7 billion deployment ranks as one of the largest ever undertaken in the US.

The company added that some of the services and products under the agreement are contingent on regulatory approval as part of PG&E's SmartMeter Programme Upgrade.

PG&E recently began billing a portion of its customers on data collected through its SmartMeter automated metering infrastructure. This data has been consolidated and validated using the meter data management solution provided by Bloomington, MN-based Ecologic Analytics, which is part owned by Landis+Gyr.

Silver Spring Networks raises $75 million from VCs

Silver Spring Networks, a provider of smart grid technology solutions, has received $75 million VC funding, led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers' (KPCB) Green Growth Fund.

The new funding, a portion of which has been reserved for strategic partners, included returning investors Foundation Capital, JVB Properties, and Northgate Capital.

The investment will help Silver Spring Networks to expand globally, according to John Doerr, KPCB Partner.

KPCB stated that Silver Spring Networks has the only true smart grid platform "which has been proven at scale". The technology allows utilities to enhance the reliability and quality of their services while at the same giving them the potential to better utilise power generating capacity, reduce carbon emissions, and improve operating efficiency.

The company's technology, which is based on the Internet Protocol suite, also enables consumers to become informed participants in managing energy consumption.

Silver Spring Networks provides its technology, systems, and services to customers including Florida Power & Light Company, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Modesto Irrigation District, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Consumers Energy, and others.

PGE considers new demand-response options

Portland General Electric (PGE), a vertically integrated electric utility, is looking for new demand-response options.

PGE, which serves approximately 813,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon, has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to prospective third-party providers to supply capacity that could help PGE manage its load during periods of peak power demand by organising qualifying customers to temporarily reduce their use of electricity.

The utility, which has been working on finding ways to partner with its customers to help meet the demand for electricity in its service territory, is targeting demand response programmes, which are designed to be activated on short notice to reduce the demand for electricity during times of stress on the grid.

The RFP calls for proposals for 50 megawatts (MW) of demand response peak capacity, with a deadline of October 29, 2008 for capacity available by December 2009.

On the new initiative, Joe Barra, director of customer energy resources, PGE said, “We see this as a way to help meet our customers’ need for reliable electricity, manage power costs, and reduce our impact on the environment.”

Customers who participate in demand response programmes typically receive some sort of incentive for reducing load on the system, while the utility benefits by having access to power at a lower cost than might be available on the wholesale market during peak periods.

Recently, while sharing its second quarter results, Peggy Fowler, CEO and president, PGE said that the utility is moving forward with its new smart-metering technology. Approximately 16,000 new meters are being installed as part of the project’s six-month systems testing phase, with the remaining meters to be installed by the end of 2010. PGE expects the smart-metering project to provide improved services as well as operational efficiencies and cost savings.

PGE’s net income for the six months ended June 30, 2008, was $67 million.