The Recipe for Smart Cities: How Utilities are Paving the Way for Resourceful Communities

The digital transformation of the utility industry is proceeding apace, with many utilities extending beyond their traditional offerings and embracing innovative new services for the communities they serve. The momentum has continued with our recently announced expansions at Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) and Tampa Electric (TECO).

So why exactly are utilities well-positioned to lead the way, and how do they do it?

First, it’s important to understand the alignment between utility and city modernization objectives. For cities, modernization means applying digital infrastructure to improve community services, reach sustainability goals, create economic opportunities and enhance the quality of life for citizens. Utilities have applied a similar approach in their efforts to increase visibility and control of their distribution assets, so there is a natural fit for utilities that are exploring new service offerings for cities.

Smart LED lighting is among the most popular smart city applications being deployed today. Beyond the energy savings of the LED streetlight, smart lighting offers a wide range of benefits, including enhanced safety, support for time-of-use pricing, increased customer satisfaction, and faster service restoration. Given these benefits, it should come as no surprise that utilities are among the leading adopters of smart street lighting.

As the market-leading provider of smart lighting solutions, according to a recent report by the Northeast Group, Itron has deployed multi-application industrial IoT networks in some of the largest metropolitan regions in North America, such as Chicago, Miami and New York City. For utilities considering a smart lighting initiative, taking the first step may seem like a daunting challenge, but Itron offers a proven platform and approach with a strong business case that delivers results.

While every utility will have differing strategic priorities, regulatory environments and operational challenges, having access to robust, reliable and secure connectivity is fundamental to enable new services, ranging from intelligent transportation and sustainability to safety and digital services. Our proven solution offers several distinct advantages for utilities that are evaluating a smart lighting initiative:

• Flexible deployment: You can address your highest priority use cases, while laying the foundational infrastructure to support future applications more cost-effectively as business priorities evolve.
• Intelligent Connectivity: We understand that there is no one-size-fits-all technology for critical infrastructure applications. Itron offers connectivity expertise that is second to none. We understand how to apply the right technology for the right use case. In fact, our mesh-connected streetlights can actually strengthen network performance.
• Ease of Integration: Our IPv6 networks utilize widely adopted industry standards, such as Wi-SUN and TALQ, to enable an open ecosystem of interoperable solutions.
• Maximizing ROI: Taking a platform approach allows utilities to leverage shared infrastructure and expertise to support advanced metering, distribution automation assets and streetlights. With the appropriate regulatory approvals, this common platform approach can help significantly reduce the cost and complexity of deploying and maintaining your system.
• Guaranteed Performance: Our solutions are backed by service level agreements (SLAs) to guarantee the performance required to deliver on the business case and duration of the project, while minimizing investment risk for your utility.
• Future-ready: Itron’s open ecosystem and developer program provide you with the flexibility you need to design, develop and deploy breakthrough solutions as your needs evolve.

We know that sometimes seeing such a platform live can make the difference, which is why we have a quick and easy way for you to deploy a trial version of our solution. In addition to lighting, we offer a wide range of pre-integrated solutions from our open ecosystem of partners, including gas leak detection, air quality management and many more.

Interested in learning more? Our expert solution architects can craft a plan to help you achieve your digital modernization objectives while maximizing value to your consumers. Contact us today to get started.

Visiting DistribuTECH 2019 in New Orleans? Stop by our booth #10115 to see our breakthrough technology in action and for a chance to win a pair of Apple AirPods!