EnergyAxis Webcast Q&A
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Q. What support does EnergyAxis provide for IHD interoperability?
A. EnergyAxis supports multiple methods of enabling communications to in-premise devices. Today Elster offers solutions that include use of ZigBee Smart Energy Profile and we also support communications using EnergyAxis 900MHz technology. Multiple ZigBee and 900MHz displays options are available from Elster partners. Please contact your Elster representative for a comprehensive list of IHD partners.
Q. Much of our service area is in rural areas. What solutions are available, or in planning, to extend coverage into remote/rural areas?
A. There are multiple options to address coverage in rural areas, with the best solution depending on an analysis of the specific area(s) in question. EnergyAxis is currently being used in rural areas today and in many cases the EnergyAxis LAN will provide sufficient coverage. A rural “pocket” of devices is frequently accessed by establishing connectivity to Gatekeepers in the area using one of a variety of WAN options (for example, cellular, satellite, private radio or others). Further, optional external antennas are available on all gatekeepers and also on all metering points. Though we typically find that these antennae are not necessary, they can be used to enhance coverage of the EnergyAxis LAN when and where needed. This year we are introducing EnergyAxis repeaters, and as noted in our webcast we are also extending the LAN’s mesh depth from 8 to 16 hops. Both of these solutions will extend the reach of the EnergyAxis LAN and further improve performance in rural areas. For very isolated single-point solutions, we typically recommend a direct WAN connection to the endpoint; however this usually represents an extremely small portion of the overall system.
Q. Please describe the process where software on installed equipment is updated remotely and what steps you are taking to keep installed equipment from going obsolete.
A. Firmware updates to field devices are initiated with the EnergyAxis Management System (EA_MS). The EA_MS securely distributes an encrypted image of the new firmware image to the Gatekeepers along with a list of the specific end devices which should receive that image. The Gatekeepers then independently manage the distribution of the image to the specified devices in their subnet using a broadcast mechanism. This is a great example of the distributed intelligence of the EnergyAxis system and assures that all desired upgrades are reliably accomplished with a minimum amount of WAN and LAN communications. EA_MS contacts the Gatekeeper periodically to check status and controls the eventual message to “activate” the new firmware once receipt of the new image has been verified by all of the end devices. For a more in-depth discussion on this process, please contact your local Elster representative.
Q. You do need an integrated model of the power system, main generation, renewables, storage and distributed controllable resources to evaluate the best way to run to reduce/remove fossil fuel burn. My specialized subject over many years.
A. We agree. EnergyAxis smart grid solutions allow for bi-directional metering and multiple channels of interval metering at the revenue meter. Elster also offers measurement devices that can be placed at co-generation sites so the exact status of the co-generation can be known and understood across the grid and made available to any applications attempting to minimize the use of fossil fuels.