AMP’s Advanced Metering Program
October 15, 2015
George Bjelovuk, AMP Project Manager
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Redefining AMP’s Strategy
AMP’s recognition of market drivers
• Changing regulatory environment
• IOU decrease in generation investment and increase in
transmission investment
• Expansion of renewable generation capacity
• Growing customer interest in demand-side efficiency and
management
• Proliferation of distributed generation
Eight cross-functional teams working to redefine
AMP’s Strategic Plan and Objectives
• One of the teams is focused on helping AMP members with the
deployment of technology in the operation of their business
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Redefining AMP’s Strategy
What we know…
• The utility industry business is increasing its use of technology - in
the business, in field equipment, and by customers
• Our member municipalities have an emerging need
– Skill & talent not locally available
• Our operations are becoming more vulnerable to attack
– Cybersecurity engineering is of paramount importance
Members have recognized AMP’s ability to effectively
manage bulk power purchases and power supply
contracts
• AMP’s Board has identified the need to support members in their
adoption of technology in their operations
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Redefining AMP’s Strategy
One of the eight teams is focused on technology
enablement - “Hosted Solutions"
• AMP members are evaluating many technologies in the
distribution and customer operations parts of the business
• Vendors, distributors, and independent providers have identified
the need within small municipal utility operators
• The term – “Hosted Solutions” – is reflective of what the
marketplace refers to these services
– Vendors providing these services to individual members
AMP assembled a group of member municipalities
and staff to begin collaborations
• Known as the “Smart Grid Advisory Committee”
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Smart Grid Advisory Committee
AMP Smart Grid Advisory Committee
• Formed about 18 months ago to facilitate exchange of information
among Members interested in smart grid technologies
• Common interest among members in advanced metering
Leidos Engineering Study, 2014
• Modeled several scenarios for members
– Each municipality deploying meters, networks, systems
– Each municipality using a commercial hosting provider
– Single hosting provider for all members
– AMP-developed hosting services for all members
Identified the need for an “Owner’s Engineer & Project Manager”
• Selected George Bjelovuk – utility operations and consulting
experience
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AMP’s Smart Grid Program
Project launched on January 6, 2015
• Focus on simplifying AMI adoption for AMP members
• Recognize variability among member’s requirements
Pilot member utilities’ benefits
• Aggregating purchasing of equipment
• Mitigating the risks associated with local deployment of major
technology components like Meter Data Management Systems
• Support business case & financial modeling
• Assistance with presentations to leadership, where required
• Provide collateral material for customer communications
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Member Business Drivers
• Address aging meter assets equipment
– Handheld/drive-by equipment is aging
– Water meter modules near end-of-life (batteries)
– Stopped or under-registering meters
• Improve customer service
– Surrounding utilities providing internet access to interval data
– Enhanced customer communication
• Support for emerging needs – rates, distributed generation
– Distributed generation (e.g. solar) metering requirements
– Changes in rate design – TOU, demand metering, seasonal rates
• Defer complexity of technology management
– Technically-skilled employees may be difficult to attract & retain
– Vendor relationships different from existing products & services
– Distribution grid management – automation, Volt/VAR control
• Seek ways to reduce acquisition cost
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Current State - HHMR
Billing
System
• Manual meter reading process
• Aging meters, handheld equipment
• Support for new rates
• “Smart grid” platform & customer expectations
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Advanced Metering Evolution - AMR
Meters
Billing
System
Meters replaced with “One-Way” RF System;
Reading with “drive by” equipment
• Improves efficiency (less estimates, lockouts)
• Continued shortcomings on advanced rates,
smart grid capabilities, & customer expectations 9
Advanced Metering Evolution - AMI
AMI
Head-End
Field Infrastructure
Communications Network, “Backhaul”
(fiber, wireless, cellular)
Billing
System
Simplest form of Advanced Metering
• Remote reading
• Introduces two-way capabilities
• Capable of remote connect & disconnect
Smart
Meters
Collectors
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Advanced Metering Evolution - AMI
• Deployment
& support of IT systemsField
requires
Back Office Infrastructure
Infrastructure
AMI may be difficult to attract
specialized
resources
that
Outage
Customer Utility
Smart
MDM
Head-End
viewer
Portal Portal
Meters
and retain
for AMP member municipalities
Collectors
• Managing relationships with a new group of vendors
̶
Utility equipment distributors
Backhelp
Haul with this, but only
with the vendors they represent
• AMI projects require several key skill sets:
̶
Effective presentations to leadership
Billing
Utility
Owned –
̶ Engagement
of the community
System
Traditional “On-Premise”
̶ Cost/benefit analysis
̶ Project Management
• Independent action loses opportunity to achieve
economies of scale from collaborative action
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Commercially Hosted Solutions
Utility Systems
Outage Customer Utility
viewer
Portal Portal
MDM
AMI
Head-End
• Expertise deferred to Hosted Solutions Provider
Field
Infrastructure
Smart
Meters
• Reliance on vendors and distributors to interact with
municipality’s leadership
Infrastructure & Applications
Collectors
Back
Haul
• Varying
degrees
of
maturity
among
vendor
and
provided as a Service
distributor’s project management skills
Billing
System
• Many Individual municipality contracts with multiple
providers
AMP AMI Project - Status
• First phase of project was to complete “member
outreach”
– Identifying AMP members who had interest in moving forward
collaboratively with their AMI project
• Eleven Municipalities, 108,897 meters (goal = 85,000)
– Bryan, OH
– Piqua, OH
– Berlin, MD
– Tipp City, OH
– Dover, OH
– Seaford, DE
– Ephrata, PA
– Versailles, OH
– Newton Falls, OH
– Zelienople, PA
– Painesville, OH
AMI Vendor Landscape
is COMPLICATED!
Meters
Elster L+G
GE
Sensus
Itron Tantalus
Networks
Cooper Sensus
Elster SilverSpring
Itron
Tantalus
L+G
Tropos
Back Office Systems
Cooper
L+G
Electsolve Meter Sense
eMeter
Oracle
GE
OSISoft
Leidos
PrimeRead
Software-as-a-Service
Leidos
UtiliSmart
GE
System Integrators & Project Managers: Wipro, Leidos Engineering
RFI/RFP Process
RFI issued to 23 vendors on March 27, received 24 responses
ABB/Tropos
GE
Mueller
OSISoft
Tantalus
Aclara
Itron
Systems
PrimeRead
UMS
Eaton
L+G
nDimensions
Sensus
Utilismart
Electsolve
Leidos
Nexgrid
Siemens
Wipro*
Elster
MeterSense
Oracle
Silver Spring
*Unsolicited RFI response; no response from italicized vendor; demonstrations by bolded vendors
Pilot Member Workshop on May 13
• Short list of Vendors selected
RFP released on July 6; responses received on July 31
Comparative analysis prepared and reviewed with initial members
Finalizing the program and preparing a proposal for approval
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Business Confidential - Do Not Distribute
AMP Advanced Metering Solution
Back Office Infrastructure
Outage Customer Utility
Portal Portal
viewer
MDM
Utility Systems
AMI
Head-End
Field
Infrastructure
Meters
Wireless
Network
AMP Managed Systems
Billing
System
AMP AMI Program –
Value Proposition for Members
• Bulk pricing on field components
• Financing options
• Support for AMI deployment - project management, customer
outreach and presentations to municipality’s leadership
• One number to call – AMP personnel you already know
• AMP will manage vendor relationships
• AMP staff will managing the functional components – readings not
coming in, collectors down, etc.
• Sharing of best practices
• Sharing of IT labor & resources – attract/retain/compensate staff
AMI Program Subscription
• Subscription will begin with the eleven initial
members
• Additional members will be accommodated and
integrated into the overall project plan
throughout 2016
• AMP Financing options are available
18
AMI Program Summary
• Key Observations
– Building a best of breed solution
– Commitment of AMP staff & resources
• Continued support for AMP member utility
operations
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Hosted Solutions – Future
Options?
• Like the AMI Program, others potential efforts will
involve collaboration among members
• Member outreach has identified other areas of
member interest
–
–
–
–
Customer information & billing systems
After-hours customer support
Demand response systems and technologies
Distributed generation integration & operating support
• AMP is committed to helping its members effectively
deploy advanced technologies in their operations
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Thank You!
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