Where is Smart Grid Deployment headed?

I just read an article by Jesse Berst in Smart Grid News.Com who provides what I believe to be a very good "road map" for the evolution for the Smart Grid.

Instrument & Interconnect

The industry is clearly in the instrument & interconnect phase of deployment and has been in various spits and spurts since 2008.  We have seen an increased focus starting in early 2011.  We believe this is being driven by two factors, first many of the Smart Grid Grants received in 2009 have build out commitments that must be met of for the utilities to retain their grant funds.  Second, progressive utilities have come to realize that there is not going to be any spectrum allocated by the FCC for smart grid and have made the decision to think creatively and realistically about their real bandwidth and throughput requirements.

What has been deployed so far are millions of Smart Meters operating primarily on networks consisting of mesh like protocols operating in the unlicensed spectrum space in the ISM band, talking to collector points strategically located throughout their operating territories.  Today, the stubble is how to aggregate the data from the collector points and feed the data securely into the Utilities data center.  We have managed in the last three years to go from reading meters once a month to reading millions of meter an average of 3000 times per month, literally creating an avalanche of data that shows up every 15 minutes at the utility billing and operations centers.  This data, in such granularity, will provide huge insight into the utility networks load and has the potential, properly managed, to transform the utility industry. But for now, the industry is basically just reading a lot of meters more accurately than ever, more frequently than ever, and beginning to "mine" this data.  The full potential value of the automated meter data will evolve as the industry entera into the automate and transact phase.

While the initial deployment of the Smart Grid has been dominated by the deployment of Smart Meters, the industry is continuing to Instrument and Interconnect with the planning and implementation of Distribution Automation (DA) and Demand Response (DR) technologies.  These technologies while not complex are not yet being deployed as rapidly as the Smart Meters.  DA/DR technologies are rapidly evolving and when fully deployed will provide utilities with the ability to pro-actively monitor and manage their distribution networks and the result will be more reliable, more efficiently operated networks.  

In an upcoming post I will talk about the networks and the spectrum available, that are being used to deploy the evolving DA/DR devices.

Marc

Carriers are warning that there simply isn't enough spectrum

There is no doubt that wireless networks are growing exponentially and in fact the rapid adoption of SmartPhones and Tablets are driving more and more demand for streaming video services.  Verizon is proposing to solve it's spectrum crunch by buying spectrum from cable companies such as Comcast, Cox and Time Warner.  This is an interesting play, Verizon is willing to fork over $3.9 billion for spectrum from the cable industry (acquired in various auctions over the years) and trying to sweeten the deal by offering to drive revenue to its network and Verizon's cable partners by delivering content in real time to their subscribers. And it eliminates wireless carrier competition at the same time.

While the business idea is intriguing, if there is a spectrum crunch as the carriers are saying, then won't this plan of driving more useless video drivel to be delivered in real time on the already overtaxed wireless networks just add to the spectrum problem?  Seems to me that it would indeed!

Makes me wonder if carriers really are experience any spectrum shortage!

Marc

NTIA Finds 95 MHz of Spectrum for wireless proposes shaing!

The headline above appeared this week in Fierce Wireless.  On the surface this is great news for wireless users, particularly for carriers who need more spectrum to expand networks, and especially for LightSquared.  You all remember LightSquared, backed by Obama support Phillip Falcone and who is threading to sue the pants off the taxpayers to recover Mr. Falcone's $3 billion investment.  Do not be surprised to hear in coming months, that LightSquared has been . . . "awarded access to 30 MHz nationwide, of the 95 MHz freed up at taxpayer expense, by NTIA"!  Of course that will make Mr. Falcone's invest worth $30 billion again and position him to funnel even more campaign contributions to the re-election campaigns of politicians who, "understand the value of bringing broadband service to more American's thus taking a step closer to closing the ever growing "broadband divide".

Of course, as I sometimes do, I digress.  It really is good news for all users that NTIA is at least "mining" some spectrum.  But I caution all non-carrier, non-public safety users, DO NOT GET EXCITED about this press release by NTIA because as NTIA points out, "One of the issues the NTIA identified in moving federal users out of the spectrum is that, given the growing demand for spectrum by both industry and the federal agencies, it is increasingly tough to find spectrum to move from and into.

Additionally, the NTIA said its analysis of the cost of a complete relocation of the 95 MHz raises questions as to whether the proceeds from auctioning the spectrum will exceed federal relocation costs, as required by law. The NTIA also said that some of the federal systems in this band may require more than a decade to relocate, which could further complicate deployment of commercial wireless broadband."

So our council is to go forward keeping an eye on the spectrum, which L&W will do for our clients, and be ready to move quickly if and when there is something more than press release about spectrum put forth by NTIA.

Marc