Electric Cities of Georgia Names Tantalus as Preferred AMI Solutions Provider for Member Base of 52 Public Power Systems
Hosted AMI solution and AMR to AMI migration strategies to provide
multiple cost-effective smart grid options designed for public power
Electric
Cities of Georgia (ECG), a joint action professional services
organization representing the interests of 52 public power systems in
Georgia, and Tantalus
Systems have jointly announced the formation of a partnership in
support of expanding electric and multi-commodity AMI and smart grid
application solutions throughout the state of Georgia. The partnership
names Tantalus as the Preferred Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
solutions provider for ECG member utilities.
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Tantalus and ECG will collaborate to offer member utilities a variety of
options to deploy AMI and smart grid solutions, including the ability to
efficiently migrate existing Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) technology to
a robust two-way AMI platform by remotely collecting readings from
legacy electric, water and gas encoder receiver transmitter (ERT)
devices. The offering will also provide members with an option to
utilize a hosted service to offset the up-front capital investments in
IT infrastructure typically required to support AMI deployments.
Tantalus will enable ECG utilities to access a wide range of integrated
applications such as prepay, remote disconnect/reconnect, outage
management, water leak detection and metering data analytics on a single
network.
“ECG’s role is to serve as an advocate on behalf of our member
utilities,” remarked John Giles, President & CEO of ECG. “After
conducting a comprehensive technology review process, ECG is confident
in its recommendation of the Tantalus solution for our members.
Tantalus’ unique ability to read existing ERT technology with a two-way
AMI network provides utilities with an economical path to automate the
collection of consumption and billing data from electric, water and gas
meters. By incorporating a hosted solution in the model, we can expand
the range of services that ECG offers while mitigating ‘resources
constraints’ as a barrier to broader smart grid adoption. We are pleased
to have identified Tantalus as a trusted partner that will work closely
with us to strengthen the performance and reliability of member
distribution networks across the state.”
“Tantalus is honored to work alongside the team at ECG to provide a
scalable path to full smart grid automation which is easily attainable
by all utilities, regardless of size,” said Peter Londa, President & CEO
of Tantalus. “Partnering with Joint Action Agencies to deliver
technology solutions which are in alignment with the shared goals and
objectives of those Agencies and their members provides Tantalus with a
unique opportunity to expand our presence in the municipal and
cooperative utility sector. We are excited to build new long-term
partnerships in Georgia as we continue to deliver quantifiable value to
all utility stakeholders and consumers.”
TUNet® – the Tantalus Utility Network – is designed to simultaneously
support multiple data-driven applications such as AMI, Distribution
Automation (DA), streetlight control and load management on a single,
software-definable platform. Each TUNet endpoint utilizes an embedded
multi-core distributed computing processor with a Linux-based operating
system, enabling end point devices to form an interconnected control
environment at the edge of the network. This intelligent architecture is
coupled with abundant RAM and flash memory in each device to support
additional applications, ensuring flexibility and future scalability for
the utility while immediately reducing operating costs, improving
response time to events and improving customer service. Tantalus is also
fully integrated with a broad ecosystem of leading utility solution
partners for seamless interoperability in diverse operating environments.
Additionally, TUNet is capable of enhancing existing AMR investments,
such as ERT infrastructure, with bi-directional communications. This
strategic approach drives down capital and operational expenses while
increasing the ROI of existing investments. With this method, utilities
can extend the useful life of existing un-depreciated infrastructure
while immediately capturing the benefits of smart grid. Since the
introduction of the ERT-reading solution last year, more than 20
municipal and cooperative utilities, including ECG members Marietta
Power and Water and the City of Blakely, are now automated with TUNet
and have gained access to a full suite of ROI-building advanced
applications.
About Tantalus
Tantalus provides a two-way, multi-purpose platform that enables access
to data to power advanced Smart Grid applications for monitoring and
control of electric, water and gas municipal and cooperative utilities.
TUNet® – the Tantalus Utility Network – is an award winning end-to-end
WAN/FAN/LAN/Grid Edge communications system that utilizes IP-based
networks including Fiber, WiMAX and cellular as well as 220 & 900 MHz
wireless RF. TUNet is purpose built for the Smart Grid and unites
utility applications through distributed computing capability embedded
at every endpoint. The result is enhanced value across all utility
departments through solutions such as automated metering, outage
management, power quality monitoring, load management and distribution
automation that are both cost-effective and practical to deploy
throughout urban and rural service areas. For more information, please
visit www.tantalus.com.
About ECG
Electric Cities of Georgia (ECG) was formally created in 1992 as a
non-profit trade association providing cost-effective utility
professional resource support; state-wide and local economic development
services; key relationship facilitation with ECG Members and their
stakeholders; and both utility and non-utility educational opportunities
for 52 public power systems in the State of Georgia. In addition, ECG
provides Training & Safety programs for public power systems in Florida
and Alabama. In 2009, ECG was reconstituted to allow for providing
support services to expand beyond the electric business into water,
sewer, natural gas and telecom utility enterprises within the 52 ECG
Members. For more information, please visit www.ecoga.org.
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