Networked Energy Services Expands Patagonia Energy Applications Platform Suite

NES Creates Low Voltage Grid Analytics to Help Utilities Reduce Technical Losses

San Jose, October 3, 2017: Networked Energy Services Corporation (NES), a global smart grid market leader with the industry’s leading Energy Applications Platform (EAP™), announced today the launch of the Low Voltage Grid Mapper and Energy Balancer Applications for its Patagonia Platform. These applications enable utilities to map and maintain the connectivity model of their distribution network to reduce network planning costs and optimize transformer utilization as distributed generation, which industry experts expect annual installations to double within 10 years, increases across the global energy sector.

Low Voltage Grid Mapper is the analytics foundation of the Energy Applications Platform and provides the essential visibility of the Low Voltage grid infrastructure through innovative use of features embedded throughout the field device and communication technology already deployed for smart metering projects without the use of additional sensors. By mapping and maintaining the low voltage grid connectivity model and optionally integrating with a GIS system, a utility can significantly reduce field operations costs by avoiding redundant site visits by using accurate information about the topology of their electrical grid.

Energy Balancer allows distribution system operators to quickly assess power quality issues and load imbalances caused by residential solar and electrical vehicles charging installations.  Utilities can take preventive action based on these insights to extend transformer life, reduce field visits, and prevent outages and avoiding costly regulatory outage penalties caused by equipment failure.

“These Patagonia grid analytics and efficiency applications help us to better understand what additional value can be obtained with the NES Patagonia platform beyond the smart metering application benefits. In addition, having both the operational insights and the ability to automate and maintain the grid topology model enables us to respond to outage identification and verification significantly more efficiently,” said Lars Garpetun from Vattenfall Distribution.

“More than 95 million smart electricity meters will ship globally in 2017 as the pace of smart grid technology adoption accelerates,” said David Green, Research Manager, Smart Utilities Infrastructure at IHS Markit. “However, the rollout of technology alone provides little return to the utilities or back to their rate-paying consumers. Data platforms, software, and services from smart meter vendors are therefore increasingly important within each utility’s technology roadmap in order to maximise their return from any smart grid investment.  From helping consumers to better visualise their energy usage, to using live metering and sensor data for low voltage grid monitoring solutions, these types of solutions help DSOs to reduce distribution losses and improve quality of service.”

“Our Patagonia software solutions provide secure methods for the collection and management of an array of connected grid devices,” said Kip Gering, Vice President of Marketing and Product Management for NES. “These new applications focus on providing business outcomes associated with the smart grid challenges of distributed generation beyond just smart metering and can unlock additional savings to better manage the ever increasing adoption of solar and electric vehicles.”

About Networked Energy Services Corporation (NES)
Networked Energy Services Corporation is a global smart energy leader in the worldwide transformation of the electricity grid into an energy control network, enabling utilities to provide their customers with a more efficient and reliable service, to protect their systems from current and emerging cybersecurity threats, and to offer innovative new services that enable active, intelligence use of energy. NES was formed as a result of the spinoff of Echelon Corporation’s Grid Modernization Division in October 2014. NES is headquartered in the US with R&D centers located in Silicon Valley, North Dakota and Poland, and sales offices throughout the world. NES’ smart grid technology is used in nearly 40 million smart meters and other smart end devices around the world. NES is a member of the OSGP Alliance, a global association of utilities and smart grid companies, which promotes the Open Smart Grid Protocol and cooperates to provide utilities greater value by enabling true, independently-certified, multi-vendor interoperability based upon open international specifications and standards.  You can find out more information about NES, its Patagonia Energy Applications PlatformTM (including grid management software, distributed control nodes, and smart meters) and services at: www.networkedenergy.com.