The collector also transmits commands to individual or groups of TUNet LAN devices, allowing PES staff to read or query a specific meter remotely if, for instance, a customer calls to verify a bill or if power-quality issues need to be investigated. Smart meters enable PES to precisely monitor consumption and voltage blinks, sags and swells, as well as instantly detect outages and verify restorations. They also give control center staff the ability to read in/out new customers and troubleshoot problems from the operations center. Reporting parameters can be changed remotely, so performance metrics can be adjusted without a site visit.

In turn, each meter endpoint can serve as a gateway to the home. When the time is right, which is likely sooner rather than later, PES will be able to add smart thermostats (or in-home displays) to its demand-response efforts. Customers can then get up-to-the-minute notifications about consumption status and current kilowatt-hour energy costs, and receive signal when load control events are in effect. PES also can define different load-control packages so customer's can enroll in the program that best fits their lifestyle and budget goals.

WIRELESS FOR RURAL REACH

What about the majority of customers in Giles County not on the FTTH network? The majority of PES customers live well beyond the Pulaski city limits. PES had to determine how those customers would get Smart Grid connectivity, as providing them with the same degree of service and reliability is a top priority.

One reason for implementing AMI came from the advantages gained by automating service to customers on the edges of the utility's service territory. Since PES operates more than 1200 miles (1931 km) of electric line in Giles County, eliminating truck rolls to remote farms and outlying communities would immediately remove high-cost reads and ensure that all customers receive the same high level of service, regardless of location.

Extending FTTH to far-flung communities and isolated farms is not practical at this time. For this reason, PES sought an AMI system that could operate in both wired and wireless worlds, and transition effectively as its system needs changed. Here, the Tantalus 220-MHz radio-frequency WAN was ideally suited. PES gets county-wide coverage from a single radio tower. This allows the utility to deploy smart meters at the farthest corners of its service territory and do so in a very quick and economical manner.

Rather than building out the network step by step, PES can set deployment priorities and place smart meters in hard-to-reach locations. Furthermore, the RF network provides redundancy and simple migration to the FTTH network, which can help guarantee the level of system reliability PES strives to achieve and manage its overall life-cycle costs. Although the AMI system operates in both fiber and RF environments, at the core it is a single network.

The FTTH and RF WAN collectors work in exactly the same way, the only difference is in how the data is transmitted back to the PES office. All data — incoming and outgoing messages, outage alerts and time-stamped reads — is processed and stored in a central TUNet server. The utility avoids the costs and complexities that would have resulted from maintaining two completely disparate networks and the computer systems, applications and skilled people needed to make them work.

PES chose TUNet because it is a communications network and application suite that addresses much more than metering. It will enable the utility to implement demand-response and energy-efficiency programs and in-home displays as needed and to whatever degree desired without having to start over or retool the entire network. This clears the path for adopting a full range of Smart Grid services and creating a distribution system where consumers and utilities play an active role in reducing both consumption and costs.

GIGABITS AND A GREEN GRID

The Smart Grid program combined with FTTH creates a win-win situation for the utility and its customers. PES can immediately tighten operations and save money. Plus, the utility can offer advanced communications choices, the likes of which are rarely found outside of big cities. For most, the obvious impact of FTTH will be watching the University of Tennessee football games, for better rather than worse this season, on HDTV. But the opportunities it offers the Pulaski economy are virtually unlimited.

Businesses will be able to move large amounts of information at lightening speeds, securely and with unequalled reliability. This is an attractive proposition for residents who prefer to telecommute to jobs in Nashville, Huntsville or anywhere in the world.

The Smart Grid technology enables PES to bring long-term value to its customers by improving the utility's operational efficiency and allowing the utility and its customers to play an active role in reducing consumption together. This can go a long way toward offsetting the rising costs of energy and put Pulaski in the best position to meet its future economic and electricity needs.

Wes Kelley is executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Pulaski Electric System. He is responsible for customer service, billing, metering, marketing and information technology. Kelley has worked in public power for nearly 10 years in both Tennessee and Michigan.wkelley@pulaskielectric.org