Validér AS, a service provider formed by 21 grid companies in western Norway, has entered a strategic business agreement with Powel AS, a software and services provider for the energy sector. Through the contract, Powel and its project sub-suppliers Oracle and e-vita, will provide the IT platform needed for implementing the largest smart metering project in Norway to date, initially including 400.000 smart metering points.
The introduction of smart metering for end-customers allows for automated recording of the customer’s electric energy consumption in intervals of an hour or less. The meter recordings will be collected using the Powel ELIN system improving process automation, monitoring and control of the distribution system. In addition to measuring electrical consumption the system will gather information of the voltage level, improve outage management and help identify any earth failures. As a result, these features will provide the grid companies with necessary and significantly improved information for planning, operating and maintain the medium- and low-voltage distribution system.
Powel and its solution support a wide variety of meter types and communication technologies – functionality that is central for the success of the Validér concept. It fully supports advanced metering management processes, independent of meter brand and communication protocol.
Validér will act as the service provider for smart meter operations and will manage and operate Powel’s system for collection and processing of all metering data. The company will provide and support the integration of the central system to elhub.no and the grid companies, ERP and Network Information Systems (NIS).
