Aclara, St. Louis, Missouri, has announced significant enhancements to its fifth-generation kV2c commercial and industrial (C&I) meter. This will make it easier for utilities to optimize existing grid infrastructures.
One major enhancement permits utilities to deliver reliable power through better management of overvoltage and surge events. The enhancement eliminates the need to replace meters following overvoltage and allows utilities to ride through overvoltage events safely.
Another improvement provides expanded processing power and memory that permits backward compatibility to all previous fifth-generation kV2c meters. This feature ensures future-proof products for utilities and their C&I customers to meet the ever-changing needs of today's grid.
"What makes the fifth-generation kV2c such an effective smart meter is its phenomenal flexibility and scale. It gives our customers a genuinely future-proof meter that meets the growing needs of their businesses while at the same time driving down operational costs," said Allan Connolly, president of Aclara and divisional vice president of Hubbell Power Systems.
"With their overvoltage handling, increased processing power and expanded memory, this new generation of meters can handle the data requirements of new applications such as Volt/VAR optimization and distributed energy. And like previous kV2c meters, this fifth generation is a simple integration for all of Aclara's AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) partners and their AMI solutions," added Connolly.
With more than two million units already in place, the kV2c line of C&I meters is the most widely deployed smart meter in the C&I market. Its new features also improve operational benefits such as safety, lower total cost of ownership and generate a higher return on investment for the utility.
