Itron reportedly has announced that it has introduced the latest robotic technology to significantly ramp up the production capacity of its OpenWay CENTRON smart meters at its Oconee Manufacturing Facility in West Union, S.C.
“OpenWay has been specifically designed to offer robust data collection, customer empowerment and smart grid realization—it’s part of our commitment to bringing to market the very best in smart metering technology,” said Malcolm Unsworth, president and chief executive officer of Itron. “Our new automation system and enhanced manufacturing strategies further reflect this commitment.”
Officials at the company claimed that officials were invited from electric, gas and water utilities throughout North America, as well as local elected officials and Itron partners to witness the equipment, which was based on lean manufacturing principles and designed exclusively to meet the demand for its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system, OpenWay.
Itron claimed it is also expecting increased demand from smart grid initiatives outlined in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Advanced metering, or smart meters, is one of the key technologies required to enable several of the smart grid characteristics identified by a Department of Energy task force.
A recent report claimed that ARRA has allotted $11 billion, of the total $63 billion towards energy, for smart grid initiatives till end 2010, and the public, private, and consumer factors are all driving this growth.
A recent market research analysis report indicated that eight million smart meters have already been deployed in the U.S. and the associated Residential Energy Management market segment is almost guaranteed to sustain significant growth, and the deployment of so many meters – with more in the pipeline, and the U.S. government extending its full support – is the first step for REM towards deploying Smart Grid technologies and AMI on a broad scale.
A “Smart Grid” has internet connectivity so that signals can be sent and received for each and every connected and authorized device. For example, in this case, smart meters. In a broader sense, the Smart Grid concept creators envisaged that the entire grid would work more efficiently, accommodate wind and solar power, possibly lower electricity bills by optimizing electricity flow, and constantly reduce the carbon footprint.
via Smart Grid.
