Končar Smart Metering - Innovative solutions for well known problems

EU climate and energy package and Energy Efficiency Plan 2011 has set very ambitious goals for all the Member States regarding Smart Metering (SM). In Croatia, different infrastructural problems and lack of independent regulating body allowed only partial solutions by each utility. On the technical level rollouts were slugged by lack of fully multifunctional solutions with minimal installation and maintenance costs, able to adapt to different meter producers with multiple access to the same data. Končar made strategic efforts to overcome these obstacles trough an integrated R&D approach. Realized solution Končar AMI described in this paper relies on the optimized network architecture with innovative long range and short range wireless communication solutions and modular communication equipment. Such a novel approach allows great flexibility, excellent network coverage, good signal propagation and easy installation process with reliable data transfer with minimum operating expenditures. Combined with a cloud based MDM solution they make the milestones for a powerful and highly adaptable, integrated Smart metering solution that could bring numerous advantages to final users and short ROI. Končar AMI was tested trough a number of pilot projects and proved a concept particularly appropriate for bigger SM rollouts.