Landis+Gyr Selected by Alliant Energy for Distribution Automation
September 07, 2011 – Landis+Gyr announced it has been selected by Alliant Energy Corporation to provide radios and selected components for expanding its existing distribution automation network for a smart grid project aimed at improving energy efficiency and system performance.
Over the next two years, the project will install a Gridstream™ DA network to control approximately 600 capacitor banks. Using the Series 4 Gridstream IWR radios and a Volt/VAR control software application, Alliant Energy will be able to operate these capacitor banks on a system-wide level or substation-by-substation basis to conserve energy, improve power quality and optimize distribution resources.
By using Gridstream to automate cap bank adjustments, utilities can also dynamically adjust feeder voltage based on real-time information. As a result, the utility can reduce voltage coming out of the substation, especially during peak hours. Volt/VAR management is being looked at by an increasing number of utilities as another way to balance system loading, thereby reducing power requirements and the need for infrastructure upgrades in the process.
Alliant Energy is already familiar with Gridstream DA hardware and software. The utility currently has 400 Gridstream radios installed on capacitor bank switches and uses RTscada software (which Landis+Gyr licenses under the SCADA Center name) to communicate with capacitor banks. The project is being funded in part by the Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Investment Grant program to modernize the nation’s distribution network.
“Landis+Gyr is able to bring years of system design and integration experience to a project like this that helps ensure a smooth implementation,” said Derek Booth, DA /SCADA General Manager at Landis+Gyr. “We’re excited that the potential scope of this smart grid implementation will show real value and savings for the utility and consumers.”
Alliant Energy is based in Madison, WI. It provides electric and natural gas service to about 1 million electric and 412,000 natural gas customers in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
About Landis+Gyr
Landis+Gyr is the leading global provider of integrated energy management products tailored to energy company needs and unique in its ability to deliver true end-to-end advanced metering solutions. Today, the Company offers the broadest portfolio of products and services in the electricity metering industry, and is paving the way for the next generation of smart grid. With annualized sales of more than US$1.5 billion, Landis+Gyr operates in 30 countries across five continents, and employs 5,000 people with the sole mission of helping the world manage energy better.
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