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AMI and Grid Communications

NRTC has deployed nearly 3.5 million AMI endpoints, using a variety of technologies and solutions. We continuously assess the marketplace to make sure we’re offering the best metering solutions. Our team of experts can help you analyze your current situation and determine the approach that best meets both your current needs and long-term strategic plan.


increased reliability and reduce outage time

With older AMR systems, providers were limited to monthly billing reads. Today’s AMI systems implement real time readings, collect multiple types of data measurements, and include system information not previously available. Now you can know that your meter is connected, measure blinks by count and duration, and use the data you collect to drive up grid reliability and drive down outage minutes.


save on labor costs, improve csat, and keep your team safe

With AMI systems, you gain the ability to remotely reprogram meter configurations and firmware over the air, reducing labor costs and improving customer satisfaction due to speed and convenience. Remote disconnect metering solutions also enable prepay systems, keep your team safe from potentially dangerous situations when disconnecting for non-payment, and provide a failsafe for hot sockets.


build an effective network

NRTC continues to see an evolution in communication systems, from legacy Power Line Carrier Systems to Licensed Point to Multipoint, Unlicensed RF solutions, Cellular, and Narrowband IoT. To make sure your long-term investment doesn’t become obsolete as technologies evolve, AMI must comply with open standards communications, integrate to multiple meter hardware vendors, and conform to the cooperative topology. We can help you decide which solution makes the most sense for your Smart Grid and help you plan and implement it quickly and cost-effectively.


plan for the future

Technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Meter manufacturers are developing faster data recording. Distributed Intelligence will allow meters to make autonomous decisions. Data networks are achieving higher speeds and higher capacity. The experts at NRTC can help you develop a long-term Smart Grid Technology Plan so you’re factoring in your needs and goals, both now and years into the future.

Podcast

Smart Grid Enablers Steer the Direction of Utility Tech Planning

A lot goes into implementing smart grid technologies. It’s a step-by-many-steps process and what makes it more complicated is that every co-op’s needs are different. As NRTC Technology Planning Services helps members build a 10-year road maps, and solves the complexity breaking the project down with “smart grid enablers.”

Resources

The Latest Smart Grid News

Powder River Energy Corporation's Advanced Metering Infrastructure Story

Powder River Energy Corporation AMI Story

Powder River Energy Corporation (PRECorp) is an electric cooperative that serves about 12,000 members in rural, northeast Wyoming. Its service area, while stunningly beautiful, is among the most challenging regions in the nation to provide with safe, reliable power. Faced with upgrading an aging advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system, PRECorp turned to NRTC for guidance. This is its PRECorp’s AMI story.

TechAdvantage Notes: Benchmarking, DERMS/ADMS, Fiber Tips and More

Sessions on smart grid software platforms, fiber optic network construction tips and going the extra mile for member engagement were among the sessions that drew large crowds at NRECA’s TechAdvantage Conference. It also was another chance for cooperatives to learn more about broadband construction preparation through NRTC/NRECA’s “Rural Electric Cooperative Broadband Benchmarking Report.”

CEO Tim Bryan: “We Have to Build Solutions”

During his speech to the NRTC Annual Meeting earlier this week, CEO Tim Bryan focused on the in-house expertise that is now available to help members meet the current generation of technology challenges. “Whatever it takes for you to evaluate, build and manage a network is what we’re doing at NRTC,” he said. He gave specific examples of broadband, smart grid, mobile and internet products and services that go beyond NRTC’s capabilities of a decade ago. To meeting those challenges, “we have to build solutions,” he said.

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