Rio Grande Electric monitors power via satellite

Staff -- Control Engineering, 9/1/2003

Victoria, B.C., Canada—Rio Grande Electric Cooperative Inc. (RGEC) recently implemented satellite communications to monitor energy conditions across its 20-county, rural energy distribution network. The Texas-based electric utility identified satellite as the most cost-effective way to communicate with intelligent energy meters being installed at its remote substations. The new energy management system uses a network of ION meters and software from Power Measurement to help Rio Grande control the cost, quality, and reliability of the power it delivers.

To outfit each substation, Power Measurement worked with RGEC to preassemble new electrical panels, equipping each with several ION 7350 meters—one for each feeder—communicating through one ION 7600 or ION 8500 revenue-accurate meter. The revenue meter acts as a gateway, collecting and passing data from all feeder meters over an Ethernet link to a satellite radio.

RGEC installed completed panels at 12 of its most remote substations and then equipped the main headquarters with a PC workstation running Power Measurement's ION Enterprise energy management software. The meters continually monitor electrical conditions at each substation and communicate by satellite via high-speed Ethernet link to the software. This allows RGEC's technicians to instantly check the status at any substation. The new system provides detailed power-quality information, and includes an alarm feature that instantly notifies key personnel of any power outages, sags or swells. Plus, the meters automatically record consumption as interval data logs, and distribute this information as reports, both to the cooperative's power supplier and to the local independent system operator, ERCOT.

For more information visit www.pwrm.com or www.riogrande.coop .