Elster Endorses New Smart Metering Standards in Brazil

ESSEN, Germany and SAO PAULO, August 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Elster (NYSE: ELT) today announced its endorsement of the new standards published by the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL), which define the minimum functionalities for new electrical power measurement systems installed in low voltage consumer units.

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With the new resolution, utilities, meter manufacturers and metrology institutes have up to 18 months to start replacing meters at customer request, including offering a time-of-use tariff or so-called White Tariff. This White Tariff meter will be installed at customer request and at no cost to them. Additional features can be added to the meter, with the cost differential charged to customers. The standards mark a milestone in the modernization of Brazil's power grid distribution system.

"While not a mandate, ANEEL has taken an important and very positive step forward regarding the deployment of Smart Meters in Brazil," said Geraldo Guimaraes, Elster Integrated Solutions' vice president for Latin America.

"Elster fully supports Brazil's transition to the Smart Grid, as it looks to improve the reliability and quality of energy supply and reduce operational costs and non-technical losses. With Elster's portfolio based on globally-accepted protocols and open standards, we are well-positioned to meet the anticipated demand for interoperable systems that enable Latin America's largest utilities to bring the benefits of AMI to consumers," Guimaraes added.

Elster's technical solutions that meet these requirements are already successfully deployed with several leading electricity utilities including Light S.A., AES Eletropaulo, Neoenergia and Coelce. 

Elster's Garnet solution allows utilities to deploy up to 12 single-phase electric Smart Meters in one unit, which is typically installed on the top of an electric transformer pole to prevent unauthorized access to the equipment. The Garnet solution has a secure all-weather stainless steel casing and the embedded metering technology has comprehensive self-diagnostic functions that can identify tampering, fraud or irregular operation and can immediately alert the utility. Equipped with radio frequency (RF) mesh communications and networking features, the solution allows for remote measurements and remote connection and disconnection.

Elster's Dracon solution is based on the Garnet concept and provides the same security features, but is designed for individual meter units to enable the collection of energy consumption data in locations such as densely populated urban areas, complex building layouts and underground areas. It includes a wireless RF collector, which enables the capture of meter readings at a range of up to 50 meters. Data can also be collected from up to 10 units simultaneously, adding safety, reliability and agility to metering and data collection.

The company's Garnet and Dracon solutions are developed and manufactured in Brazil and have been deployed in some of the most challenging access areas to ensure the safe, efficient and affordable supply of electricity. Elster has had a manufacturing base in Brazil for more than 45 years, and has expanded its local presence by establishing an office in Sao Paulo to manage delivery of end-to-end solutions to utilities across the Latin American region. 

The new ANEEL standards are available at its official website www.aneel.gov.br

About Elster   Elster (NYSE: ELT) is one of the world's largest electricity, gas and water measurement and control providers. Its offerings include distribution monitoring and control, advanced Smart Metering, demand response, networking and software solutions, and numerous related communications and services – key components for enabling consumer choice, operational efficiency and conservation. Its products and solutions are widely used by utilities in the traditional and emerging Smart Grid markets.

Elster has one of the most extensive installed revenue measurement bases in the world, with more than 200 million metering devices deployed over the course of the last 10 years. It sells its products and services in more than 130 countries across electricity, gas, water and multi-utility applications for residential, commercial and industrial, and transmission and distribution applications.

For more information about Elster, please visit www.elster.com and follow us on Twitter at www.elster.com/twitter.

SOURCE Elster