eMeter Announces New Smart Grid Appliance Bundle to Help Utilities Jump Start Grid Initiatives

SAN MATEO, Calif., March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- eMeter and IBM today announced a first-of-its-kind bundled software package from eMeter, available preloaded on IBM hardware, designed to help electric, gas and water utilities customers implement their Smart Grid implementations out of the box.

Many utilities worldwide have demonstrated their commitment to the Smart Grid and have encountered challenges associated with building a solution from several piece parts. Now, by starting with templates of Smart Grid best practices and out-of-the box adapters for Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) systems, the combination of IBM and eMeter technology can help utilities reduce the implementation and test cycle time from a year to as little as six months, and shave as much as 60% off the implementation cost.

Developed for municipal and mid-sized utilities, the new eMeter Smart Grid Appliance combines a set of software, tools, and best practices available preloaded on IBM POWER7 systems for rapid implementations. Effective Smart Grids should be able to automatically monitor and control two-way energy flow that allow consumers to manage energy usage right down to the individual networked appliance. This requires the ability for utilities to host and manage billions of transactions securely and efficiently.

"Having worked with several utilities that have succeeded with large-scale Smart Grid rollouts, eMeter and IBM took on the responsibility of identifying the right set of hardware and software tools best suited for these critical projects," said Bobby Napiltonia, SVP of Sales and Alliances at eMeter. "The Smart Grid Appliance delivers a solution for utilities looking to quickly and easily make the most of their Smart Grid investments."

The demand for rapid development and deployment for Smart Grids is growing as current city infrastructure boundaries are continually being tested with population increases driving new and higher demand for energy. Governments around the world are allocating stimulus money to revamp energy systems—the U.S. alone has assigned $4.3 billion to the effort. eMeter and IBM have developed technologies and programs to enable this global shift working with countries and utilities all over the world to establish the necessary policies and smart grid roll-out strategies to ensure the highest level of success and to move closer toward smarter transportation, policing, governance and grids.

With eMeter's Smart Grid Appliance built on IBM technology, utilities will not only be able to put these stimulus funds to work, but can achieve operational efficiencies and new levels of customer responsiveness more quickly and be able to show those results to their regulators and customers alike.

"By eMeter leveraging IBM technology, our utility clients will be able to streamline their Advance Metering Infrastructure projects and reduce implementation and operational costs associated with their smart grid programs," said Allan Schurr, VP of Strategy for IBM Energy & Utilities, "This serves as another example of IBM and its partners working together to help transition the world toward smarter energy and ultimately a smarter planet."

Through an IBM Application Specific Licensing agreement, the new eMeter bundle combines IBM Tivoli Monitoring and WebSphere 7 Application Server software with eMeter EnergyIP™ meter data management and Energy Engage™ home energy solutions. These technologies are offered preloaded and optimized to take advantage of the capabilities of IBM's recently announced POWER7 systems.

To manage the demands of emerging applications such as smart grids, as well as traditional applications, the new IBM Power Systems with POWER7 technology are designed with workload-optimizing technologies. The new systems also feature technology breakthroughs in virtualization, energy savings, more cost-efficient use of memory, and better price performance to enable clients to lower costs.

The Smart Grid Appliance will become available in the second quarter of 2010.

About eMeter

eMeter provides essential software that enables electric, gas and water utilities to realize the full benefits of Smart Grid. Leading utilities worldwide depend on eMeter Smart Grid Management software to reduce operational costs, improve customer service, and drive energy efficiency. With the most large-scale deployments in the industry and strategic partnerships with Accenture, IBM, Logica, and Siemens, eMeter has built a reputation for unparalleled expertise that ensures customer success. For more information visit: www.emeter.com.

For more information about IBM and smart utilities, please visit www.ibm.com/energy.

SOURCE eMeter