Georgia Power's state-of-the-art automation solutions featured in North America's first smart city laboratory

ATLANTA, Sept. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power and the City of Peachtree Corners are celebrating the opening of the Curiosity Lab, a 1.5-mile intelligent mobility and smart city laboratory. The new living laboratory will be the first of its kind in the country and provide lab users with access to Georgia Power's state-of-the-art automation solutions and subject matter experts on the company's latest smart energy technologies and solutions.  

The one-of-a-kind facility will offer a unique opportunity for testing to be done in a 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) environment that includes interaction with real-world vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

"Smart ideas like the Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners are all about partnerships and how to get everyone engaged with the innovations of the future," said Paul Bowers, chairman, president and CEO for Georgia Power. "The insights and research from this facility will help Georgia Power continue to evolve our technology and ensure the needs of our customers are met."

Through this partnership, Georgia Power will install 40 smart LED street lights along the 1.5 mile stretch of the Curiosity Lab and 20 cameras throughout the property to provide complete video coverage. The lights are part of the company's network of nearly 300,000 connected streetlights across the state, which is the largest installed fleet of connected streetlights in the country. The smart cameras are equipped with the latest traffic management software and analytics that will provide real-time incident detection of the roadway and the autonomous vehicle lanes along the Curiosity Lab corridor. With the use of the cutting-edge processing, the cameras will also connect technology to support and enhance safety and visibility of the lab and its operating partners.

Peachtree Corners Curiosity Lab
Located within Technology Park Atlanta, a 500-acre technology hub in metro-Atlanta, the Curiosity Lab will be available for both startups and established companies to experiment with emerging intelligent mobility technologies. The living laboratory consists of a 1.5-mile autonomous vehicle test and demonstration track with a route that includes a hotel complex, two high schools, hundreds of offices and a townhouse development with people living and working in unison with the laboratory. A public bus route also travels the corridor. Click here to learn more about Peachtree Corners' Curiosity Lab.

Georgia Power's Smart Initiatives
Georgia Power's smart initiatives include electric vehicle charging infrastructure to make electric transportation use in cars and buses convenient, smart neighborhoods that make energy saving technologies available in more homes, battery energy storage that maximizes the value of renewable energy, digital security technologies to help make communities safer, microgrids that leverage smart energy management systems, and smart meters that provide greater insight to customers' real time use, help reduce outage times and more. The Curiosity Lab reinforces the company's commitment to research and development and provides another way to continue growing smart solutions that benefit customers across the state.

Georgia Power also offers a full suite of home automation solutions, which includes easy access to products and services to help automate customers' homes and make them more energy efficient and connected. The company brings together popular products, including the latest in smart thermostats and smart home products such as smart filters, lighting, door locks, light switches, vents, smoke alarms and doorbells, to a single convenient online portal on Georgia Power Marketplace. 

About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is consistently recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

SOURCE Georgia Power