S&C Electric Company Introduces the Next Generation of Distributed Intelligence Products and Solutions for the Smart Grid

CHICAGO, Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- S&C Electric Company, a smart grid leader shaping the future of reliable electric delivery, continues its history of innovation with several new product and solution launches announced today at DistribuTECH.

"The innovative solutions introduced today are representative of S&C's ongoing work to advance grid technologies that support our future energy needs," says Mike Edmonds, S&C's Global Smart Grid Strategies Director.  "As utilities around the world look to reduce their carbon footprint and increase their reliance on local energy sources, solutions relying on distributed intelligence are essential to realizing smart grid goals, such as peak shaving and shifting, efficiency improvements and improved reliability and stability."  

S&C is proud to announce smart grid advancements for three core applications: communication systems, self-healing technology and community energy storage.

Communications Systems

Launched today at DistribuTECH, the IntelliCom™ series of intelligent grid communications devices further broadens S&C's portfolio of communications solutions. S&C's IntelliCom WAN platform is a mesh wide-area networking system with industry-leading data transmission speeds of up to 400 Mbps and the lowest latencies available for mesh products.  It provides a superior backhaul solution for electric utilities and can simultaneously serve multiple applications.

"Communications requirements for smart grids are many and varied. Utilities need to adopt a multilayered approach when deploying communications systems to ensure optimal grid stability and reliability," says Ken Monro, S&C Vice President, Communication Systems.  "With the addition of the IntelliCom product line, S&C continues to broaden our solution set in order to deliver hybrid communications networks to manage grid information flow and address diverse applications ranging from AMI aggregation to distribution automation."

Using leading radio technology, IntelliCom allows segmentation of communications bandwidth, so users can designate routes for specific users, applications or destinations. IntelliCom products also offer FIPS 140 security compliance, a stringent specification that the federal government requires homeland security and public safety applications to meet.  

Self-Healing Technology

S&C's advancements in self-healing technology include the latest release of the IntelliTEAM SG™ Automatic Restoration System. Communication-enhanced coordination, unique to the new IntelliTEAM SG™ and supported by S&C's IntelliRupter® PulseCloser, improves reliability by optimizing protective settings in the event of a short circuit so that only the IntelliRupter closest to the fault opens.  This new feature will significantly reduce the number of momentary interruptions that consumers experience.  The latest IntelliTEAM SG also features In-Field Instant Replay, which simplifies the process for reconstructing the sequence of events leading to short circuits and greatly reduces the time that utility engineers need to spend on such analyses.  

The IntelliRupter product line, a series of smart switches leveraging embedded intelligence, now includes a compact version for overhead lines and a pad-mounted version for underground distribution systems. Using pulseclosing technology, the IntelliRupter improves power quality for businesses and consumers while dramatically reducing wear-and-tear on utility distribution system assets.

"Self-healing distribution grids are critical to improving reliability of service, a major smart grid goal," says Witold Bik, S&C Vice President, Automation Systems Division.  "Distribution systems are growing increasingly complex with the connection of distributed energy sources and electric vehicles.  Forward-thinking utilities are installing advanced self-healing systems that improve reliability today while also creating a flexible grid that can meet future energy demands."

Community Energy Storage

As utilities integrate distributed renewable energy into the grid, such as wind or photovoltaic sources, the challenge to maintain grid stability increases.  Additionally, utilities face peak load increases due to electric vehicles.  S&C's Smart Grid CES™ Community Energy Storage -- officially launched today at DistribuTECH -- can help maintain voltage stability, minimize power losses, and shave peak loads.  Large aggregations of CES units can be controlled by the CES Hub Control System, a self-contained unit that integrates seamlessly with S&C's IntelliTEAM SG and allows the CES units to act as a distributed power plant.

"Energy storage will be the 'prime mover' of the smart grid," says Jim Sember, S&C Vice President, Power Quality Products Division.  "With the development of the Smart Grid CES, S&C continues our leadership in grid-connected energy storage products."

About S&C Electric Company

S&C, headquartered in Chicago, IL, is applying its heritage of innovation to address challenges facing the world's power grids and thus shaping the future of reliable electricity delivery. The mission of employee-owned S&C is to continually develop new solutions for electricity delivery, fostering the improved efficiency and reliability required for the intelligent grid. Additional information about S&C is available at www.sandc.com.

SOURCE S&C Electric Company