E.ON has ordered 16,000 smart meter gateways from the manufacturer PPC, thus paving the way for the installation of smart metering systems as required by law, which will start this year.
The gateway is the communication unit in the smart metering system. It is responsible for transmitting meter data wirelessly.
Intelligent metering systems
The new technology is expected to be installed across the entire E.ON network area from mid-2018. The legislation provides for the installation of intelligent metering systems, commonly known as smart meters, for private and business customers with an annual consumption of more than 6,000-kilowatt hours. Similarly, plant operators who are funded under the Renewable Energies Act (EEG) and have an installed capacity of more than seven kilowatts will have a smart meter installed in their meter cabinet.
The new technology is expected to be installed across the entire E.ON network area from mid-2018
Smart metering systems open up completely new opportunities for customers: "Today we check our electricity consumption by reading our meter once a year. Tomorrow, the Smart Meter Gateway will allow us to use an app to conveniently check at any time how much electricity appliances like the refrigerator or washing machine are using," says Paul-Vincent Abs, Managing Director of E.ON Metering GmbH and e.kundenservice Netz GmbH. "This rollout in Germany is the basis for the digitization of the energy transition."
Modern communications architecture
Smart meter gateways guarantee highly secure data transmission via mobile networks. "The close cooperation between E.ON, PPC, and the leading mobile operators has allowed us to create a modern communications architecture," explains PPC CEO Ingo Schönberg.
"We, therefore, expect the start of the rollout to go smoothly and look forward to continuing our cooperation with E.ON." The 16,000 gateways are just the beginning: over the coming years, E.ON will install more than one million smart metering systems for its German grid customers.