Gridspertise and ST extend 20-year collaboration
Companies to add features to smart-meter customers in the US and other geographies
Gridspertise and STMicroelectronics (ST) have entered a new phase in their 20 year smart-meter collaboration.
Over 65 million Gridspertise smart meters deployed in Spain, Eastern Europe, and Latin America already use ST's power-line communication (PLC) technologies. And ST’s latest PLC system-on-chip has been integrated in Gridspertise smart meters for Italy to enable a near real-time cyber-secure communication channel for in-home devices; the so-called Chain 2 technology.
Now, Gridspertise and ST are working together to extend Chain 2 to new metering solutions in the Gridspertise portfolio, making it suitable for the US and other geographies.
Chain 2 technology aims to improve customer awareness of the energy consumed and self-produced. For example, it enables the smart meter to collect real-time data on home appliances’ consumption, that can be used, for example, to modulate the charging power of an EV charger according to the available capacity and other demands for power in the house.
Gridspertise and ST are collaborating in other areas too. Beyond working on ANSI C communication standard for the US market, the companies are cooperating for the adoption of the latest DLMS-certified standards into Gridspertise smart meters, to further enhance interoperability and interchangeability between devices and systems.
“Working together with other key industry leaders is fundamental to accelerating grid digitalisation and to promoting an active role for end users in the energy transition,” said Gianni Ceneri, CTO. "We are pleased to strengthen our strategic collaboration with STMicroelectronics leveraging shared best practices for the development of innovative solutions to serve an ever-increasing number of markets and bring benefits to new customers, starting from the US where Gridspertise is enhancing its activities through its North American platform to better support power grid operators and utilities in the region.”
“As Gridspertise accelerates the growth of its business, ST continues to develop and contribute our unique system know-how, dedicated support, and ready-to-use solutions based on our advanced semiconductor integration capabilities,” added Domenico Arrigo, general manager of STMicroelectronics’s Industrial and Power Conversion Division in the Analog, MEMS & Sensors Group. “We are maintaining and enhancing our connection as a key technology provider for Gridspertise solutions and services, and with them delivering smart and sustainable grids that are robust, secure, resilient, and reliable.”
