Siemens supports E.ON’s introduction of metering systems with a smart grid platform

The Siemens EnergyIP smart grid platform will be a key component in energy provider E.ON’s EniM program when it introduces new, intelligent metering systems in Germany. The Smart Grid platform ensures that E.ON is properly equipped for future roll-out scenarios involving intelligent metering systems that consist of basic meters and smart meter gateways. In these scenarios, EnergyIP enables E.ON to assume the market roles of a distribution system operator, a metering service operator and a metering service provider. In the German market, the platform will provide support in managing these intelligent metering systems, to be introduced as part of the implementation of the German protection profile and Technical Guideline TR-03109, as required by law. In addition, the long-term platform strategy designed for EnergyIP gives E.ON the investment security and future viability that it needs for this IT solution.

An intelligent power supply grid in Germany is crucial in order for the transition to a new energy mix to succeed. Grid operators in the country expect to have intelligent metering systems installed nationwide starting in 2016. This will likely affect end customers with energy consumption of over 6,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity as well as most operators of power generation plants under the German Renewable Energy Act (EEG). Given this situation, millions of intelligent metering systems will have to be installed in Germany in the near future. This will present new challenges for German utilities that will have to be overcome with intelligent metering concepts and sophisticated IT technology, but it will also open up new business opportunities. E.ON and Siemens are meeting these challenges and exploiting the resulting business opportunities with the EniM program and the EnergyIP smart grid platform.

“By refining and adapting our EnergyIP smart grid platform, we will be actively supporting E.ON with its project and helping structure the roll-out scenarios in Germany with the skills we offer as a leading technology provider,” says Jan Mrosik, CEO of the Siemens Smart Grid Division.

Says Alexander Montebaur, head of the Networks Business Area at E.ON Germany: “The Smart Meter roll-out will put our relationship with our customers on a totally new and much more direct footing. It will be technologically possible to actively involve our customers in the energy world of tomorrow. To be certain of mastering the new complexity at this sensitive juncture, we at E.ON have deliberately chosen to work with a powerful, internationally active partner.”

The EnergyIP IT platform from Siemens’ Smart Grid Division comprises a meter data management system, a system to manage the smart meter gateways and a smart meter gateway head-end system for secure communication with intelligent metering systems. Both the smart meter gateway administration system and the head-end system draw on the security components and expansions needed to operate an intelligent metering system infrastructure in accordance with the German protection profile and Technical Guideline TR-03109. The IT platform for the German market supports the interoperability objectives formulated in the “MessSystem 2020″ project being run by the Grid Technology/Grid Operation forum (FNN) within the VDE (Association of German Electrotechnical Engineers).

E.ON and Siemens have also agreed on a development partnership to make a range of applications available on the EnergyIP smart grid platform. They intend to work together to implement functions on the grid that are both useful and critically important to the grid on locally controllable electricity generators or electricity consumers, based on Technical Guideline TR-03109. Both E.ON and Siemens will benefit from the use of Siemens control center technology at E.ON and its interoperable interfaces for load switching.

Energy-efficient, eco-friendly solutions for setting up intelligent power supply networks (Smart Grids) and the associated service are part of Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio. Around 43 percent of its total revenue stems from green products and solutions. That makes Siemens one of the world’s leading providers of eco-friendly technology.