Energy Biz - July/August 2008 - (Page 70) » Technology FronTier ZigBee Makes Play competing StandardS For Future meter marKet By paul KorzenioWSKi on the drawing board in ManY energy companies’ board rooms are plans to automate energy delivery from source to destination. For those plans to be realized, these corporations need a networking technology capable of collecting information from various home devices, such as thermostats. ZigBee has auditioned for that role, but it is not clear at the moment if it will get the part. ZigBee is based on the IEEE’s 802.14.5 standard, and it supports wireless networks where a network coordinator, also known as a master device, collects information from as many as 65,000 remote devices. Unlike other networking options, such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee was not built to work with computers but instead with simple home devices, some so simple that they consist of a network connection, a highly unsophisticated CPU and a pair of AAA batteries. ZigBee’s focus has been on supporting Home Area Network (HAN) functions,, such as controlling light switches, smoke detectors, thermostats, appliances, video and audio systems, sprinkler systems, and security products. The area where it is now getting the most attention is advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). “ZigBee’s features — wireless technology, low power, support for a mesh network — fit nicely with AMI requirements,” stated Bob Gohn, vice president of marketing at Ember Corp. Energy companies have used wireless technology to push intelligence down to the poles outside of customers’ homes and businesses; ZigBee has the potential to extend their reach into the home. A HAN could connect thermostats, in-home displays, smart appliances, and other load-control devices to the utility network. Energy providers could then use items, such as smart electric meters or other types of energy gateway to enable continuous two-way communications between utilities and HAN-enabled devices. Vendors have been working on the ZigBee standard since 2002. Because the standard has a broad range of potential uses, it has taken several years for suppliers to figure out what to do with it. The ZigBee Alliance is an ad hoc association of vendors working together to promote adoption of the networking option. The group developed the Smart Energy public application profile, which outlines a common set of energy management functions and protocols, so different suppliers’ devices can interoperate. In May, the consortium announced that 19 products from vendors, such as Honeywell, Huawei, Itron, Motorola, and Siemens, had been certified as smart energy compliant. Also, Southern California Edison announced plans to deploy Itron ZigBee meters to automate energy management for 5.3 million homes and businesses from 2009 through 2012. Dallas utility Oncor Electric Delivery plans to use Landis+Gyr Holdings smart meters to upgrade service for 7 million customers during the next four years. Partly because of such public support, market research firm WTRS expects shipments of ZigBee meters to rise from 500,000 in 2008 to 19 million in 2012 worldwide. The technology has been gaining acceptance for a few reasons. First, it is standardized, and that makes it easy for energy companies to collect information from 70 E n E rgyB i z July/August 2008
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