POWER March 2011 - 44

POWER IN CANADA
2. Harnessing power. Dessau handled the modernization and upgrading of Beauharnois
power station, which was built more than 80 years ago along the waterfront, just 40 km from
Montreal. It is considered a heritage site. Courtesy: Dessau
electricity customers in the province. Meters
are just the first step. The challenge being faced
by utilities now is managing the data that are
being provided by the installed smart meters.
" The sheer volume of data is much larger than
ever before, " explains Jan Peeters, chairman
and CEO of Olameter, a firm that provides
outsourcing solutions for back-office activities
within utilities. " Info is now being provided
every half-hour of every day as opposed to one
reading for every 30 to 60 days. The nature of
that data and the technology available means
there are always missing intervals. In the past,
these could be made up using estimates. As
the time-of-use rates become different from
one half-hour to the next, it becomes critically
important to collect every interval. Lost or
corrupted data is proving to be a much greater
problem than anyone anticipated. "
Distributors, which often represent the
link between the customer and the utility, are
at the front line of this development. Brian
Bentz is president and CEO of Powerstream, a
municipally owned Ontario distribution company
that is responsible for more than 300,000
customers in the Greater Toronto Area. " The
challenge is being commercial and innovative
and having the correct risk appetite. The market
requires an evolving delivery model due
to the smart grid and decentralized renewable
generation. It takes a different skill set to survive
in that environment. "
Peeters reveals: " An expectation is being
built up that utilities are now going to analyze
the data and stream it in close to real time, allowing
home owners to perform active load
management. There is a disconnect between
what the installed systems can do and what
is expected of them. I think that utilities can
overcome these challenges, but it's going to
take time, money, and experience. "
A number of companies see great opportunity
as these systems are adopted across the country.
Dessau, the Québec-based engineering giant
(Figure 2), sees these developments as a key
area for future growth. " Hydro-Québec is one
of the leaders in smart grids, and we have been
involved for the last five years in the automation
of their substations and high-voltage transmission.
We are currently working with them as
they take the next step and move smart grids
into their distribution network. We also look towards
other utilities, across North America, as
there will be huge investment in this sector. "
" There are a lot of electric utilities that
will have to rapidly upgrade their network
to incorporate the smart grid technology and
automation, " says Michel Famery, vice president
of National Development in Energy and
Telecoms at Dessau. ■
-Tom Willatt and Sharon Saylor
(info@gbreports.com) are with Global
Business Reports.
44
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POWER March 2011

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