City picks Tantalus for 'gee-whiz gadget' communications

The Missouri city of Fulton is enlisting the help of Tantalus to provide the communications backbone for its smart grid.

The city’s smart-grid deployment is funded by a US Department of Energy grant with strict performance requirements. City officials say their selected Tantalus based on a number of criteria, including its ability to manage real-time data communications.

“One thing we see as very important in developing our smart grid is the communication reliability,” said Darrell Dunlap, Fulton Utility superintendent. “This system will give our energy trader the right information at the right time to make cost-imperative decisions.”

One of the city’s goals is to achieve “operational savings through strict management of our day-ahead forecast numbers with MISO (Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator),” said City Administrator Bill Johnson. “For an integrated municipal utility this is key to providing responsible cost control for our city businesses and residents.”

Tantalus says its ability to transition Fulton’s network to fiber optic technology mitigates the utility’s investment risk. According to the company, it also effectively future-proofs the city’s smart-grid network, enabling the utility to take advantage of additional communications technologies as they become available.

“Right now this technology is so new we’re deciding if we want to go with Macintosh or Apple,” said former mayor Charles Latham, who was involved in the selection process. “The gee-whiz gadgets will always come and go, but you’ll always need communication for those gee-whiz gadgets.”