Partnership eyes smart-grid advances for China and beyond

Alcatel-Lucent and China’s State Grid Information & Telecommunication Company (SGIT) are teaming up to develop smart-grid technologies for utilities.

The collaboration aims to help utilities better manage peak electricity demand, identify opportunities for power savings and cut down on energy use.  The focus will be on increasing the intelligence in utilities’ power distribution systems to allow for continuous measurement, monitoring, control and adjustment.

The two companies plan to target some of the biggest challenges related to smart grids: accessing data used to track energy use from a plethora of devices including smart meters, analyzing that data and delivering that information to the utility. This information can then be used by utility companies to monitor and control peak and off-peak demand and more effectively manage delivery during those times, which can help cut costs and reduce outages and waste.

“With power consumption rising across the globe, reducing carbon footprint and costs are a priority for everyone,” said Kamal Ballout, vice president of Alcatel-Lucent’s global energy systems integration division. “In combining SGIT’s expertise in the realm of smart-grid information systems development and power line technology and Alcatel-Lucent’s experience building large-scale, intelligent communications networks, we are in a stronger position to understand and address the fast growing energy demands in the Chinese markets, while helping all of our customers around the globe operate more sustainably.”