Endesa has installed nearly 24,000 smart meters in Lanzarote, representing 32 percent of the total to be replaced on the island. In La Graciosa, 100 percent has already been completed and the company has highlighted that "in this way, the smart micro-grid project for this island, whose purpose is to achieve greater energy efficiency and optimal use of renewable energy sources, is greatly benefited."
In the rest of the Archipelago, Endesa continues to advance "at a good pace" in the installation of the new meters, adding at this moment nearly 360,000 already installed. As for the whole of Spain, it has already implemented more than 3.5 million smart meters, 30 percent of the total package that has to be replaced in the country.
Endesa has recalled that remote management "allows remote operation in the new devices from the Remote Management System Operation Center and has been operating since 2010." The first smart meters in Spain were installed in mid-June of that year, "in the smart city Smartcity Málaga", according to the company in a statement.
Endesa has insisted that remote management allows "the customer to know the data of their electricity consumption almost instantly, so they will have the possibility to choose the best rates for their energy needs and plan their consumption favoring energy efficiency, giving them a more active role in the electricity system." The replacement of the conventional meter by the smart meter does not imply any additional cost for the customer, who continues to maintain the meter under a rental regime with the rates established by law for all companies.
Avoid overloads
These meters also provide "reliable and constant information" about the behavior of the network, which allows "a better decision-making of operation; improves the overall efficiency of the electrical system and can avoid overloads." At the same time, it contributes to reducing distribution losses and favors the management of energy demand, "contributing to the improvement of energy efficiency and the reduction of CO2 emissions.", according to Endesa.
In addition to the meter that is installed in the private home of the clients, Endesa is placing in all its low voltage transformation centers a device called "concentrator", which manages the meters automatically and remotely communicating with them through the electrical network itself and using a PLC (Power Line Communications) communications protocol. The encryption and authentication of the data guarantees one hundred percent the privacy and security of the information that travels through the network, according to the same sources.
