Singapore Power deploys IoT platform

Singapore Power will connect an additional 200,000 residential electricity customers by widening the use of its existing wireless mesh network platform.

Providing electricity to 1.4 million homes and businesses on the island, Singapore Power will extend Silver Spring’s multi-application IPv6 platform to be more efficient, serve more advanced metering customers and develop a digital data and internet of things (IoT) platform. These efforts will also support Singapore’s Smart Nation goal.

Silver Spring also announced that it will establish its Asia-Pacific (Apac) headquarters in Singapore and collaborate with Singapore Power for product and market development activities, aimed at IoT innovation in Singapore’s commercial and academic institutions.

“Singapore Power is known as an industry leader globally, and its broad vision to leverage the value creation of IoT is transforming the definition of a modern utility,” said Mike Bell, president and CEO at Silver Spring Networks.

Since April 2014, Singapore Power has delivered deregulated energy services for the Energy Market Authority’s retail contestability program in Singapore.

The Silver Spring IPv6 platform is deployed throughout the country to enable customers to choose from a variety of retail energy providers and purchase electricity at wholesale market prices.

“Singapore Power’s mission is to deliver reliable and cost-effective energy services to improve quality of life for Singapore,” said Samuel Tan, chief digital officer at Singapore Power.

“With rapid change and evolving customer needs, we must be innovative in creating secure, sustainable solutions to help our customers save energy and cost. Our collaboration with Silver Spring in harnessing the power of digital technology will enable us to better serve our customers in the future.”

Singapore Power, together with Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA), is also exploring the possibility of a large-scale smart meter deployment for electricity, gas and water supply.

They have issued a call for proposals for a smart meter trial, aimed at helping consumers to be more efficient in their power, water and gas consumption, according to S Iswaran, minister for trade and industry.

The aim of smart meters is to enable the reliable and cost-effective remote reading of the electricity, gas and water meters.

The trial will involve developing a mobile application that can give consumers real-time information on their electricity, water and gas consumption.

Anmol Singh, principal research analyst at Gartner, said: “Singapore Power’s use of IoT is quite moderate and in line with utility organisations worldwide seeking the right balance of investment in IoT technologies, aiming to enable smart energy distribution with increasing regulatory pressures of providing cleaner and safer energy at lower costs.”

Utility organisations at the forefront of IoT enablement are experimenting with IoT technologies to build resilience, intelligence and interoperability in their grid operations. Some utility organisations are offering consumer-centric energy services, such as internet-connected thermostats that allow customers to directly control their energy consumption.

Besides utility companies, other critical infrastructure industries – such as ICT, energy, defence, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture and healthcare – are most likely to see transformational value through IoT deployments, said Singh.

“It is the way forward – IoT adoption is going to make utility organisations more flexible in accommodating newer sources of energy, build operational resiliency and service customers better by enabling new business models and services.”