We signed an agreement with the Hera Group, one of Italy’s largest multi-utility companies, to test an innovative integrated system to collect measurement data from the digital electricity and gas distribution grids in a multi-service environment. The Hera Group is listed on the Milan stock exchange, has over 5 million customers in Italy and since 2020 is part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, World and Europe.
The aim of the agreement is to join forces and technical know-how in the field of grid digitalization in order to accelerate realization of the multi-utility smart grid of the future.
Specifically, this partnership foresees testing the integration of consumption data for electricity and gas, collected by the Hera Group’s digital gas metering devices and by our smart meters for the electric grid. The integration tests will take place in Italy on the multi-service network managed by Inrete Distribuzione Energia, the Hera Group’s natural gas and electricity distribution company. The results of this collaboration may be of interest to other multi-service companies around the world, as the challenges of measurement data integration through state-of-the-art systems are common to many utilities.
The initiative leverages on cutting edge measurement technologies such as the NexMeter smart gas metering device, developed by Hera with important safety functions, also in terms of reducing gas dispersion into the atmosphere, and our innovative integrated solutions for electricity smart meters and meter data management systems.
The technological partnership with the Hera Group follows an agreement signed in January for the supply of 435,000 smart meters and concentrators, in addition to an innovative system of remote management which will be used during the testing process.
Based on the outcome of the results, we will evaluate, together with the Hera Group, the possibility of joining forces for future international tenders for the sale of hardware and software solutions for gas and electricity metering.
And that’s not all. In line with our Open Innovation approach, our cooperation with the Hera Group in the future could be extended to solutions concerning the integrated water cycle, both in terms of measurement and smart water grids.
This collaboration aims to implement integrated smart-meter solutions in a multi-service environment, which can enable the digital grid of the future, and are tailor-made for multi-utility companies worldwide.