Malta steps into the future with smart meters by Gridspertise
Enemalta, the main energy service provider on the island state of Malta, has in recent years launched large-scale investments to transform its electricity generation infrastructure in order to fulfill its chief mission, which is to provide clean, safe and sustainable energy to residents and businesses.
As a part of this transformation, in 2010 Enemalta began shifting its more than 200,000 mechanical meters to smart ones provided by Gridspertise parent company, the Enel Group. "We have never looked back since," commented Enemalta Systems Division Manager Karl Cilia.
The introduction of the smart meters led to what Cilia described as "a drastic 7% decrease in non-technical losses”. Another positive aspect is that smart meters enable data collection, and this in turn allows Enemalta to plan ahead better and to be proactive with regards to grid maintenance and faults.
"With the data that we acquire from the smart meters we are in a position to better plan the future of the grid," Cilia explained. "It means having less people out in the field and dedicating more time and resources to computation and data analysis."
In Brazil, smart meters mean better relationships with customers
Enel Brazil has been installing smart meters in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo since the start of the year, and the new technology is allowing customers to have more control over their consumption and also making their electricity bills more transparent.
Customers can manage their accounts and their energy profiles through "a simple app on their smartphones, and this is an important step," said Rosario Zaccaria, Head of Network Operation and Maintenance at Enel Brazil. "By putting the customer at the center of everything, we generate sustainable and long term value and this positively impacts people's lives as well as our business."
The meters of the future come from the past
The success story of Gridspertise's latest generation meters has its roots in the past, when Enel Group subsidiary e-Distribuzione pioneered a campaign to replace 32 million mechanical meters with new, intelligent ones 20 years ago. Then as now, smart meters continue to revolutionize the way consumers, prosumers and energy traders use and market energy.
Gridspertise smart meters are not just state-of-the art, integrating the most reliable, advanced and interactive metering technologies on the market today, they are also circular and sustainable because they are made of recycled plastic, copper and steel from decommissioned meters. The company achieves this through its partnership with Valcart, an Italian company that specializes in scrap and waste materials separation and recycling.
Using recycled materials reduces waste and CO2 emissions and is an important step towards a sustainable and circular business model. Recycling does not only mean extending the life of products and materials, but also protecting the environment and supporting the economy in a circular process that benefits everyone.