Elster Solutions on Wednesday announced that its EnergyAxis Advanced Metering Infrastructure solution is being used as part of two new phases of the Mexico Electric Federation’s (CFE) country-wide smart grid project identified under SLT 1921.
The contracts are part of CFE’s PIDIREGAS distribution loss reduction projects awarded in January. The two new phases will take place in northern Mexico. One of the new phases includes placement of several thousand meters in 11 rural communities in the state of Chihuahua. Its purpose is to decrease costs and increase efficiency in the reading and administration of electric meters on water wells in hard-to-reach areas.
“Because of the rural nature of this project, CFE had initially planned to deploy PLC technology,” Fabio Dominguez, vice president and general manager of the Elster Solutions Mexico business unit, said. “However, the demonstrated coverage and reliability of Elster’s RF mesh solution, combined with its competitive return on investment, made it a desirable alternative to PLC.”
The second new project is focused on monitoring and remote reading of commercial and industrial meters in the Northern States of Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua. The new Elster technology will allow the utility to collect more accurate data and help commercial and industrial customers better understand energy usage.
