Turnkey AMI project with OMNIA® 6 suite passes key milestone

In cooperation with several partners, Kamstrup is delivering a complete smart metering solution for the Göteborg Energi municipal utility in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city. The turnkey AMI project (advanced metering infrastructure) recently passed a key milestone: As of October 2023, more than 125,000 OMNIA® e-meters have been installed in the city.

Equally importantly, the project is running according to schedule, with deliveries and installations being completed on time thanks to solid project management. When the project is completed, 275,000 electricity meters will have been replaced.

The solution is based on Kamstrup’s new OMNIA® 6 suite which includes the OMNIA® e-meter with integrated cellular IoT communication. It enables Göteborg Energi to draw on the local Telia cellular network instead of installing and maintaining extra communication devices in the city, e.g. on buildings and rooftops and in antennas. End-user data will be delivered to Göteborg Energi using head-end software in collaboration with Avance Metering.

A future-proof solution

Electricity grid companies (DSOs) need to prepare for future challenges that impact the power grid, for example electric cars, distributed generation, and a general increase in the electrification of society. These changes have a great impact on the demand for power and on the quality of delivered electricity. With the Kamstrup solution, Göteborg Energi will get insights that support sustainable energy consumption and help overcome future challenges.

”With the new generation of smart electricity meters, we are taking another step towards a sustainable Gothenburg. We get a more efficient operation of the electricity grid, reduced energy use and better integration of renewable energy.

Our customers get the opportunity for more detailed information about their energy use, almost in real time, which can result in more flexible electricity use and lower costs. Kamstrup has broad experience and extensive knowledge of the Nordic market,” says Lars Edström, CEO of Göteborg Energi Nät AB (GENAB).

Another important target for Göteborg Energi was complying with new rules and regulations that will come in force in Sweden in 2025. The regulations include:

• Registration of active energy

Detailed data logged every 15 minutes will enable Göteborg Energi to target investments in the grid and spend fewer resources on maintaining the network.

• Customer interface

The solution lets consumers take control of their energy consumption and reduce their impact on the environment. This requires a meter with the right hardware and software but also a head-end system that can manage the customer interface.

• Remote collection of measured data

The solution enables Göteborg Energi to transfer larger amounts of data to support enhanced customer service, targeted grid maintenance, and fact-based grid planning.

• Remote updates of software, settings, and meter power control

All meters in the low-voltage network should fulfil these requirements by 2025.

The design of the OMNIA® e-meter plays a key role in the timely progress of the project. Technicians can install a new meter in 5 minutes, ensuring a speedy replacement process. The meters automatically select the best communication method; in Gothenburg, LTE Cat-M is the primary communication method, and NB-IoT the secondary. Kamstrup worked closely with telecommunications companies to provide a top-in-class intelligent communication build to ensure solid communication. As a result, only 50 new meter installations out of more than 125,000 needed antennas. The cellular communication also means that no extra hardware needs to be installed and maintained, and the firmware of the cutting-edge OMNIA® e-meters can be updated in future to add new features if required.

Perhaps the most important reason for the successful project execution, however, is solid project management based on Kamstrup’s years of experience and proven project delivery model. The project management builds on a joint organisation involving all parties, including Göteborg Energi, Kamstrup, Eltel, Telia, and Avance. It is based on an open, trust-based collaborative approach with proactive risk and mitigation management and a common goal for everyone to succeed. So far, everything has been delivered on time – without disturbing Göteborg Energi’s day-to-day operations.

Owned by the city of Gothenburg and therefore, ultimately, by end-users, Göteborg Energi always seeks to strengthen relations to its customers. Consequently, end-user satisfaction is evaluated on an ongoing basis during the rollout. With the new solution, end-users will be able to integrate smart home devices directly with the meter and develop a better understanding of how they consume energy. In the end, this will support the goal of making Gothenburg a more attractive city to live and work in.

A high-quality meter provides high-quality data. The above-industry standard range of measurements and their pinpoint accuracy provide Göteborg Energi with a solid foundation for advanced analysis and grid optimisation in their analytics application. The utility will also be able to predict outages by using data, for example to identify that a grid component needs maintenance, or that a cable has been overused leading to reduced lifetime.

With this information, Göteborg Energi can extend the lifetime of their low-voltage grid components with a positive impact on their financial result as well as the environment.