When the Danish electricity distribution company nef Fonden decided to install new smart meters on Nordøstfyn, eSmart Systems was chosen to handle all the collected data – and make sure that the company gets the most out of the information.

Through a recent EU tender, nef Fonden (a midsized Danish electricity company located in Kerteminde on the island of Funen) announced that they needed new smart meters for their 16 700 meter points – to uphold the law and new regulations in Denmark.

Unique possibilities

The system solution as a whole will be delivered by OneCo Elektro AS, with eSmart Systems as a subcontractor. The agreement entails 16.700 NES smart meters to be installed on Nordøstfyn, including associated IT applications, and lasts for 15 years.

The solution provides nef Fonden with the opportunity to read the meters through IP communication, in real-time, which will provide unique possibilities.

Smart app for end-users

eSmart Systems role will be to handle all the data which is collected from the smart meters, get more out of it and find synergies.

In this new world where big data is a must; the electricity companies belong to the sector that generates the most data – which is why they need to invest in better software. Our job is to validate all the meter data, estimate missing values, ensure quality and make sure the information reaches the data hub. In addition, we have a great platform for optimization and making the process more efficient

comments Haar

He emphasizes that this job is important to eSmart Systems, because it sets a new standard for what the company wants to get out of the meters.

Enters the Danish market

It takes the many years of experience and high-quality work we have been doing in Norway and introduces this to the Danish market

says Haar. He adds:

Even though there are many differences in how we operate the grid, there are also parallels between the Norwegian and Danish power market. We can find synergies and benefit from these. It will show some of the Danish utilities all the great things that is possible on the new big data platform.

Haar believes eSmart Systems was chosen for the job due to the new technology, the quality and the platform that the company represents.

This is not a legacy system, we do not have on-premise old technology; we want to get the most out of the meters. In addition, we seek to exploit the possibility for real-time data and sensors combining heat and water,

he points out

Involving the end-user

The new collaboration will ultimately benefit the end-user. Haar reveals that up to 40 percent of today’s normal consumption is wasted, which has a significant impact on the world’s CO2 levels and climate.

We want to get the customer much more involved than today, to inform and enlighten about consumption and possible waste. If we can make it more interesting and easier for the end-user, I think they will get much more involved. That is why the aspects of gamification and user-friendliness is so important in the new app, to make sure that the end-user wants to participate

explains eSmart’s SVP

About nef Fonden

nef Fonden was founded in 1967 as I/S Nordøstfyns Elforsyning. In 2000, the mother company became a fund. Today, nef Fonden owns three subsidiaries: Ravdex A/S, nef Strøm A/S and nef Fiber A/S. The group employs 35 people which operate in different business areas:

• Ravdex A/S has 16 700 meter points
• Ravdex A/S owns and operates more than 930 kilometers of electric cable
• nef Fiber A/S owns and operates more than 2 559 kilometers of optical fiber tubes and cables
• nef Fiber A/S offers fiber networks to 17 000 houses on Nordøstfyn
• nef Strøm A/S delivers electricity to 13 000 customers in Denmark

About OneCo Elektro

• OneCo Elektro AS is part of the Norwegian industrial group OneCo AS, with its core activities focused on the oil and gas sector, infrastructure, industry, renewable energy and construction.
• OneCo currently employs about 750 people, has an annual turnover of about NOK 1.2 billion, and is located in Kristiansand, Sandnes, Bergen, Oslo and Drammen

About NES

• The NES System is an award-winning smart grid infrastructure solution, based on Open Smart Grid Protocol (OSGP).
• NES’ smart grid technology is used in nearly 40 million smart meters and other smart end devices around the world.
• NES offers industry leading security built into its three tier Patagonia Platform.
• The most reliable smart metering solution in the industry, delivering >99.8% daily availability of meter data.
• The NES System offers a unique power line technology that enables grid mapping, automatic topology management, and many more low voltage grid applications.
• NES has more than 100 existing smart metering / smart grid projects and pilots in more than 25 different countries.