The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the nation’s largest public power company, has selected SmartSynch, Inc. to provide a smart metering solution for the rollout of its distributed generation incentives program.

The Generation Partners program incentivizes end-use customers, both residential and commercial, to purchase and install renewable energy generation systems such as solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, biomass, and small hydro-electric systems. Jesse Berst at Smart Grid News, called the program the "most extensive and ambitious renewables program in the country."

TVA will purchase 100% of the green energy output from the renewable generation system by paying the retail rate, plus any fuel cost adjustment (FCA), plus a premium of 12 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for solar and 3 cents per kWh for all other eligible technologies.

SmartSynch metering technology employs standard IP communications via public wireless networks.

SmartSynch’s turn-key Managed Services solution will handle the reading, uploading, storage and delivery of generation data for TVA and partner local power companies. TVA said SmartSynch’s use of public wireless networks as the communications backbone for the solution will streamline the deployment process.

Stephen Johnston, SmartSynch’s CEO said: “This is yet another testament to the value, reliability and flexibility of smart grid solutions utilizing public wireless networks. It would otherwise be impossible to strategically deploy this depth of remote communication and control functionality on a location-by-location basis.”

SmartSynch's system delivers two-way, real-time, energy-usage data over public wireless networks, in lieu of proprietary networks.

In addition to making SmartMeters and software, the company also makes SmartBoxes that can be deployed at substations to IP-enable portions of the electric grid.

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business