Update May 2011
OPALCO is at 95% completion of its AMI installation. Installations continue on San Juan Island.
Automated Meter Infrastructre (AMI)
OPALCO is in the process of switching over to a smart grid system of automated meters that will give us increased system reliability, remote monitoring of power quality and better cost control for the Cooperative. As of May 2009, 5,000 of OPALCO’s 14,000 meters have been replaced on Lopez, Shaw, Obstruction, Charles, Canoe, Crane, Center, Blakely, Decatur Islands and the Olga area of Orcas Island. In 2009, another 5,000 meters are scheduled for replacement, mostly on Orcas Island and including Bell, Fawn and Big Double.
Why AMI? The new automated meters are far more accurate than the old mechanical meters. Some of the mechanical meters still in service are twenty to thirty years old and tend to slow down with normal wear and tear. The new automated meters are accurate to plus or minus 0.5% (OPALCO’s policy standard is plus or minus 2%). Each meter is extensively tested, calibrated and certified by the manufacturer – like the gas pump at your local station that is regulated by state laws, you know you’re getting ten gallons when the pump rolls over to ten. Some members may notice an increase in their kWh usage because their old meter/s had slowed down and were less accurate. The whole Cooperative has been covering the gap (additional cost of delivering power) between inaccurately metered kWh usage and the actual power bill with rate increases. With the new meters, those costs are accurately captured which can help keep rates down for everyone. The new meters are also easy to maintain. OPALCO’s engineers can “ping” a meter and know in a moment if the voltage is in the correct range, assess and often fix problems on the line. The new meters are pinged every 24 hours to monitor power quality, and will be calibrated remotely every 5-7 years to maintain accuracy and certification.
Given the geography of our service area and the difficulty in reaching many of our members’ meters in remote locations, AMI is the right tool for the job. With AMI, we will know about – and solve – many power quality issues even before members realize they have a problem. With remote access to the system, response times to outages will be dramatically quicker with fewer costly line crew and equipment hours required. AMI gives our engineers the ability to constantly analyze the system, effectively manage the load and make engineering-valued choices about where to put the Cooperative’s resources. In the near future, members will be able to monitor their own meter and usage in near real time from anywhere in the world via an internet connection.
Stay tuned – and thanks for your patience during this transition.