Elster has announced that Neoenergia, an electricity distribution group in Brazil serving more than 8.4 million customers, is rolling out 35,000 metering endpoints based on Elster's Garnet solution in the country's northeastern region (Bahia, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte states). Spain's multinational group Iberdrola owns 39% of Neoenergia Group.
Elster says the roll-out follows the successful 1,311 endpoint pilot project with the company’s Garnet solution completed late last year to reduce non-technical losses and enhance collections. Developed and manufactured in Brazil, Elster's Garnet solution allows utilities to deploy up to 12 single-phase electric smart meters in one unit, which is typically installed on the top of an electric transformer pole to prevent unauthorized access to the equipment.
The Garnet solution has an all-weather stainless steel casing, and the embedded metering technology has self-diagnostic functions that can identify tampering, fraud or irregular operation and can immediately alert the utility. Equipped with radio frequency mesh communications and networking features, the solution allows for remote measurements and remote connection and disconnection.
