Edison SmartConnect

Overview: Southern California Edison’s (SCE) Edison SmartConnect Project, a $1.6 billion initiative authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission, aims to revolutionize the electric grid by installing 5 million advanced smart meters across its 50,000-square-mile service area, focusing on residential and small-business customers. These digital meters, supplied by Itron Inc., offer real-time electricity usage tracking and two-way communication, facilitating remote service activation and negating the need for in-home service appointments. This project is expected to significantly reduce electricity grid demand by about 1,000 megawatts and contribute to environmental protection by lowering greenhouse gas emissions and smog-forming pollutants.

This project significantly enhances user engagement and convenience. Customers gain secure access to detailed information about their energy usage, empowering them to take greater control over their energy consumption and budget. The project also promises to enhance system reliability and performance overall. A notable customer-centric feature is the hassle-free service transfer, which eliminates the need for in-home appointments when moving or changing service status. Furthermore, the smart meters are expected to contribute to energy conservation efforts by facilitating a reduction in greenhouse gases and smog-forming pollutants, with an estimated reduction of 365,000 metric tons annually. Looking ahead, SCE plans for these meters to eventually communicate with smart appliances and green technologies, integrating them into a home and business area network, thereby further enhancing customer experience and energy management capabilities.

Technology Used: ASP, Oracle, Microsoft Site Server, Windows Server, HTML, ASP, .NET, Flash, XML, JavaScript

Role: Architect