Honeywell taps Verizon 5G to modernise energy grid and utility management

The US grid management industry faces significant challenges, and with much of the electric grid infrastructure in the US approaching end-of-life cycles, grid reliability is only declining.

To address the needs of firms in the sector, Honeywell has announced a partnership with comms provider Verizon to allow utilities and end users to access essential data remotely to better manage energy usage and resources, and to streamline operations to help alleviate strain on the grid.

The integration will look to achieve several key objectives such as ensuring stability with renewable energy sources to managing fluctuating demand. This will come from modernising grid management though the power of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud and 5G, with the first part of this seeing Honeywell smart meters now include Verizon 5G connectivity.

The two companies said their smart meters will provide utility companies with a highly reliable and secure cellular network capable of sending information about energy usage, grid conditions and equipment performance. This information can be fed into utility management platforms such as Honeywell Forge Performance+ for Utilities to deliver “heightened operational visibility” that will support energy insights, provide near real-time “bottoms up” forecast of energy demand, and help to improve grid reliability and resiliency.

The Verizon-connected Honeywell smart meters will support remote upgradability of new functionality and applications to extend the useful life of the investment and reduce the need for a technician to visit in person. Through remote connectivity, Honeywell assured that customers can anticipate fewer service interruptions and more reliable utilities.

Additionally, internet of things (IoT) management capabilities through Verizon ThingSpace are available for the smart meters, offering customers the potential to gain visibility into the health and performance of their full fleet of IoT devices, including the meters.

“With the growth of IoT solutions for utilities, there’s a clear trend toward using cellular-connected intelligence to monitor the grid for operational efficiency, health, resiliency, energy usage and overall performance,” said John Marcus, senior principal analyst at research firm GlobalData assessing on the integration.

“This is especially important as charging infrastructure and energy-management innovations continue to proliferate and are poised for rapid growth. Cellular connectivity, with its inherent security and reliability, is one of the most effective ways to enable the intelligence that can help unburden the grid and more efficiently, intelligently manage energy resources.”

TJ Fox, senior vice-president of industrial IoT and automotive at Verizon Business, said: “Put simply, secure, reliable connectivity in smart meters makes it easier to monitor the usage of resources and the performance of utility equipment. That means we can reduce waste, unburden our grids, and generally take time and cost out of the utility management process.

“With massive changes on the horizon for utilities, connected capabilities are going to be critical for managing evolving demands for energy and minimizing outages or unforeseen maintenance events.”

Amol Motivala, president of Honeywell Smart Energy, added: “By leveraging the power of AI, cloud and 5G, we are driving the shift to autonomy for utilities and fundamentally changing the way energy distribution is managed by offering real time connectivity.

“Through Verizon 5G connectivity, we are reimagining the utility ecosystem with cellular connected smart meters that provide the needed insights to help improve grid performance and customer satisfaction.”