News articles 09.06.2020

Bjäre Kraft got a quick start with a system in cloud

Grid Manager Göran Andersson (left) and Project Manager Anders Fredriksson look forward to more efficient reading and faster fault detection & problem solving.

Modern system solution with good interfaces to existing systems – this was one of the reasons behind Bjäre Kraft’s decision to choose Aidon as the provider of their new smart metering system.

Roll-out of the first 1000 meters will start in the autumn, to be followed with ca. 3000 meters per year. In total, 14,000 meters will be changed.

What was decisive in choosing Aidon?

– Aidon has a modern system solution with good interfaces towards our other systems. In addition, it was the price as well as the meters’ functionality which meets both our and the authorities’ requirements. We also saw a good customer value for the future, says Göran Andresson, grid manager at Bjäre Kraft.

– We did first a pilot to see if Aidon’s solutions work with our systems and if the data collection works also in more challenging areas. We have had problems with connectivity in some areas due to the topography with forests and scarps. The pilot worked better than what we have experienced before. That was yet another reason for choosing Aidon – the way how their meters communicate with each other works really well.

How did it go with the system’s start-up?

– In the pilot we chose to use Aidon’s SaaS solution which is operated as a cloud service. The system was up and running, which made it simple to connect to, so we got started right away.

Which benefits can you gain with the smarter system?

–  We hope to get a better and faster troubleshooting. When we utilise meters to get information about missing voltage, for example, we can detect problems and solve eventual faults earlier. Today, with out existing system, we must wait for customer’s fault notification. It will also be useful to see the extent of the fault – whether it affects one customer or a larger area.

What does the new metering system mean from a business perspective?

– We can switch connections on and off remotely. Furthermore, we will get a more efficient reading functionality, which means that we can save our resources on it.

What difference will your customers notice?

– Shorter outages is always our target. This will be improved when we know which customers have outage. We can provide a better and more reliable delivery of electricity.