Arc Innovations

Last updated

Vector Metering
Industry Electricity generation
Electricity retailing
Founded2003 (2003)
Headquarters,
Website

Vector Metering started as a subsidiary of Meridian Energy. Launched in 2003, operating under the business name; Arc Innovations. It was established to develop and deploy electricity meters using advanced meter infrastructure. In 2014, Vector Limited was granted clearance to buy Arc Innovations from the Commerce Commission [1] from Meridian Energy with the sale completed for an undisclosed price on 1 December 2014. As of 2022, & subject to commerce commission approval, Vector has sold 50% of Vector Metering to Queensland Investment Centre (QIC) for 1.7B. [2] [3] Arc Innovations was the first company to introduce Smart Meters in New Zealand, rolling out the country’s pilot Smart Meter program in Central Hawkes Bay in 2005. Arc Innovation’s smart meter network relies on a mix of GPRS, RF Mesh network and satellite for the meter’s two-way communication. [4]

Contents

History

Following Arc Innovation’s launch in 2003 the company spent two years researching and developing smart meters. [5] The introduction of this first generation of smart meters saw 6,000 meters installed in Central Hawkes Bay over 2005 and 2006. [6] Following this, 125,000 smart meters were deployed to the wider Christchurch area. [7]

In 2009, approximately 70% of Christchurch homes were installed with smart meters, making it the largest smart metering network in Australasia at that time. [8]

Christchurch earthquake

Following the two major earthquakes in September 2010 and February 2011, smart meters in Christchurch were able to be used to provide information to the city’s distribution network about power outages to individual homes.

Christchurch’s smart meter infrastructure was also used to switch on hot water cylinders in several hundred homes following the February earthquake. [9] [ unreliable source? ]}

Related Research Articles

The New Zealand electricity market (NZEM) is a decentralised electricity market regulated by the Electricity Industry Participation Code administered by the Electricity Authority (EA). The authority was established in November 2010 to replace the Electricity Commission.

Meridian Energy Limited is a New Zealand electricity generator and retailer. The company generates the largest proportion of New Zealand's electricity, generating 35 percent of the country's electricity in the year ending December 2014, and is the fourth largest retailer, with 14 percent of market share in terms of customers as of December 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automatic meter reading</span> Transmitting consumption data from a utility meter to the utility provider

Automatic meter reading (AMR) is the technology of automatically collecting consumption, diagnostic, and status data from water meter or energy metering devices and transferring that data to a central database for billing, troubleshooting, and analyzing. This technology mainly saves utility providers the expense of periodic trips to each physical location to read a meter. Another advantage is that billing can be based on near real-time consumption rather than on estimates based on past or predicted consumption. This timely information coupled with analysis can help both utility providers and customers better control the use and production of electric energy, gas usage, or water consumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christchurch</span> City in the South Island of New Zealand

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / Ōtākaro flows through the centre of the city, with an urban park along its banks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vector Limited</span> New Zealand electricity distribution company

Vector Limited is a New Zealand energy company, which runs a portfolio of businesses delivering energy and communication services across Australasia and the Pacific. Its primary business is electricity distribution, along with distributing piped gas. It also has a bottled gas business, owns a fibre optic cable network, deploys electricity and gas meters, manages solar infrastructure projects and offers cybersecurity services and a data platform. It is also the parent company of HRV ventilation solutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smart meter</span> Online recorder of utility usage

A smart meter is an electronic device that records information—such as consumption of electric energy, voltage levels, current, and power factor—and communicates the information to the consumer and electricity suppliers. Such an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) differs from automatic meter reading (AMR) in that it enables two-way communication between the meter and the supplier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smart grid</span> Type of electrical grid

The smart grid is an enhancement of the 20th century electrical grid, using two-way communications and distributed so-called intelligent devices. Two-way flows of electricity and information could improve the delivery network. Research is mainly focused on three systems of a smart grid – the infrastructure system, the management system, and the protection system. Electronic power conditioning and control of the production and distribution of electricity are important aspects of the smart grid.

The electricity sector in New Zealand uses mainly renewable energy, such as hydropower, geothermal power and increasingly wind energy. As of 2019, 82% of electricity is generated from renewable sources, making New Zealand one of the countries with the lowest carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation. Electricity demand grew by an average of 2.1% per year from 1974 to 2010 but decreased by 1.2% from 2010 to 2013.

KiwiRail Holdings Limited is a New Zealand state-owned enterprise (SOE) responsible for rail operations in New Zealand and operates inter-island ferries. Trading as KiwiRail and headquartered at 604 Great South Road, Ellerslie, KiwiRail is the largest rail transport operator in New Zealand. KiwiRail has business units of KiwiRail Freight, Great Journeys New Zealand and Interislander. The company was formed in 2008 when the government renationalised above-rail operations and inter-island ferry operations, then owned by Toll Holdings. In 2021, the government launched the New Zealand Rail Plan, with funding for rail projects to come from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF), and with KiwiRail remaining an SOE but paying Track Access Charges (TACs) to use the network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Itron</span> American technology company

Itron is an American technology company that offers products and services for energy and water resource management. It is headquartered in Liberty Lake, Washington, United States. The company's products measure and analyze electricity, gas and water consumption. Its products include electricity, gas, water and thermal energy measurement devices and control technology, communications systems, software, as well as managed and consulting services.

Meter data management (MDM) refers to software that performs long-term data storage and management for the vast quantities of data delivered by smart metering systems. This data consists primarily of usage data and events that are imported from the head-end servers managing the data collection in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) or automatic meter reading (AMR) systems. MDM is a component in the smart grid infrastructure promoted by utility companies. This may also incorporate meter data analytics, the analysis of data emitted by electric smart meters that record consumption of electric energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orion New Zealand</span> New Zealand electric utility

Orion New Zealand Limited (Orion) is an electricity distribution company, based in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The Ultra-Fast Broadband initiative is a New Zealand Government programme of building fibre-to-the-home networks covering 87% of the population by the end of 2022. It is a public–private partnership of the government with four companies with total government investment of NZ$1.5 billion.

The 2010 Canterbury earthquake struck the South Island of New Zealand with a moment magnitude of 7.1 at 4:35 am local time on 4 September, and had a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Some damaging aftershocks followed the main event, the strongest of which was a magnitude 6.3 shock known as the Christchurch earthquake that occurred nearly six months later on 22 February 2011. Because this aftershock was centred very close to Christchurch, it was much more destructive and resulted in the deaths of 185 people.

The term smart grid is most commonly defined as an electric grid that has been digitized to enable two way communication between producers and consumers. The objective of the smart grid is to update electricity infrastructure to include more advanced communication, control, and sensory technology with the hope of increasing communication between consumers and energy producers. The potential benefits from a smart grid include increased reliability, more efficient electricity use, better economics, and improved sustainability.

Smart grid policy in the United States refers to legislation and other governmental orders influencing the development of smart grids in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEL Networks</span> New Zealand electricity distribution company

WEL Networks Limited is an electricity distribution company, serving the northern and central Waikato region of New Zealand. WEL is the sixth largest electricity distribution company in New Zealand, with 100,142 connections and 7,021 km (4,363 mi) of lines and underground cables. The company is 100% owned by the WEL Energy Trust.

Northpower Limited (Northpower) is an electricity distribution company, based in Whangarei, New Zealand.

Electric Kiwi is an independent online New Zealand electricity retailer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minister for Economic Development (New Zealand)</span> New Zealand minister of the Crown

The Minister for Economic Development is a minister in the government of New Zealand with the responsibility of promoting development of New Zealand's economy, and is in charge of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The position was established in 1999.

References

  1. "Vector to buy Meridian Energy's Arc Innovations".
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/vector-to-sell-half-of-metering-business-for-17b/NJMYTXN7YFE2DLWAEXR5A4HPZI/.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. "Advanced Metering Infrastructure". Arc Innovations. 8 July 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. Annual Report 2003 (PDF) (Report). Meridian Energy. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  6. Annual Report 2005 (PDF) (Report). Meridian Energy. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 April 2012.
  7. Annual Report 2011 (PDF) (Report). Meridian Energy. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 April 2012.
  8. "Rebuilding Christchurch Business: Disaster Recovery Plan Passes the Test". New Zealand Herald. 7 March 2011.
  9. "Arc Finalist in the New Zealand Energy Sector Excellence Awards". Arc Innovations. 8 July 2011.