ADI's Blackfin Powers Siemens' Smart Meter Solution

“Our smart metering solution is the result of many years of research,” says Alexander Schenk, business segment manager for AMIS systems at Siemens Energy, Power Distribution Division. “The Analog Devices’ Blackfin enables us to offer sophisticated measurement and communication at the meter level, enabling a true system-wide energy management tool.”

Blackfin’s exceptional performance, low cost and scalability gives power companies the edge in seamless smart meter implementation. Blackfin calculates the consumer energy usage at the smart meter and performs the powerline modem functions, creating an efficient bi-directional communication flow with the power line concentrator. With AMIS, power companies are now able to implement energy saving initiatives and respond quickly and effectively to government mandates for increased smart metering. Blackfin’s configurability eases a multi-regional power company’s expansion into differing community or regional standards. With AMIS, new features and standard adoption simply requires a straightforward software upgrade over the grid. In addition, AMIS facilitates the incorporation of a full range of meters for new alternative energy technologies, creating a consistent, scalable energy management system.

“ADI processors are a natural choice for the dynamic and powerful processing needs of today’s smart meter,” says Colin Duggan, Industrial and Instrumentation Segment manager for ADI’s General Purpose-Digital Signal Processing Division. “We are especially happy to be a part of the larger solution of true demand and energy management which benefits consumers as well as significantly contributing to environmental conservation.”

With Blackfin’s real time energy collection and communication capabilities, power companies can now limit negative environmental impact, reduce skyrocketing energy costs, and solicit customer participation in tailored energy conservation programs.

‘Smart grid’ technology developers look to Analog Devices’ advanced digital and analog signal processing technology to power next-generation energy infrastructure. Offering a broad range of performance and precision products, Analog Devices’ integrated circuits are optimized for a range of smart grid applications, from energy metering solutions to dynamic, grid-integrated management and communication systems. For utility-side and consumer-side applications, Analog Devices technology enables developers to design intelligent systems that promote energy efficiency and management flexibility.