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| [July 14, 2008] |
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Danish Utility Selects Echelon's Advanced Metering System for 390,000 Customers
SAN JOSE, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ:ELON) announced today that the Danish utility SEAS-NVE has awarded an advanced metering infrastructure project to Echelon Networked Energy Services (NES) value-added reseller partner Eltel Networks A/S, with meter data management system (MDMS) and enterprise software tools from NES VAR partner Goerlitz AG. Under the project, which is targeted to begin in the fourth quarter of 2008 and complete by the end of 2011, Eltel will deploy NES advanced metering infrastructure to approximately 390,000 SEAS-NVE customers. Revenue to Echelon over the life of the project is expected to be approximately $40 million.
"In 1976, Denmark set a national goal of energy independence," said Jesper Hjulmand, CEO at SEAS-NVE. "The NES deployment we have announced today is another step in this direction. By enabling us to better understand the operation of our grid and communicate bi-directionally with our customers, we expect to better manage supply and demand. As Denmark's largest consumer-owned energy company, we feel a unique responsibility to bring our customers innovative technologies and solutions that can help improve service quality and reduce costs. The ability of the NES system to extend beyond the meter into the home also enables us to help our customers become more informed energy consumers and provides us a platform for on-going innovation."
"This project represents the largest advanced metering project awarded yet in Denmark, once again demonstrating the capability of Echelon and its partners to enter new markets and quickly become a leading supplier," said Frit Bruggink, Echelon's senior vice-president, utility solutions. "We believe this success reflects both the marketing-leading capabilities of the NES system and the strengths of our partners in building powerful solutions that meet the growing needs of electric utilities worldwide. We are very excited by the activity we see in the market and the momentum we have built."
About the Solution
The NES advanced metering infrastructure from Echelon consists of a family of highly integrated, advanced electronic electricity meters accessed via a web services based network operating system over an IP networking infrastructure. Unlike systems with a dedicated radio per metering point, multiple NES meters can share a single IP connection through the use of Echelon's proven standards-based power line networking technology. This drives down the per-point connection cost and enables the system to easily and cost-effectively incorporate new wide area networking technologies over the life of the system.
This project also demonstrates the ability of the NES system to reach beyond the electricity meter and interact with other devices to bring additional cost savings and quality improvements. The NES meters used in the project will contain both an M-Bus connection (a standard for interfacing to legacy gas, water, and heat meters) as well a new, open, bi-directional interface for securely sharing information between the meter and other in-home devices.
The M-Bus interface enables readings from other meters in the home to be collected over the NES infrastructure, eliminating the need for parallel meter reading infrastructure. The meter's bi-directional serial interface enables partners such as Eltel and utilities such as SEAS-NVE to extend beyond the meter into the home to enable new applications such as wireless in-home displays, demand/response, and other value-added applications.
The NES system's powerful web services based network operating system provides a standards-based platform for enterprise applications and integration. The EDW3000 software application from Goerlitz uses the services of the NES system software to provide a full-featured meter data management system (MDMS) and a rich set of utility applications.
About SEAS-NVE
SEAS-NVE is Denmark's largest consumer-owned energy company. Its core business is delivery of energy and communication services to customers in Denmark, primarily providing energy products, consulting services and grid products. More information about SEAS-NVE can be found at http://www.seas-nve.dk.
About Eltel Networks
Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, Eltel Networks is the InfraNet Company(TM) in Europe, specializing in the construction, maintenance, and upgrading of electricity and telecommunications networks. The Group, with its 8,500 employees, has operations in the Nordics, Poland, the Baltics, and Germany. More information about Eltel Networks can be found at http://www.eltelnetworks.com.
About Goerlitz AG
Goerlitz is one of the leading companies in the European market with devices and systems for energy data management and data services. More than 800 European utilities and industry customers have installed systems and devices from Goerlitz. More information about Goerlitz can be found at http://www.goerlitz.com.
About Echelon Corporation
Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ:ELON) is a networking company that provides products and systems that can monitor and save energy; lower costs; improve productivity; and enhance service, quality, safety, and convenience by connecting everyday devices in utility, buildings, industrial, transportation, and home control systems. Tens of millions of smart devices based on Echelon's LonWorks products and Networked Energy Services (NES) systems are used around the world today, bringing benefits to consumers and industry. More information about Echelon can be found at http://www.echelon.com.
Echelon, LONWORKS and the Echelon logo are registered trademarks of Echelon Corporation registered in the United States and other countries. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
This press release may contain statements relating to future plans, events or performance, including statements regarding the size and timing of the SEAS-NVE project with Eltel. Such statements may involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with the ability of Eltel's system, and the NES system on which it is based, to perform as designed; the risk that the SEAS-NVE project is cancelled or reduced in scope; risks associated with potential production or shipment delays for NES meters and other components; risks that the deployment and system integration activities with Eltel or other partners in the project are not successful or do not meet their target dates; the risk that the application of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles could affect the timing of NES revenues that Echelon expects to recognize under the project; and other risks identified in Echelon's SEC filings. Actual results, events and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Echelon undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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