[May 23, 2013] Duck River Electric Selects AT&T as Central Technology Provider Tweet May 23, 2013 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- Duck River Electric Membership Corp. (DREMC) is taking an innovative approach to upgrade their smart grid infrastructure. According to a release, the utility company is making available new services to their members by implementing Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Smart Grid Meter Data Management, and other smart grid applications from AT&T. Duck River Electric Membership Corp. (DREMC) is the fourth largest electric cooperative in Tennessee, serving approximately 71,000 members. Among the top 5 percent of electric cooperatives in the United States, Duck River Electric came to AT&T to upgrade their smart grid infrastructure, reduce operational costs, and improve customer service. "Our smart grid project goal is to deliver high value applications to our members, and with AT&T's holistic solution approach, we are able to deliver those applications with minimum investment of capital and time," said Michael Watson, Vice President, DREMC. "Deploying our own wireless network would take years to build and manage; AT&T has simplified this process for us, and their highly-reliable network will enable Smart Grid to perform at high speeds, and allow us to focus on delivering the best service to our members." The companies said the key components of the AT&T Smart Grid solution for Duck River Electric include: -Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) for electric meters, which enables wireless communication of up to date information on electricity consumption and voltage. The devices send notifications when electricity is lost or voltage levels are abnormal, and allow DREMC to take immediate action. -Meter Data Management for managing the new information from smart grid devices, such as smart meters, sensors, and the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, allowing DREMC to increase service reliability and provide new services like prepaid electricity to members. -Professional and project management services that integrate all solution components. More information: www.att.com ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]