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GE to make smart meters in ChicagoJul 09, 2013 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- General Electric Co. unveiled a plan Tuesday to start manufacturing "smart meters" at its plant on the South Side, aiming to have place one in every Chicago home and business by over the next 8 years. ComEd will install the approximately 4 million of the GE-made meters. The contract to produce, deliver and install the meters is valued at $200 million. The city's South Side residents are expected to start receiving the new meters next year and will have the network fully in place by 2016. At that time, the North Side is expected to begin receiving the meters with a full roll-out within two years. By 2018, each of the city's 1.3 million homes or businesses is expected to have a smart meter. The announcement was made jointly with the mayor's office, ComEd and Silver Spring Networks, which provides the technology platform for ComEd's smart grid network. "Chicago's new smart grid is substantially increasing economic opportunity for the city, by adding both manufacturing and professional jobs, opening new offices and facilities, and helping Chicago residents conserve electricity and save money," Mayor Emanuel said. "A modern, high-tech electric infrastructure is essential for Chicago's global economic competitiveness." ComEd first initiated its plan to improve the electric grid last year by adding "smart" technology, including sensors and switches that reroute power when outages occur. ___ (c)2013 the Chicago Tribune Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |