Duke Energy has announced it will join forces with Cisco Systems Inc. to fast-track development of Duke Energy’s electric “smart grid.
The three-year partnership is the latest development in Duke Energy’s
effort to rapidly convert its existing electricity delivery
infrastructure into an advanced smart grid that uses two-way digital
communication to reduce energy usage, improve efficiency, bolster
system reliability, detect power outages, and integrate solar and other
renewable energy sources into the electric grid. Cisco, working closely
with Duke Energy, will develop a highly refined, end-to-end, smart grid
communications architecture. The newly created architecture will be
based on what the industry calls “internet protocol-based open
standards”, an approach that permits easy accommodation of new and
emerging communications technology as it becomes available in future
years. The two companies will jointly evaluate a variety of smart grid
communications hardware and software, and oversee installation and
testing of selected equipment and software throughout Duke Energy’s
electric grid.
