Tollgrade’s new LightHouse® cellular sensors address important smart grid issues including asset management

Friday, Feb 01, 2013

Tollgrade Communications Inc., a global leader in providing network assurance solutions to the world’s largest utilities and telecommunications providers, reports that its newly launched cellular sensors address many of the smart grid issues being discussed at the DistribuTECH trade show, held in San Diego through January 31.

Tollgrade’s new sensors, a cellular version of its industry-leading LightHouse Medium Voltage (MV) distribution line sensors, help utility companies improve asset management and increase reliability by analyzing and digesting grid health data into meaningful and actionable intelligence. Tollgrade is demonstrating the new cellular sensors at its booth #3025 at DistribuTECH.

“Utilities are trying to move from calendar-based to condition-based grid asset management, to optimize the efficiency and reliability of their distribution network, and to do Big Data ‘the right way’ – increasing visibility and actionable analytics”

Tollgrade also announced that it has been named a top 25 semi-finalist in the 2013 ‘Smart Grid Companies to Watch’ competition from Smart Grid News – the only pure-play sensor company to make the cut. Votes from readers will determine the 13 finalists for this year’s awards.

“Utilities are trying to move from calendar-based to condition-based grid asset management, to optimize the efficiency and reliability of their distribution network, and to do Big Data ‘the right way’ – increasing visibility and actionable analytics,” said Erik Christian, VP of Smart Grid for Tollgrade Communications. “Our new cellular sensors are ideally suited to help. We’ve more than doubled our deployments in the last 12 months. This, combined with the fact that Tollgrade is the only dedicated sensor company in the Smart Grid News semi-finals for ‘Smart Grid Companies to Watch,’ speaks to our traction in the marketplace.”

LightHouse sensors, including the new cellular sensors, sit in the medium voltage distribution grid and provide critical metrics including load current, fault current, electric field strength, power factor, phase angle, sags, surges, wire temperature and harmonics. While the high voltage grid has a number of sensors to manage grid assets, and the low voltage grid has smart meters, the medium voltage grid has lacked the visibility required for managing assets and providing predictive analytics. Tollgrade’s LightHouse sensors fill this gap.

Source: Business Wire