Broadband Communities

MAY-JUN 2012

BROADBAND COMMUNITIES is the leading source of information on digital and broadband technologies for buildings and communities. Our editorial aims to accelerate the deployment of Fiber-To-The-Home and Fiber-To-The-Premises.

Issue link: https://bbcmag.epubxp.com/i/71834

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 95 of 118

SUMMIT COVERAGE Summit Perspectives On Community Fiber At the 2012 Broadband Communities Summit in April, participants reported on how communities are ensuring the connectivity they need. In urban and rural areas alike, public and private organizations are collaborating in new ways to finance, build and use fiber networks. Following are a few of the many stories shared at the conference. A BBC Staff Report How a Smart Grid Improves The Business Case for FTTH "Te smart grid is a holistic ap- proach to energy management," said Dean Mischke, vice president of Finley Engineering Company, intro- ducing the Summit session on smart grids and fiber. "It's the application of technology across the entire industry, including generation, distribution and the consumer, to manage transport and conserve energy." Energy generation is at a standstill today, Mischke explained. No new nu- clear plants are being built, and fossil- fuel plants face increasing pressure to reduce harmful emissions. Green en- ergy has its own set of problems – solar power diminishes in late afternoon just as the air-conditioning load peaks, wind power varies unpredictably, and both are generated so far from population centers that the cost of delivering watts to consumers is high. Energy companies are caught be- tween a rock and a hard place – they must provide energy in real time to meet demand. Smart grids can help reduce the demand load. Today, electric utili- ties can curtail the usage of their large industrial customers when demand is high. With smart grids, utilities and in- terested consumers can begin to manage demand at the household level. Chattanooga's network reduces power distribution costs, enables a profitable telecom service and attracts businesses to the city. CHATTANOOGA EPB: REPLICABLE ON ANY SCALE Chattanooga's municipal electric util- ity, EPB, built a smart grid using a fiber optic network, said Katie Espeseth, vice president of EPB Fiber Optics. Tat net- work also gave EPB the ability to pro- vide 1 Gbps Internet services to every home and business in its territory. About 15 years ago, EPB began planning a smart grid to provide more reliable electricity. It connected substa- tions with fiber and then looked for any additional opportunities a robust com- munications network might provide. "An automated metering infrastructure offers great benefits to us as a utility," Espeseth said, "but we never would have deployed the smart grid if that were the only benefit." Te smart grid – or "smarter grid," as EPB calls it – exceeds the utility's origi- nal estimates for cost savings by avoid- ing power outages and electricity theft. It also allows the utility to operate more efficiently and manage voltage better. With all the benefits from the smart grid, EPB's revenues from voice, video and data seem almost like icing on the cake. Today EPB Fiber Optics has 38,000 residential and 4,000 business customers. Te telecom service became net income positive in 18 months and achieved its target take rate. EPB is dedicated to using its fiber optic network to improve the city's qual- ity of life and economic development. Several large companies recently located About the Authors Marianne Cotter and Masha Zager contributed to this report. MAY/JUNE 2012 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 85

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Broadband Communities - MAY-JUN 2012