Bogotá goes “Smart” thanks to Enel

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The smart evolution makes its way to Colombia with the installation of 20,000 electronic meters in the capital Bogotá by Codensa, an Enel Group distribution company. The initiative, which is part of a broader three-year project by Codensa to digitise the electric grid, will be completed during the next few months. Electronic meters allow the company to measure and manage supply operations remotely (primarily contract activations and terminations) and modify technical parameters of supply (such as variations in maximum power supply), while protecting consumer data from tampering. A range of information on the power supply is displayed on the smart meter, making customers more aware of their consumption habits and consequently allowing them to choose the rates and times of day that most suit their needs.

As many as 20,000 new Colombian meters have been added to the more than 32 million existing meters installed by Enel in Italy (where the multinational electric company installed the world’s first electronic meter in 2001), 13 million meters in Spain, 30,000 in Romania and the many systems being tested worldwide. ‘Electronic meters are a key element in the architecture of smart cities, which feature digital grids, smart management and energy storage, street lighting systems with high-efficiency LED lights, electric mobility, and public and private charging infrastructures,’ declared Livio Gallo, Head of Enel's Global Infrastructure and Networks, which is exploring the opportunity to develop a smart city with the Colombian government.

Enel is a leading utility in Colombia, with over 2.8 million customers and 22% of the energy distribution market. The company recently gave a practical demonstration of smart cities at Expo Milano 2015. As the Official Global Partner of the event, the multinational electric utility turned its exhibition area (comparable to a city of one hundred thousand inhabitants) into the world’s biggest smart city, featuring a digital power grid, a state-of-the-art public lighting system, zero-emission transport and buildings equipped with sensors and devices for the rationalisation of energy consumption.