On Earth Day 2023, we’re taking a moment to pause and reflect on the actions Itron and our customers are taking to slow (and eventually reverse) the impacts of climate disruption. This year’s theme, “Invest in Our Planet,” is focused on engaging governments, institutions, businesses and consumers to take action against the climate crisis. At Itron, we’re in a position to do just that. Our company purpose directly aligns with this year’s theme, as better management of energy and water resources is an investment in our planet for a more sustainable future, and our innovations help create more equitable cities and communities for generations to come.

While Earth Day is a reminder of the important work we still have to do, it’s also an acknowledgement that we’re headed in the right direction. Let’s take a look at a few Itron customers who are leading the way to a more resourceful world.

UK Power Networks: Keeping Communities Connected
U.K. Power Networks, a provider of dependable, safe, and secure electricity distribution systems throughout London, the Southeast and East of England, was searching for a solution to help manage the impact of sizable solar and wind farms within its East of England service territory due to rising demand for distributed generation (DG) connections. By deploying a network and real-time distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) from Itron, the company has been able to achieve an 87% reduction in connection costs for distributed energy resources (DERs); save 27 weeks on average when fulfilling connection requests and has seen a 17% increase in the acceptance rate of connection requests. UK Power Networks now has the option to leverage this existing platform to develop new tools for generators of renewables in the future, while also proving out a new model to other distributors to remain relevant and leverage a multi-application for various solutions moving forward.

Transport Canberra and City Services and Electrix: Lighting the Way to Smarter Cities
In 2019, Itron announced our collaboration with Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS), which manages streetlights and other critical infrastructure, to support deployment of smart lighting and smart city solutions in Australia’s capital. TCCS deployed Itron’s multi-purpose network across the region to connect streetlights, which represents the largest standalone smart lighting project in Australia and the first energy performance contract in Australia and Oceania. With the energy performance contract, Electrix, leading provider of electrical engineering, construction and maintenance services, will operate, maintain and upgrade the streetlight network over a seven-year period. Benefits of the project include increased safety and energy savings as well as a Smart City Lab that will be developed to test and develop additional smart city solutions, such as smart waste management, traffic monitoring, pollution sensing and other applications using the same network platform. This collaboration focuses on keeping the lights on, getting energy efficient and contributing to Canberra being a smart city.

Fort Collins Utilities: Bringing the Heat with Renewable Energy
In June 2021, Itron announced a pilot with Fort Collins Utilities—a provider of electricity, water, wastewater and stormwater services to more than 75,000 customers in the City of Fort Collins, Colorado—which enables distributed energy resource technology to connect electric-resistive and heat-pump water heaters to operate during periods when excess renewable energy is available. This enables water tanks to efficiently pre-heat and the excess renewable energy to be effectively utilized. Electric hot water heaters are the second-highest electricity-consuming appliance for most residential customers, after air conditioners. The ability to pre-heat water prior to peak electricity use periods can reduce a significant amount of residential customers’ electric costs during peak times—up to 15 to 20%—by shifting it to non-peak times and help meet Fort Collins Utilities’ energy savings goals. Moving forward, the project will be extended to include installation of 27 new GIWH units and the replacement of existing device hardware (81 devices) from WiFi communicating devices to an all-cellular platform.

When we work together, the possibilities are endless. Thanks to all Itron customers for your collaboration and dedication to preserving our world’s most precious resources and creating a more resourceful world. It is a pleasure to be your partner on this journey. Happy Earth Day!