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Itron Lands Largest International Meter Order

Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) has received an order from Mexico’s Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), for 25,000 SENTINEL solid-state electricity meters. CFE is Mexico’s largest electric utility — covering the whole of Mexico — with more than 20 million customers and 163 power-generating plants. The agreement represents Itron’s largest international sale of the SENTINEL meter. CFE has the option to purchase an additional 37,000 units over the next year. “This is a very important step forward for Itron in this market,” said Doug Staker, Itron’s vice-president and general manager of international markets. “On top of other meter sales in the region, this agreement makes Itron one of the top meter suppliers in Mexico. We’re optimistic about continuing to grow our presence in Mexico and throughout Latin America.” Itron’s industry leading AMR technology enables utilities to automatically collect data via radio signal. As a result, utilities can read meters efficiently and accurately, while eliminating the need for meter readers to access customers’ properties and facilities. The systems also generate more frequent and reliable meter data that gives utilities better insight into operations, conservation initiatives, efficiency and more. Itron has shipped more than 55 million automated meters and AMR modules to utilities worldwide. Website: […]

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Report: State RPSs Will Hardly Raise Electricity Rates

A report by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory concludes that state-based renewables portfolio standards (RPS) will raise retail electricity rates on average by less than 1% On average, they authors predict state RPS’s would cost an average household roughly 40 cents per month. This doesn’t include the many benefits of state RPS obligations, including economic development benefits, risk mitigation, and environmental gains. The report synthesizes the results of a large number of state-level RPS cost-impact analyses. “These studies have been conducted by a wide range of organizations, and persuasively demonstrate that state-level RPS policies need not break the bank,” says report co-author Ryan Wiser. State RPS policies have emerged as one of the most important drivers of renewable energy in the U.S. Collectively, the RPS policies that are in place today in 21 states apply to roughly 40% of U.S. electricity load. But the adoption of these policies often hinges on debates over the expected costs and benefits of increased renewable energy use. To inform these debates, a large number of studies have been conducted to forecast the potential impacts of state RPS programs. Said Cliff Chen, “In our sample are 28 different analyses that cover 18 states, with renewable energy […]

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