Smart grid projects open up opportunities, jobs

"From the very beginning of this program, one of our main objectives has been to create good-paying jobs across our service area, and we're very excited to report that we're exceeding the goals established by the Illinois General Assembly when it passed this important legislation," Anne Pramaggiore, president and CEO of ComEd, the utility company, told the source. "We also have submitted a plan to accelerate the installation of smart meters this summer so we anticipate that this significant investment and expansive work under the Smart Grid program will remain a strong driver of economic growth for some time to come."

According to the report, the new plan would generate further savings for consumers of about $170 million but accelerating smart meter installation strategies from a completion date of 2020 to 2018. These increased investments are paying off, delivering higher-quality energy supply to customers, particularly businesses that are able to leverage these improvements for their own gain.

Perle offers a range of cost effective serial-to-Ethernet converters to help meet NERC-CIP compliance for the protection of critical cyberassets in substations. The IOLAN SDS HV/LDC Terminal Server is designed to meet harsh environments associated with Power Substations with attributes such as support for substation AC and DC voltage ranges, extended operating temperatures and meeting emission, immunity and safety approvals associated with substation IT equipment.