The OpenWay residential and commercial smart electricity meters and accompanying wide area network relays were tested utilizing Itron’s improved security architecture, which is based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). The system’s encryption and key management appliances secured end-to-end messages from OpenWay Collection Engine down to end devices on the OpenWay system.

The system is also using multiple open standards, like IP, SOA, XML, WSDL, American National Standards Institute C12.22, ZigBee, and GPRS, to allow strong, secure communications and integration. Itron’s commitment to a standards-based approach ensures CenterPoint Energy’s system is fully extensible to support added security mechanisms the industry may need in the future.

We’ve designed OpenWay with security as a core criterion, stated Malcolm Unsworth, Itron president and chief operating officer. By collaborating with customers like CenterPoint Energy, participating in standards organizations such as IEEE, and partnering with leading security providers such as Certicom and Industrial Defender, we’re very confident that we’re deploying the most secure advanced metering system in the field today.

The OpenWay smart meter installation is the first step in transforming the electric infrastructure to a smart grid, stated Tom Standish, group president of Regulated Operations for CenterPoint Energy. Installing these meters should enable consumer control over energy consumption while enhancing the efficiency and reliability of our operations.

The smart grid technology like OpenWay is designed to link the electric meters with power line hardware, appliances, communications, systems integration and an intelligence layer of monitoring and control to create a highly automated, responsive and resilient power system.

Due to the critical nature of the monitoring and control systems of our country’s energy infrastructure and increasing dependence on fossil fuels from foreign sources, we cannot wait one second longer to begin deploying technology that can reduce energy consumption, curb peak energy demand and lower carbon emissions, stated Unsworth. We congratulate CenterPoint Energy in reaching this important milestone in its smart metering system initiative.

Itron is a US-based provider of a portfolio of products and services to utilities for the energy and water markets.