Cobb EMC Smart Grid Program
June 30, 2014
U.S. Department of Energy
The Cobb Electric Membership Corporation (Cobb EMC) project involved the installation of a fully integrated advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) solution across the service territory. Cobb EMC installed more than 194,195 smart meters, 12 new communication towers, and 15 Tower Gateway Base stations. The new two-way network infrastructure and meter data management system (MDMS) allow Cobb EMC to collect and process interval usage data for customers and improve outage management and power restoration efforts by integrating the AMI data and functionality into operational and maintenance procedures. The projects primary objectives were to significantly reduce operations and maintenance costs, improve outage management capabilities, and empower customers to more efficiently manage their energy consumption. The AMI solution enabled automated, remote meter reading, diagnostics, and troubleshooting, and peak load reduction through both time-based rate programs for customers and voltage regulation using AMI-enabled voltage monitoring.
