AT&T Teams with Petra Solar

Saturday, 24 July 2010 15:59

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AT&T has signed a new agreement to combine Petra Solar’s smart grid and renewable energy technology with the telecom’s wireless network in order to offer utilities improved power quality and grid reliability. Petra Solar’s solution enables utility companies to simultaneously address Renewable Portfolio Standard requirements and invest in a smart grid technology.

According to Petra Solar, the company “designs and manufactures the first smart grid interactive solar electric system specifically designed for installation on utility distribution poles, Utility Grade SunWave UP Series. The systems, which operate as individual power generation stations, combine solar power, smart grid, and power management technologies to improve a utility’s power quality and grid management.” These systems operate on light and utility poles and connect to the grid's secondary voltage lines at the pole.

Last summer the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved a contract between Petra Solar and PSE&G to generate 40MW of power through SunWave solar systems installed on nearly 200,000 poles in New Jersey. The intelligent photovoltaic solar units are, currently being installed throughout the state’s six largest cities and 300 suburban communities and will be running on the AT&T wireless network. According to Petra Solar, PSE&G’s clean energy project with its SunWave solution is the largest solar electric project under construction in the country.

PSE&G President and COO, Ralph LaRossa, says the program, which is part of the utility’s Solar 4 All initiative, “brings the benefits of solar energy to every community we serve, while also creating much needed green jobs in manufacturing and installation. PSE&G’s programs to promote energy efficiency, develop renewables, and accelerate infrastructure investments are putting hundreds of New Jersey residents to work at this critical time.”

Michael Antieri, President of Advanced Enterprise Mobility Solutions for AT&T Business Solutions adds, “By harnessing the scale of the AT&T network to deliver more sustainable solutions, we enable wireless connections across people and businesses helping to increase efficiency. This new relationship with Petra Solar marks another step into integrating our wireless network capabilities with the benefits of smart grid technology and the leading-edge renewable energy solutions available today.”

President and CEO of Petra Solar, Dr. Shihab Kuran says partnering with AT&T will “fully utilize the intelligence of our solution. SunWave units are mounted on utility poles and connected directly to the grid at the pole. This creates a highly efficient distributed solar generation system that also provides smart grid capabilities to our customers through real-time communications between the systems in the field and the utility control center. In addition, our systems enhance electric distribution grid reliability and help stabilize the grid during periods of increased load.”

For more information on AT&T’s smart grid solutions, visit www.att.com/utilities.

Founded in 2006 by Dr. Kuran, Petra Solar’s SunWave system combines solar energy with smart-grid communications and electric grid enhancement functions