TCS Smart Meter Analytics 

Overview

Utilities must take a proactive role in enabling predictive and prescriptive decision-making.
As smart meters generate high volumes of data, it is essential to automate the backend analysis and processing of timely alerts from meters. In addition, to enabling near real time monitoring, utilities need machine learning-driven consumption insights. Furthermore, automated processing of smart meter data can help extensively in detecting nested outages and suggesting proactive revenue protection, along with low voltage network condition visibility.

The time series data generated by various utility operations help detect the early signs of aberrations in device performance, processes, and even large-scale operations. However, various departments need to collaborate closely to derive the necessary insights from that data, some of which are automated. In contrast, many others still rely on manual intervention and traditional mechanisms. 

TCS Smart Meter Analytics solution offers end-to-end value realization from smart meter data aggregation to decision-making. It enables stakeholder engagement and delivers an automated, scalable, machine-driven output for electricity utilities. With seamless mobility and web support, the solution can ingest data from multiple sources and formats in a cloud-hosted or on-premise environment. With automated processing of the relevant information, TCS’ solution can generate business insights in near real time. This will help with the multiple tasks that are currently done manually at utilities, such as grid management and consumption analytics. 

Solution

TCS Smart Meter Analytics enhances decision-making.
It helps utilities with: 

Automated smart alert processing – The solution has the capability to receive and process alerts and alarms generated by remote meters in real time or near real time and process them automatically as per user-defined business rules. Consequently, the user gets auto-filtered actionable alerts and alarms with suggested actions and smart data visualizations.

Grid management – The solution identifies voltage and load imbalances in respective areas, violation of user-defined thresholds, dynamic system loading, nested outages, and correction of meter to distribution transformer maps on the desktop.

Consumption analytics – TCS’ solution offers a comprehensive view of consumption analytics, which includes the consumption pattern of individuals and groups, granular profiling of consumers, system meters, peer comparison, and audits to identify anomalies and take quick actions. 

Smart meter operations center (SMOC) – The solution has an inbuilt dashboard and acts as a work management system that helps monitor smart meter implementation and daily operations. It is a single point of information that determines any lag in execution, vendor performance, and communication status, along with daily performance monitoring of billing, disconnections-reconnections, and a host of other configurable functionalities.

Integrated work management and in-map view – This enables early detection of required maintenance operations, digital collaboration, and prognostic capabilities to minimize device failures and outages. All the analytical outcomes and outliers generated from the solution are plotted in an embedded map view to generate a visual heat map. Work orders can be directly created from the heat maps for allocation and execution. 

Benefits

TCS Smart Meter Analytics boosts operational efficiency and enhances CX.
The solution improves performance and efficiency with near real time operational information, comprehensive visibility, and enhanced collaboration across the solution. The key benefits include:

• Actionable alerts: The solution filters critical alerts from a sea of notifications generated by smart meters, thus eliminating field-related actions on redundant alerts. This significantly reduces field visits, truck rolls, and resource utilization, saving costs and enhancing sustainability. 

• Preemptive or proactive operations: Timely alerts and contextualized information help respond to operational events faster, more accurately, and effectively, thus reducing cost and improving operational efficiency. 

• Delayed capex: With predictive analytics and data visualization capabilities, the solution identifies anomalies as they occur, enabling timely intervention and eliminating the need for high-end reactive maintenance. This also helps extend the useful life of assets. 

• Effective decision-making: The availability of machine-processed information in real time helps reduce manual labor and improves collaboration and productivity.

The TCS advantage

TCS is uniquely positioned to deliver innovative solutions for the utilities sector.
This is effortlessly achieved with the following differentiators -

Domain expertise: We engage with utilities across the globe to bring in and cross-leverage best practices, ensuring tangible outcomes for the end customers.

Research-backed support and delivery: Our deliveries are governed by a core-flex model, where the project teams can consult with the center of excellence seamlessly. 

Accelerated deployment and resilient operations: Our solutions are underpinned by research, human-centric design, and field validation for a faster, easier, and more effective deployment for the end customer.

Strategic partnerships: We partner with leading design studios, academia, startups, and established technology players to empower customers to adopt cutting-edge solutions during implementation and support.