SMART.MET will test new smart metering solutions in five European sites

On 30 November 2020, the SMART.MET consortium announced the two companies that have passed the selection procedure for Phase 3 of the pre-commercial procurement (PCP) that will involve the ‘development of a test series and field testing’ of innovative smart-metering solutions. 

Following the conclusion of Phase II that focused on ‘developing an operational prototype of the solution’, and after a thorough assessment, these two companies have been admitted to participate in Phase 3 and awarded contracts for the implementation and ground testing of smart meter prototypes.

  • Telereading (Italy)
  • Hydroko (Belgium)

The companies will now have the opportunity to test their solutions in five European sites. 1500 prototypes will be tested in five different countries: the region of Sélestat (France), Vicenza (Italy), Zafra (Spain), Liége and Herstal (Belgium), and Budapest (Hungary). The test sites represent a diversity of urban, rural or mixed sites. Through the field testing the companies will demonstrate the validity of their proposed prototypes in all their components: meter, communication infrastructure, and control systems.

Funded under the Horizon 2020 research programme, the SMART.MET project aims to promote demand-driven research into the development of new innovative smart meter solutions that fully cater to the needs of water utilities, in terms of readability, battery lifetime and cost.

The consortium is composed of seven public water utilities from five different EU countries which came together in the smart.met project with the objective to launch a pre-commercial procurement (PCP) to guide the development of new technologies based on open technological platforms for the remote reading of water meters. 

Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) provides the support for research and development services to be directed to specific needs. It is a unique instrument to foster competition for the development of a high quality product whilst providing an adapted answer to common needs and opening new markets for companies.

Carried out under Italian law, the PCP is structured into three phases: Phase 1, focusing on solutions’ exploration and design (completed); Phase 2, focusing on developing an operational prototype of the solution (completed), and Phase 3 on-ground testing of the solutions, (in progress).

Driving the development of new solutions for smart water metering data collection and management.

 

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