Vorarlberger Energienetze GmbH
Vorarlberger Energienetze GmbH?
Vorarlberg's electricity grid is one of the most reliable in Europe. Vorarlberger Energienetze GmbH (vorarlberg netz for short) is a subsidiary of illwerke vkw AG and is responsible for operating the electricity and natural gas grids. Vorarlberg netz is an efficient distribution system operator and offers its customers a high level of supply reliability and excellent service quality.
CANCOM Austria emerged from K-Businesscom (formerly Kapsch BusinessCom) at the beginning of 2024. The following case study was written before that and therefore the text was left in the original version.
Business Challenge
vorarlberg netz is focusing on the further digitalization of its products and services. This primarily includes smart meter solutions, which are gradually replacing the existing electricity meters. Over the next few years, almost 200,000 devices will be replaced throughout Vorarlberg. The legal basis is the framework conditions for supporting a smart meter system in Austria, defined by the representative of the domestic energy industry, "Oesterreichs Energie". The main focus here is on system and data security.
Solution
- Meter Data Management System (SEM.MDM)
- Head-end system (SEM.HES) for DLMS meters
- Key Management Systems (SEM.KMS), based on DLMS Security Suite 1 with end-to-end encryption via hardware security module and certificate-based authentication via PKI
Value
- The solution fulfills the use cases required by "Oesterreichs Energie"
- Guaranteed data security at the highest level currently possible
- Support for the integration of decentralized generation plants
- Reliability and fail-safe operation including outage management
- Increased efficiency in grid operation, especially for time-consuming processes such as meter reading and billing
- Improvements in grid monitoring and control
- One contact person with industry experience
- Overall responsibility from a single source