ST chip used for major smart metering project
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A major infrastructure programme has seen the integration of STMicroelectronics technology in its automatic meter management equipment.
ST's new STarGRID ST7590 power line communication (plc) SoC is being used in advanced automatic meter management (amm) equipment in the new 'STAR Project' in Spain.
The project is an advanced metering infrastructure program from the Iberdola utility company. According to Iberdola, by early 2011, approximately 100,000 PRIME compliant smart meters will have been being installed in the city of Castellon in Spain. The company expects over 10million to be deployed across Spain over the next few years.
The ST7590 SoC is the latest device in ST's STarGRID range, a power line communication platform designed to be adapted to different smart grid application needs and protocol standards. According to ST, the platform optimises power consumption and cost more effectively than solutions based on multipurpose stand alone dsps, which require additional external analogue front end and power line driver components.
STarGRID has been designed to allow the integration of an optimised dsp engine for different modulation schemes and physical layer services management. It has a digital 8bit industrial microcontroller core for system supervising and protocol stack management. The device is said to exploit OFDM modulation up to 128Kb/s, compliant with PRIME protocol standard specifications.
"Being selected as the silicon technology provider for the STAR Project in Spain is a significant testament to ST's leading edge knowhow in this field," said Pietro Menniti, vice president and general manager, Industrial Power Conversion Division, STMicroelectronics. "STarGrid is a breakthrough in power line communication technology that offers a flexible SoC platform meeting major worldwide smart metering and smart grid standards."
