Welcome Your New Expert Interview Series: Randy Austin, New Expert in the Grid Professionals Group – [an Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Expert Interview]

As a part of our Energy Central’s Network of Experts, Randy agreed to participate in an Expert Interview and shares insights on the advantages of LoRaWAN and Amazon Sidewalk, the impact of open technologies on utility competition, how Vision Metering is helping utilities, and more.

Read on to learn what Randy will be bringing to the Community as an Expert.

Matt Chester: Welcome to Energy Central as one of our Featured Experts! I’d love to give you a chance to have the community get to know you, so please start by introducing yourself, sharing your role in the power sector, and maybe what your key areas of interest and expertise are?

Randy Austin: Vision Metering was established in June 1991 as Austin International and subsequently changed its name to Vision Metering in 2011.  The company has had 33 years of continuously profitable business, and is housed in a 240,000 square foot facility located in York, South Carolina. 

Vision Metering is first and foremost a technology company concentrating on LoRa communications for electric, water and gas communications. The electric meters produced by Vision have withstood the test of time and environment. Our meters function well in the cold of Alaska and the heat and humidity of the Philippines. We also use cellular communications along with Amazon Sidewalk technologies.  We have a staff of engineers working in three countries all with the goal of providing our customers with the most positive AMI experience.

The Company currently has over 90 AMI systems deployed throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Philippines.  The operation of these systems prove the awesome capabilities of the LoRa IoT technology when deployed for AMI.  The openness of LoRa allows the customer to determine the course of their deployment and how much they want to be involved in the experience.

I am the founder and President of Vision Metering.  I have over 40 years of metering experience and over 10 years of AMI experience.  My goal is to bring open IoT networks (LoRa & Sidewalk) to the AMI space to provide a pathway for utilities to achieve their goals without breaking the bank.

Vision has also developed its own metering test equipment called Vesta.  Vesta allows the customer to take control of metrology requirements with a very accurate reference standard along with the ability to test at any voltage with up to 100 amps.

MC: LoRa and Amazon Sidewalk are emerging as game-changers in utility metering. What advantages do these technologies bring compared to traditional AMI communication methods? 

RA: The big benefit of LoRa is the minimal infrastructure required to achieve a communication network. LoRa can establish a network for about 10% of what other systems cost.  The throughput of data through the system is much greater than a mesh system or other point to point systems.  When combined with Amazon Sidewalk which requires no infrastructure, a combined system will ultimately save the utility significant costs in initial installation and ongoing maintenance.  There is no charge to use either LoRa or Sidewalk technologies.

MC: Many utilities are concerned about vendor lock-in with proprietary AMI solutions. How do open-standard technologies like LoRaWAN change the landscape for utility metering? 

RA: The big advantage here is competition. Other AMI systems will handcuff you to a single vendor.  LoRa and Sidewalk are open and free, allowing anyone to manufacture devices to operate on these systems without licensing or fees.

MC: Vision Metering has helped utilities in developing countries minimize energy theft. How do LoRa and Sidewalk enhance theft detection and grid visibility? 

RA: First and foremost, all meters are sending data every 15 minutes.  Within the meter is the capability to detect power outages and power restoration.  There is a tamper switch in the meter that will trigger if someone pulls the meter from the socket.  Additionally, all our meters are magnetically shielded to prevent tampering with a magnet.  We also monitor the current on both legs.  If we see no current flow on one of the legs for an extended period of time, there is a good chance that tampering has occurred.

MC: As utilities continue modernizing their metering infrastructure, how do you see AMI evolving over the next 5-10 years? 

RA: I think networks like Amazon Sidewalk and open Wi-Fi are the key to the future.  As more connected devices are installed the possibility of other systems like Google Nest could play an important role.  Also, as satellite costs come down, there could be a better option for rural electricity suppliers.  We currently offer LoRa, Sidewalk and S-Band on all of our new communications cards.

MC: What are you excited about when it comes to becoming a part of the Energy Central Community? What value do you hope to bring to your peers and what are you hoping you’ll get out from it personally?

RA: I think Energy Centrals platform can help us communicate to customers that there are alternatives to the 800 lb gorillas currently dominating the AMI space. We are looking for more visibility.

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Thanks to Randy for joining me for this interview and providing a wealth of insights and expertise to the Energy Central Community. You can trust that Randy will be available for you to reach out and connect and ask questions as an Energy Central member, so be sure to make him feel welcome when you see him across the platform.

Other expert interviews in this series can be read here, and if you are interested in becoming an expert, you can reach out to me or  apply here.