Final Report Summary - DEMOSYNCSEN (DEMONSTRATION OF ULTRA-LOW POWER WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK FOR METERING APPLICATIONS) Executive Summary:The SYNCSEN Demonstration action (DEMOSYNCSEN) is a direct follow-on of the very successful SYNCSEN project that came to a successful conclusion in January 2011. The R&D tasks of the SYNCSEN project resulted in an Automatic Metering Reading (AMR) system that included smart meters and a collection system. The system was tested in a controlled real case scenario. However, further verifications and improvements driven by particular requirements of the water metering market need to be done before entering the commercialization phase. This became the main objective of this demonstration action.From the technical point of view, the improvements consisted in updating the original SYNCSEN hardware design according to new smart water meter market requirements by adding compatibility with the 169MHz band, improving the overall system performance and reducing the power consumption of the wireless motes. From the business perspective, previous assumptions were verified as a result of a market assessment on EU’s and USA’s AMR solutions market which allowed to set an strategy for the successful commercialization of the SYNCSEN solution. One of the purposes of this demonstration actions was to create real interest by potential customers to purchase the solution. This interest was confirmed by customers who engaged in the deployment of the pilot trials.Unfortunately, a combination of technical problems related to radio stack stability and synchronization mechanism as well as the withdrawal of key partners CASON and ATEKNEA made impossible to produce the final SYNCSEN motes, develop the pilot trials within the project context and pursue a commercial business model to exploit the other results of the Syncsen project despite the extensive effort and funds expended by all partners in SYNCSEN and DEMOSYNCSEN projects.Project Context and Objectives:The SYNCSEN Demonstration action (DEMOSYNCSEN) is a direct follow-on of the very successful SYNCSEN FP7-SME-2007-1 ‘Research for SME’s’ project (Grant Agreement number: 222322) that came to a successful conclusion in January 2011. The R&D tasks of the SYNCSEN project resulted in an Automatic Metering Reading (AMR) system that included smart meters (Hardware and Software) and a collection system (network protocols and algorithms). The system was tested in a controlled real case scenario. However, further verifications and improvements need to be done before entering the market. The main purpose of this project was to share common resources amongst the consortium partners to validate that the RTD technology created in SYNCSEN can be launched into the water utility market. The project aimed to bridge the gap between the research results and the final marketable product; with focus on the specific necessities of the European water utilities sector and adding new business opportunities to this market.Project Results:During the duration of the project the work developed by the partners have focused on market and business related issues, technical improvement of the SYNCSEN technology and preparation and planning of the field tests. The previous market knowledge by the Consortium has been updated and extended through an in-depth analysis of the water meter market in Europe in order to identify the opportunities and threats for AMR applications taking into account the business environment. The main output of this work package is a study which provides a thorough view of the EU and USA water meter market including the regulatory framework, major stakeholders and key players. Business opportunities for new AMR solutions in different national markets are discussed in the report. Such analysis has allowed the Consortium to identify the potential clients of the SYNCSEN technologies and define different marketing strategies according to the business opportunities in few relevant national markets. A few critical technical improvements have been implemented in order to enhance the market position of the SYNCSEN AMR solution. The improvements have consisted in updating the original SYNCSEN hardware design according to new smart water meter market requirements by adding compatibility with the 169MHz band, improving the overall system performance and reducing the power consumption of the wireless motes. In parallel to this technical developments, the urban and rural sites for testing of the system have been identified. Details of each site have been gathered by partners to support the planning of the field system deployment. In the case of County Meath, water meters have been installed to fulfil with the test and validation requirements. Unfortunately, a combination of technical problems related to radio stack stability and synchronization mechanism as well as the withdrawal of key partners CASON and ATEKNEA made impossible to produce the final SYNCSEN motes, develop the pilot trials within the project context and pursue a commercial business model to exploit the other results of the Syncsen project despite the extensive effort and funds expended by all partners in SYNCSEN and DEMOSYNCSEN projects.Potential Impact:This Demonstration project aimed to bridge the gap between research and market, by contributing knowledge to verify the viability of a new solution that facilitates the direct commercialisation of the research results. In the case of SYNCSEN the research underpinning the technology was carried out and the production of a novel AMR system was demonstrated showing high potential for application to a broader range of low power wireless metering systems. In this demonstration action, the SYNCSEN technology was focused on water meter reading, due to a specific characteristic of this type of network (battery powered). SYNCSEN technology would offer small water utilities a configurable product to solve their automatic metering reading necessities. For the members of the DEMOSYNCSEN consortium there are clear and demonstrable benefits to be gained from a successful implementation of the developed technology under the SYNCSEN project. The purpose of this demonstration actions was to create real interest by potential customers to purchase the solution. This interest was confirmed by customers who engaged in the deployment of the pilot trials. On the other hand, the consortium wanted to demonstrate that the wireless motes can be manufactured on a production scale, reducing the manufacturing cost. Another main motivation of this project was to transform the potential economic advantage from SYNCSEN on a commercialised product. These benefits will accrue to utilities and firms within the water utility sector. All these benefits will be passed on to consumers who will gain access to clear information about their water consumption and will improve perception of the quantity of water used in their lives. In addition, there will be environmental benefits, as consumers will be more aware of the amount of water they spend each day. On the utility site, due to the real time information and digitalization of each household’s data, water utilities will be able to detect network leakages and predict demand.List of Websites:www.syncsen.com
