| Former European cable execs see BPL parallels | | | | "Smart grid efficiency and control are finally being |
| Tom Walsh and Patricia McGrath were executives at | | | | seen as the way to integrate and manage the |
| UPC Broadband -- now owned by Liberty Global. The | | | | various networks" -- and cut reliance on generators |
| Netherlands-based firm grew from a 200-user cable | | | | outside the Union, said Walsh. |
| modem trial network in Amsterdam in the mid 90s to | | | | Meanwhile less developed nations in the EU are trying |
| a customer base of over 1.5 million cable broadband | | | | to build their economies and getting access to |
| subscribers in 14 countries in 2002. Walsh was vice | | | | broadband is a key ingredient. "Pilot projects are |
| president of engineering and then operations and | | | | being planned to take the best existing solutions and |
| McGrath was vice president of network planning and | | | | test them for commercial roll-outs throughout |
| implementation. | | | | Europe." |
| The two left UPC and in 2005 they started Glasnua | | | | Walsh expects BPL's role to expand as green power |
| Ltd. in Ireland. They looked at various alternative | | | | generation projects such as home-based generation, |
| technologies and soon found BPL. Glasnua, are | | | | solar panels, wind farms, tidal power and more start |
| convinced BPL is the technology it had been looking | | | | populating the grid. Interconnection with those |
| for and set its sights on deploying BPL for utility | | | | projects will make managing the reliability of the grid |
| services and retail triple play throughout Europe. | | | | ever more complicated -- and some look to BPL as |
| Walsh and McGrath spoke to us Thursday from their | | | | an obvious answer to managing that complexity. |
| headquarters in County Kerry in Southwest Ireland. | | | | They saw cable get smart |
| Walsh is CTO and McGrath is director. "Europe will | | | | BPL reminds Walsh of the early days of cable. People |
| offer incredible opportunity for 'smart grid' technology | | | | in 1997 told him cable modem networks "couldn't |
| players for the next 10 years," said Walsh. He | | | | happen, it wouldn't work -- we were dreaming." BPL |
| believes the key for BPL technology firms to | | | | is in roughly the same position as cable was then -- |
| succeed in Europe will be to maintain a presence | | | | with a lack of standards, some engineering challenges |
| without draining resources and funds.glasnua is set up | | | | in creating networks plus it's got its nay sayers. |
| to help. The firm's been trying to land BPL projects | | | | The broadband boom in Europe was similar to "the |
| with utilities but like everywhere, European utilities | | | | wave that's building for smart grids." Cable traditionally |
| have resisted. | | | | was a one-way, wire-based distribution network. |
| EU's pushing BPL | | | | Sounds familiar. |
| "Utilities have been slow to come to the table so far | | | | Cable modem technology introduced tremendous |
| -- but here in Europe the EU is actively pushing the | | | | advantages by adding IP to those networks. |
| technology," said Walsh. Why is the government of | | | | Suddenly the operator could see the condition of |
| Europe pushing BPL? | | | | every piece of gear on the network all the way to |
| A BPL initiative is underway to "overcome the | | | | the customer's modem. |
| energy challenges presented by a rapidly expanding | | | | That gave Walsh a brand new kind of power in |
| [EU] membership where demand is outstripping | | | | making financial decisions. He could make choices on |
| supply," Walsh reported. He and McGrath are involved | | | | where to spend money on the network -- based not |
| in that government effort and they're confident "it | | | | on which technology officer in field wrote the most |
| will happen," she added. The firm wants to introduce | | | | compelling request, "but on actual live statistics," he |
| to Europe some of the main players in the BPL world | | | | stressed. |
| "that have existing and proven technologies and | | | | His operational crews -- that had only ever been |
| proven business cases so that we can jump start | | | | reactive -- could now act proactively based on |
| some technology trials. | | | | real-time data and "before stuff breaks." Walsh would |
| "We believe that some of the strongest players | | | | set targets and key performance indicators for his |
| have a great opportunity to be in at the beginning" -- | | | | managers and then "see how they were doing -- not |
| with a real possibility to turn those trials into | | | | based on a score card but actual real statistics, real |
| commercial deployments. | | | | facts." glasnua |
| Glasnua hopes to avoid "open-ended science | | | | QUOTE OF THE WEEK: All of a sudden you had huge |
| experiments -- that I think have been some people's | | | | efficiencies coming into the operation which means |
| experience in the past," said McGrath. Some of the | | | | you gave better end-service to the customer. At the |
| utilities in the EU are trying to "reinvent the wheel," | | | | same time you were able to reduce costs of |
| she added -- and Glasnua wants to show them | | | | providing the service. This was all happening in the |
| wheels are "already out there," she added. | | | | cable sector probably in the years of 2002, 2003. |
| The challenge for Glasnua is to make deals with | | | | Take that benefit and combine it with BPL and you |
| international BPL technology firms including US firms | | | | are making that business case look much rosier. |
| and represent them in Europe. | | | | Tom Walsh, CTO, Glasnua |
| The name says it all | | | | These folks have scaled |
| Glasnua learned early that utilities aren't usually | | | | Another similarity with cable is the problem utilities |
| interested in hype about the broadband business. | | | | face in scaling data networks to cover entire utility |
| True to its name, the firm is focused on utility | | | | footprints. Those are the same problems Walsh |
| applications and sees that market offering huge | | | | tackled with cable-based broadband, he reminded. |
| potential. Commercial broadband is a side benefit that | | | | It takes "business nerve" to wait for the |
| can be delivered by firms that lease bandwidth from | | | | opportunities to ripen -- and then capital to take |
| the utility, he noted. | | | | advantage of the moment when it's right. |
| But the need for the 21st century smart grid is | | | | Superior technology will win out, he added. "For us, |
| urgent. The EU grew from 15 to 27 countries in the | | | | 'smart grids' is nothing new. |
| last 3 years, Walsh reminded. Many have rapidly | | | | "We deployed similar technology on communications |
| growing economies that are putting incredible demand | | | | networks and quickly realized the operational benefits |
| on power grids. | | | | when scaling is handled correctly." |
| These states have limited raw resources for energy | | | | "The smart grids principle is not new. "It's been [used] |
| production and a lack of organization in the power | | | | in the telecom sector for over four years and has |
| interconnection between countries. The EU doesn't | | | | revolutionized both technical and operational |
| have a system to manage the grid or know "who's | | | | management. |
| producing power" and who's using it. | | | | |