City of Skiatook Works with GE to Modernize Its Utility Grid

SKIATOOK, Okla. (Jan. 16, 2014) – GE’s Digital Energy business and the city of Skiatook announced plans to implement GE’s advanced Grid IQ Solutions as a Service (SaaS) grid-modernization technology. The SaaS offerings provide cities and utilities with the benefits of a modern grid without requiring the large staff or up-front capital typically needed. The addition of this technology will enable Skiatook to respond to changing energy dynamics via a cohesive network, modern meters and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) for its utility grids. The system provided by GE can be accessed by a utility company for a monthly subscription fee making a modernized grid accessible for utilities of all sizes. “The agreement between the city of Skiatook and GE will allow the city to provide state-of-the-art utility billing, monitoring and outage detection services to the citizens and business community of Skiatook in the most cost-effective and reliable manner,” said Dan Yancey, city manager, the city of Skiatook. The system will strategically place the city light-years ahead of where we were months ago and set the stage for future opportunities.” Working with GE, the city of Skiatook will receive a pre-integrated package of services ranging from electric and water meter services for the city’s AMI, to prepaid electric billing and a consumer Web portal. In addition, the package includes services such as outage detection, asset monitoring and support for Skiatook’s utility grid for the first 10 years of service. This grid-modernization solution will provide the city a faster deployment of electric and water meters and reduce excess costs associated with the management of its entire utility grid. Utility customers will get a better understanding of their electric and water usage data, helping them to take control of their energy usage and make informed decisions about how and when they use their energy in the future. “The pre-integrated services included in GE’s SaaS offering provide cities like Skiatook with the reliability and efficiency needed to meet growing electrical and water distribution challenges," said Todd Jackson, product line leader—software solutions, GE's Digital Energy business. "Thanks to the subscription-based and cloud-based design, GE helps position utilities and their customers to make more informed decisions regarding their energy usage.” Skiatook’s deal with GE marks the first SaaS project in the state of Oklahoma. It comes on the heels of the announcement that GE intends to open a new oil and gas technology center down the road in Oklahoma City. The deal with Skiatook and GE’s investment in its new $110 million oil and gas facility solidify the company’s commitment to drive best-in-class technology in the state of Oklahoma. Introduced last year, GE’s SaaS—one of the company’s innovative Industrial Internet technologies—provides small- and mid-market utilities with grid-modernization technology without having develop their own smart grid networks. GE’s SaaS was recently implemented by the City of Holly Springs, Miss., and is currently being utilized by Electric Cities of Georgia (ECG)/city of Norcross, Ga., and the city of Leesburg, Fla. GE finds solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance.