How do you connect more than 35,000 smart meters in a storm-prone region – and maintain nearly perfect data availability? In Araranguá, Brazil, Celesc partnered with RACOM to build a future-ready AMI network powered by RipEX2.
https//www.racom.eu/eng/case/new-standards-in-smart-metering
Challenge: Reliable Communications Across a Dense Urban Landscape
Celesc – the largest electricity distributor in Santa Catarina – launched an ambitious AMI pilot to automate data collection from approximately 35,400 electricity meters. The project needed to overcome:
- Dense, interference-prone urban environments
- Frequent tropical storms and power surges
- Thousands of endpoints requiring real-time data transmission
- Integration with both WiSUN mesh and central SCADA systems
- A scalable architecture for long-term AMI expansion
Celesc selected Wasion as the system integrator, but the backbone between concentrators and the central Meter Data Collector required a highly reliable and secure radio network.
Solution: RipEX2 Creates a High-Speed, Resilient AMI Backbone
Wasion chose RACOM’s RipEX2 radio modems – already proven in earlier Celesc deployments – to build a robust, licensed-band backbone connecting concentrators to the utility’s central systems.
Key architecture elements:
- WiSUN RF mesh (900 MHz) connecting meters to local concentrators
- RipEX2 (400 MHz licensed band) linking concentrators with the MDC
- A tree-structured topology with 120 areas grouped into 12 high-traffic clusters
- Up to 1.7 Mbps throughput per RipEX2 link
- Simultaneous endpoint and repeater functionality to reduce infrastructure needs
RACOM engineers collaborated closely with Wasion and local partner Utili to fine-tune routing, RF performance and deployment parameters.
Results: Ultra-Reliable, Scalable Smart Metering Operations
The project delivered outstanding results:
- 99.9% long-term network reliability despite storms and grid disturbances
- CAPEX savings thanks to repeater feature of RipEX2 modems
- Quick onsite resolution of issues such as metallic interference or grounding errors
- Automated meter readings reliably integrated into Celesc’s SCADA systems
- A future-proof AMI platform ready for regional expansion
By mid-2024, Araranguá’s AMI network became a national showcase of reliability and innovation – with RipEX2 at the heart of its communication backbone.
