IBM signs deal to deploy Maltese smart grid

OK, it may be a small island, but when was the last time you heard a high-tech company claim an entire nation as a client?

IBM has snagged a country-wide smart grid deployment deal with the Maltese National Electricity and Water Utilities (Enemalta Corp. and Water Services Corp.) in Malta. The deal, worth roughly $90 million over the course of five years, will involve establishing an end-to-end electricity and water Smart Utility system. The approximately 250,000 analog electricity meters deployed across the country will be replaced with smart electronic devices that will allow consumers (residential and commercial) to manage their water or power consumption, handle online billing, and so on. Sometimes being small definitely has its advantages, no?

Here are things that Malta believes will benefit its population: - The elimination of estimated power use; bills will reflect actual consumption. - The introduction of flexible tariffs. - The system can handle prepayment (like when you buy a calling card). - Electricity supply can be managed remotely. - Energy efficiency patterns can be studied more closely. - Customers will be able to manage their individual consumption through an online portal.

The system is expected to be up and running by the end of 2012.