STMicroelectronics STCOMET smart meter system chip

     Spanning multiple electronic applications, STMicroelectronics' STCOMET smart meter System-on-a-chip (SoC), a leading global semiconductor supplier, has achieved an important milestone by using smart grid technology to integrate electricity delivered from different power generation facilities, including a variety of renewable energy sources. Let the world's power companies provide people with green electricity.

     STCOMET simplifies smart meter design by integrating key meter functions on a single chip, including powerline communication (PLC) modems that comply with major smart meter industry standards. The key to being able to introduce it to large-scale applications is that ST has recently passed the latest specification certificates of G3-PLC and PRIME  v1.4 version Profile 2, covering frequency bands up to 500kHz, such as FCC bands. Together with the existing G3-PLC and PRIME v1.4 version certifications to the EU CENELEC-A  standard, STCOMET has now passed all the major certifications currently in force worldwide.

     In addition, STMicroelectronics has expanded the STCOMET product family into four products, giving design engineers the flexibility to adapt the final application system to the needs of different regions and markets. The STCOMET05 and STCOMET10 integrate 512KB / 1MB program flash memory and application processing subsystem, dedicated security engine with privacy and intrusion protection, high-precision meter front end circuit and PLC module. The simplified versions of STCOM05 and STCOM10 allow design engineers the flexibility to integrate their unique meter front end features with ST's on-chip application processors, safety engines and PLC modules, and significantly accelerate the project schedule thanks to the multiple specifications that ST has obtained.

     STMicroelectronics also stated that the SOGRID Smart-Grid pilot project has installed STCOMET smart meters in 1,000 households in the Toulouse region of France. St is also participating in an industry consortium led by ERDF as the executive of the SOGRID project to assist the French power distribution company in researching the automation of network control in a real operating environment.

     Matteo Lo Presti, Vice President of Products and General manager of Industrial Applications and Power Conversion Products at STMicroelectronics, said: "We are well on our way to realizing the future world outlined by the smart grid, and the goals and results we are getting closer are exciting. "Our STCOMET smart meter system chips are leading the way in smart grid technology, combining outstanding technical features, unprecedented integration and design flexibility to drive a smart energy revolution in countries and regions around the world, from developed to emerging markets."

     With the SOGRID Smart Grid project, which dramatically accelerates the development of smart meters and smart grids, ST's unique configurable and scalable firmware architecture allows designers to develop multiple products on the same design platform, using future-proof adaptability to reduce the cost of ownership over the product lifecycle. St has a fully functional development ecosystem that enables designers to quickly develop single-phase or three-phase smart meters using STCOMET IC. Its ecosystem includes certified protocol stacks, reference designs, prototype hardware, and development tools such as meter management software and drivers.