By SHARON UDASIN
04/02/2014

Energy security firm Nation-E and the Netanya Municipality have teamed up to operate the country’s first citywide energy protection system.

The company installed a first smart meter on Monday at Netanya’s city hall, part of a system that is planned to span the entire municipal area and ensure resilient electricity operations, according to the partners. As part of the project, Nation-E is set to install similar systems in many of the city’s hospitals, schools and stadium.

The goal is to optimize power consumption, improve energy security and reduce costs for Netanya, the company said.

“This is the first time we are installing our infrastructure in Israel, and the Netanya Municipality is the first to understand the importance of energy continuity to critical infrastructure and business,” Daniel Jammer, Nation-E’s president and founder, said. “Our smart systems provide energy security and ensure that the lights will never go out for residents. Netanya will soon become a city without power outages.”

Jammer estimated that, by 2020, about a million power points within Netanya will be linked to the smart grid, enabling the city to save roughly 25 percent on energy costs.

Established in 2010, Herzliya- based Nation-E focuses on optimizing energy production, with a focus on energy cyber security, storage systems and risk management solutions.

Moving forward with this project will allow Netanya to thrive “at the forefront of innovation and environmental protection,” according to Mayor Miriam Feirberg.

“Efficient energy management benefits the environment and residents of the city and reduces the municipality’s operating costs,” Feirberg said. “Energy security is essential for the welfare of local residents and ensures the continuous functioning of the municipality and its critical infrastructure in case of emergency.”

http://www.jpost.com/Enviro-Tech/First-municipal-energy-security-project-kicks-off-347311