IBM and Energy Australia have announced an immediate start to the $100 million Smart Grid, Smart City project, following a consortium agreement reached.
The project will see the roll-out of 50,000 smart meters across five sites in Sydney and the Hunter region, and will give 2000 households the ability to switch appliances on and off via a web portal or by using an iPhone.
The trial will also have an emphasis on green households, with some homes being kitted out with solar panels and feeding power back into the grid as well as storing power in battery devices.
Energy Australia will install 12,000 smart sensors across its network, giving it the ability to monitor the network in real time and respond to issues faster.
The network will also have a wireless backbone, powered by the 4G spectrum.
