Detailed Radio Frequency - CoServ.com

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Introduction CoServ Electric is a not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative and, as such, is regulated and directed by its Board of Directors (elected representatives who oversee the operations of the cooperative). These Directors hold a fiduciary responsibility to represent the interests of the Member - our consumers. Surveys show that these Member consumers (made up of residents and business owners across Collin, Denton, Tarrant, Grayson, Wise, and Cooke counties) are “tech savvy,” and look to CoServ to provide them with resources to save energy and money. In order to meet our Members’ expectations, our company must innovate and empower our Members with advanced technology to manage energy use. After significant research and an extensive application process, CoServ Electric’s Board approved a $17.2 million Department of Energy Smart Grid Investment Grant in March 2010 to support the installation of the AMI project – an electric distribution technology initiative called the CoServ eCoGrid. In September 2010, CoServ announced its selection of Landis+Gyr’s Gridstream RF technology to provide the advanced metering and distribution technology supporting the initiative. The system consists of a robust two-way communications network (a wireless system supported by collectors and routers), advanced metering, distribution automation and personal energy management applications. Once fully deployed, the system will provide operational efficiencies that will reduce costs, streamline operations, improve system reliability, and offer Members new technology to monitor and reduce energy usage in their homes and businesses. CoServ has begun work on full system deployment, with project completion scheduled for April 2013. In that timeframe, all CoServ Members will have an advanced meter installed on, or at, their premise. Radio Frequencies Radio Frequency (RF) is produced by all transmitting devices which are common and in widespread use today. Examples of RF producers include radio broadcast stations, television stations, satellites transmitting services to earth, and even our sun. A normal consequence of RF is the production of an electromagnetic field or EMF. There are three factors for consideration of human exposure to RF 1 : 1. Signal Strength 2. Distance from the transmitting device 3. How often the device transmits 1 An Investigation of Radiofrequency Fields Associated with the Itron Smart Meter, EPRI Technical Report 1021126, December 2010, www.epri.com page 3.
Establishment of Safe Exposure Levels The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) provides the regulatory standards associated with exposure to RF/EMF. IEEE standard C95.1-1191 (ANSI/IEEE C95.1-1992) specifies safe levels of human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields. The FCC has adopted the IEEE standard as the foundation for regulations related to human exposure limits and has been presented as a regulation in 47CFR1.1310. The source document for human EMF exposure limits is now known as Office of Engineering & Technology (OET) Bulletin 65. There have been no changes to the exposure limits. OET Bulletin 65 refers to two safety limits which are Occupational/controlled limits and General population/uncontrolled limits. General population/uncontrolled limits will apply to situations which the general public may be exposed, but not fully aware of, their potential exposure or cannot exercise any control over their exposure. An example of this is a radio transmission tower which is exposing people to EMFs. This definition is the basis for comparisons of regulatory exposure limits to actual field readings taken by CoServ personnel. This is the category CoServ’s AMI RF Mesh network, including the AMI meter, falls under. OET Bulletin 65 defines the limits for Maximum Permissible Exposure as values of electric and magnetic field strength and power density for transmitters. For equipment that operates intermittently or in a “burst” mode – such as the AMI meter- OET Bulletin 65 defines the period over which exposure can be averaged and will represent a similar level of exposure as a maximum continuous exposure. This data produces a minimum safe distance to the source. The devices on a Member’s residence or business that uses the RF Mesh network are the radio module inside of the meter and the devices used for a Home Area Network (HAN). Table 1 2 below provides the equivalent minimum safe distance in an uncontrolled environment for the mentioned RF sources. RF Mesh Device Residential and C&I modules Home Area Network Radio Home Area Network Device Table 1 Equivalent MSD – Uncontrolled Environment 0.63 inches 0.05 inches 0.05 inches As a worse case, this table indicates a person will need to remain 0.63 inches from the radio device in an AMI meter for an exposure limit to be greater than allowed. The distance between the radio and the glass covering the meter is greater than this; so a hazardous exposure is not possible if the normal mode and construction of the system and meter remain intact. Another measurement to be considered with a RF/EMF investigation is the power density of the transmitting device. For this investigation, the RF Mesh devices remain the same. Table 2 3 provides information related to power density in milliwatts per square centimeter (mW/cm 2 ). 2 Landis + Gyr, “Acceptable Exposure Limits to Gridstream RF Devices”, page 6. 3 Ibid.
Page 1: CoServ Electric’s RF Mesh Advance
Page 5 and 6: Field Analysis Date Analysis Perfor
Page 7 and 8: Figure 3 - Power Density Findings:
Page 9 and 10: Findings: No remarkable findings Co

Detailed Radio Frequency - CoServ.com

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