NEW LIVING LAB TESTS, ACCELERATES INTELLIGENT CITY SOLUTIONS


Powertech and Current, powered by GE, team up on Intelligent Cities innovation lab and accelerator program in Surrey, one of world’s smartest communities

SURREY, BC, Canada – Feb. 9, 2016—

City leaders wanting to learn about the promises of intelligent infrastructure have a new opportunity to experience and evaluate smart technologies, thanks to the launch of an Intelligent City Accelerator program and living lab at Powertech’s research campus in Surrey, British Columbia.

“  We believe that the Intelligent City Accelerator at Powertech Labs will help us go further in understanding how truly intelligent infrastructure can advance our sustainability goals, increase public safety and improve services to the public and help accelerate intelligent visions in other communities as well.”
– Surrey Mayor, Linda Hepner

The accelerator program offers city leaders an assessment framework for prioritizing and de-risking Smart City objectives. It will provides the expertise and facilities for rapid prototyping and validation of technologies for high-priority use cases utilizing smart lighting, sensors, analytics, and a real-time monitoring network. As part of the accelerator program’s living lab, researchers will test the latest connected municipal solutions and give city leaders a place to see and experience intelligent technologies firsthand.

Current’s Intelligent LED solution will be the first solution on display. It features software and sensor-enabled LED lighting powered by Predix™—GE’s cloud-based platform for the Industrial Internet—to help cities realize potential opportunities for reducing cost, optimizing operations and creating value for residents.

For instance, parking downtown may be a pain, but not in the intelligent city of the future. Networked LED street lights will have the ability to direct drivers to available spaces with the help of built-in sensors and wireless transceivers. The same streetlight could serve as a sensor and give warnings in the event of severe weather or other event or help manage traffic and offer residents a faster route home.

To explore outcomes like these, Current’s intelligent streetlights will be installed on Powertech’s Campus, which is in the heart of the one of the world’s smartest communities—Surrey.

“As one of the top 7 Intelligent Communities in the world as named by the Intelligent Communities Forum, Surrey has created a multi-faceted program that will leverage a smart infrastructure to save energy and taxpayer dollars,” says Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner.

Over time, Powertech and Current also plan to explore solutions for optimizing the use of renewable energy, such as adding intelligence and communication to electric vehicle charging, solar energy and energy storage infrastructure critical to tomorrow’s smarter cities.

The accelerator program is a joint initiative between the City of Surrey, Powertech and Simon Fraser University aimed at advancing the Smart Surrey strategy.

“The opportunities for research and development of new ideas utilizing GE’s Intelligent City solution will be important for our students, faculty, and partners,” says Uwe Glässer, Professor and Dean pro tem, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Simon Fraser University. “We are pleased to welcome GE in this latest extension of Smart Surrey.”

About Powertech Labs and the Intelligent City Accelerator

Powertech Labs Inc. is one of the largest testing and research laboratories in North America, situated in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Our 11-acre facility offers 15 different testing labs for a one-stop-shop approach to managing utility generation, transmission and distribution power systems.

Powertech Intelligent City Accelerator (ICA) is a solution platform-economic and technical assessment framework for prioritizing and de-risking Smart City objectives. It provides the expertise and facilities for rapid prototyping and validation of technologies for high priority use cases utilizing smart lighting, sensors, analytics, and real-time monitoring networks. ICA allows municipalities and utilities to de-risk new intelligent lighting, sensors, and analytics technology and allow faster field deployments of pilot technologies, saving tax payer money and supporting the Smart City program priorities.

For more information, contact:

Powertech and Current, powered by GE, team up on Intelligent Cities innovation lab and accelerator program in Surrey, one of world’s smartest communities

SURREY, BC, Canada – Feb. 9, 2016—

City leaders wanting to learn about the promises of intelligent infrastructure have a new opportunity to experience and evaluate smart technologies, thanks to the launch of an Intelligent City Accelerator program and living lab at Powertech’s research campus in Surrey, British Columbia.

“  We believe that the Intelligent City Accelerator at Powertech Labs will help us go further in understanding how truly intelligent infrastructure can advance our sustainability goals, increase public safety and improve services to the public and help accelerate intelligent visions in other communities as well.”
– Surrey Mayor, Linda Hepner

The accelerator program offers city leaders an assessment framework for prioritizing and de-risking Smart City objectives. It will provides the expertise and facilities for rapid prototyping and validation of technologies for high-priority use cases utilizing smart lighting, sensors, analytics, and a real-time monitoring network. As part of the accelerator program’s living lab, researchers will test the latest connected municipal solutions and give city leaders a place to see and experience intelligent technologies firsthand.

Current’s Intelligent LED solution will be the first solution on display. It features software and sensor-enabled LED lighting powered by Predix™—GE’s cloud-based platform for the Industrial Internet—to help cities realize potential opportunities for reducing cost, optimizing operations and creating value for residents.

For instance, parking downtown may be a pain, but not in the intelligent city of the future. Networked LED street lights will have the ability to direct drivers to available spaces with the help of built-in sensors and wireless transceivers. The same streetlight could serve as a sensor and give warnings in the event of severe weather or other event or help manage traffic and offer residents a faster route home.

To explore outcomes like these, Current’s intelligent streetlights will be installed on Powertech’s Campus, which is in the heart of the one of the world’s smartest communities—Surrey.

“As one of the top 7 Intelligent Communities in the world as named by the Intelligent Communities Forum, Surrey has created a multi-faceted program that will leverage a smart infrastructure to save energy and taxpayer dollars,” says Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner.

Over time, Powertech and Current also plan to explore solutions for optimizing the use of renewable energy, such as adding intelligence and communication to electric vehicle charging, solar energy and energy storage infrastructure critical to tomorrow’s smarter cities.

The accelerator program is a joint initiative between the City of Surrey, Powertech and Simon Fraser University aimed at advancing the Smart Surrey strategy.

“The opportunities for research and development of new ideas utilizing GE’s Intelligent City solution will be important for our students, faculty, and partners,” says Uwe Glässer, Professor and Dean pro tem, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Simon Fraser University. “We are pleased to welcome GE in this latest extension of Smart Surrey.”

About Powertech Labs and the Intelligent City Accelerator

Powertech Labs Inc. is one of the largest testing and research laboratories in North America, situated in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Our 11-acre facility offers 15 different testing labs for a one-stop-shop approach to managing utility generation, transmission and distribution power systems.

Powertech Intelligent City Accelerator (ICA) is a solution platform-economic and technical assessment framework for prioritizing and de-risking Smart City objectives. It provides the expertise and facilities for rapid prototyping and validation of technologies for high priority use cases utilizing smart lighting, sensors, analytics, and real-time monitoring networks. ICA allows municipalities and utilities to de-risk new intelligent lighting, sensors, and analytics technology and allow faster field deployments of pilot technologies, saving tax payer money and supporting the Smart City program priorities.

For more information, contact:

Giuseppe Stanciulescu – 604.598.5011
Business Development Specialist
Business Development
email

Alicia Gauer – 216-266-2853
Senior Manager, Communications
Current, powered by GE
email