Renesas Electronics Highlights Secure Smart Energy Solutions at DistribuTECH 2018

SANTA CLARA, Calif., January 22, 2018 – Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced it will demonstrate smart energy solutions that enable the reliable deployment of connected energy management applications at DistribuTECH 2018, January 23-25, San Antonio, Texas.

As devices become interconnected and processing capabilities move out to the edge, manufacturers developing smart meter, distribution automation (DA), distributed energy resources (DER) and home energy management (HEMS) applications require more comprehensive design resources, from development platforms to reference designs to fully working prototypes. At booth #824, Renesas will showcase a variety of microcontroller (MCU)-based solutions that deliver a combination of:

• High-performance control processing
• High accuracy with IEC and ANSI standards support
• Reliable security with industry-standard encryption and authentication capabilities to deliver secure utility IoT connectivity
• Multi-standards compliance, including support for Wi-SUN sub-GHz RF and the upcoming Wi-SUN-certified Field Area Network (FAN) protocol stack
• Binary code portability using MicroEJ VEE virtualization and sandboxing to address reducing software complexity, design-to-cost, fast incremental innovation and software asset creation

Technology Discussion

Peter Knazko, Segment Manager of Smart Grid and Metrology, Renesas Electronics America, will join public key infrastructure and security experts from GlobalSign and Intrinsic ID, and standards experts from the Wi-SUN Alliance for a Lunch & Learn event. The experts will explore new methods and technologies for end-to-end wireless security used in utility, networks, smart cities, and the Industrial IoT through a series of short sessions running from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm CT.

• What: “Implementing a Wi-SUN FAN protocol stack onto Renesas metering designs, integrating secure authentication from Intrinsic ID and GlobalSign”
• When: January 24, 2018, 12:15 pm CT

Technology Demonstrations – Connectivity

Renesas, a founding member of the Wi-SUN Alliance, will highlight reliable smart meter connectivity for the smart grid at DistribuTECH. The company will demonstrate the rich flexibility of the Wi-SUN FAN protocol – based on the IEEE802.15.4 series of connectivity standards – including mesh networking and IPv6 packet processing capability. Running on the Renesas RX600 Series MCUs, the Wi-SUN FAN stack establishes IoT network connectivity in unlicensed Sub-GHz RF bands, and can connect nodes across large geographic areas of up to several miles, a distance that would be unserviceable using 2.4GHz wireless technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Renesas offers one of the first FAN stacks available for external customers.

Technology Demonstrations – Electric Power Measurement and Metering Communication

Flexible metering communication is becoming essential for utilities that need to deploy meters in diverse networks that combine wireless and wired connectivity from the meter to the concentrator. Renesas will demonstrate reference prototype electricity meters that manufacturers can use as out-of-the-box designs or as the foundation for more complex revenue-metering designs to accelerate and simplify the development process. The reference designs can also be adapted for appliance, HVAC, and other systems that require connected, secure, and accurate electric power measurement in small form factors.

The connected power-meter demo will showcase four elements of the Renesas solution:

• A power metering reference design
• A Renesas IoT Sandbox, which receives the data from the power meter and allows the data to be further processed and presented in the cloud
• A Renesas RX231 MCU, which acts as the communications module for the meter
• Integration of Intrinsic ID’s SRAM PUF secure authentication technology

Renesas will also demonstrate solutions for digitizing existing rotational flow meters, accommodating emerging requirements in various markets around the world for communicating flow measurement data in real-time via modern communication.

Technology Demonstrations – Powerline Communications (PLC)

PLC is a popular choice for the deployment of smart grids, smart meters, and HEMS, providing a cost-effective and efficient system using the electric supply network as a communication network. At DistribuTECH, Renesas will demonstrate reliable communication across the power grid using a PLC evaluation system with G3 and PRIME standards support.

Technology Demonstrations – Cost Reduction & Optimized Bill of Material (BOM)

“Design to value” and “design to cost” are two pillars for creating successful smart metering devices. Manufacturers address the first pillar through technical advances, the second one is addressed through efficient application design processes using well-known techniques that contribute to an optimized BOM.

At DistribuTECH, Renesas will leverage the MicroEJ VEE virtualization platform to demonstrate how to easily and efficiently port reliable binary software assets portability across its large portfolio of MCUs and microprocessors.

For more information about Renesas solutions enabling the Smart Grid, see The Grid.

For more information about Renesas, follow Renesas Electronics America at @RenesasAmerica on Twitter and https://www.facebook.com/RenesasAmericas/.

About Renesas Electronics America Inc.

Renesas Electronics America Inc., a subsidiary of Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723), delivers trusted embedded design innovation with complete semiconductor solutions that enable billions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance the way people work and live—securely and safely. A global leader in microcontrollers, analog, power, and SoC products and integrated platforms, Renesas provides the expertise, quality, and comprehensive solutions for a broad range of Automotive, Industrial, Home Electronics (HE), Office Automation (OA) and Information Communication Technology (ICT) applications to help shape a limitless future. Learn more at renesas.com.

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