Tantalus Systems announced the start of field trials for the TRUSense? Fiber Gateway. The TRUSense Gateway serves as a multi-purpose socket-based device that accelerates the modernization of the distribution grid for utilities and delivers secure and interoperable integration of behind-the-meter DERs onto the distribution system.

The TRUSense Gateway is available for multiple communications protocols, including fiber, ethernet and cellular. The field trials of the TFG are being conducted at several utilities to evaluate and confirm use cases in real-world scenarios prior to product launch. As part of the field trials, participating utilities will confirm the effectiveness and functionality of important features of the TFG including: Providing IPv4/IPv6 communications reliability, security and speed combined with standards-based applications, including IEEE 2030.5, to enable utilities to extend the edge of the grid to devices located behind the meter, such as electric vehicle chargers, inverters, smart appliances and intelligent circuit breakers; Utilizing advanced power quality measurement at the meter socket to pinpoint voltage anomalies, extract waveforms and measure the impact of distributed energy resources ("DERs") on the utility's assets, such as distribution transformers; Unleashing the full benefits of AMI 2.0 via on-board sub-cycle measurement at the edge of the grid with full meter interchangeability and without requiring utilities to undergo the expense and risks of ripping and replace existing metering assets; and Leveraging investment s in fiber with TRUSense's last-mile fiber-system agnostic approach to enable utility-based applications - as well as to deliver broadband services to the communities they serve.

Coupled with the high-resolution measurement of power delivery, transient power events and local conditions such as sags, swells, outages and phase information, utilities will be able to pinpoint vulnerable distribution equipment, such as transformers, understand the true impact of electric vehicles and other DERs on the distribution grid, build robust demand-side flexibility programs, and mitigate the frequency and duration of power outages. In conjunction with expanding cybersecurity requirements, the TRUSense Gateway is a highly secure platform using innovative VPN technologies, secure boot, encryption of data at rest, security-enhanced Linux and multiple firewalls to segregate consumers' behind-the-meter devices data from utility operational data. This solution comes at a time when utilities report that they are massively under-prepared to deal with the accelerating adoption of EVs, rooftop solar and other devices.

Tantalus' inaugural Utility of the Future study, released in January 2023, revealed that 69% of North American utilities surveyed reported being only a little or not at all prepared for the impact of EVs on their distribution grids. That same study showed that modernizing and digitizing the distribution grid -which includes access to interoperable data from behind the meter-was a priority for 93% of utilities surveyed.