Redwood City, California-based Silver Spring Networks, a solutions provider for smart energy networks, has been selected by CPFL Energia for a foundational smart grid networking project across the company's distribution area in Brazil – including parts of the states of Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Parana and Minas Gerais.

Based in Campinas, Brazil, CPFL Energia is the largest non-state-owned group of electric energy generation and distribution in Brazil, and the third-biggest Brazilian utility company, after Eletrobras and CEMIG.

With 13 percent of the market share, CPFL Energia heads the distribution segment through its eight distributors, which serve 569 municipalities in four states.

The Silver Spring Smart Energy Platform will enable CPFL to deploy a robust smart grid infrastructure for a diverse range of commercial and industrial customers throughout its service area. After the initial widespread commercial and industrial deployment, the infrastructure also can be used for the expansion of smart grid coverage for low-voltage (residential) clients and can facilitate new distribution grid automation projects.

"We are honored to have been chosen to help the company improve its services to its clients," said Eric Dresselhuys, executive vice president of Global Development at Silver Spring Networks. "Our proven, standards-based networking platform creates an open and interoperable base on which smart grid applications can be implemented, bringing electricity industry innovation to an increasing number of Brazilian consumers."

"We are very pleased to have Silver Spring Networks partner with us to bring an open, standards-based smart grid to Brazil," said Mauro Carmello, manager of Operations and Automation at CPFL Energia. "CPFL is adopting a telecom infrastructure technology, which will allow introduction of smart grids in Brazil and, for that, we are counting on Silver Spring to set a global benchmark in how we provide our clients with power and information. We believe that the smart grid system will significantly improve the Company's operating efficiency, particularly in terms of energy metering, automation and network operation processes."

Brazil has become the largest smart grid market in South America. According to a report from the Washington, DC-based Northeast Group, investments in the smart grid in Brazil are predicted to reach $36.6 billion by 2022.

The Brazilian regulator Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL) intends to see 63 million smart meters deployed by 2021.

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