Global CEO Excellence 2017

CEO MONTHLY / GLOBAL CEO EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2017 5 , Tantalus provides amulti-purpose Smart Grid solution to the Utility industry which integrates advancedmetering, loadmanagement, distribution automation and grid optimization through a high-speed, low-latency communications network. We caught up with CEO Peter Londa to find out more about the firmand the innovative solutions it offers. Distribution Grid CEO of the Year & Best Smart Grid Solutions Provider - North America Founded in 1989, Tantalus focuses on improving the operating efficiency and reliability of the distribution grid for electric, water and gas utilities across North American and the Caribbean Basin. Tantalus’ roots are in the command and control of data across communication networks. The company deployed its first Advanced Metering Infrastructure (“AMI”) network in 1999 utilizing long-range wireless radio frequencies (“RF”) in support of rural utilities. Since deploying its first system, the company’s core competencies now center on a solution which delivers computing capability at the edge of the distribution grid and data analytics. Peter provides a fascinating history of the firm’s evolution and how it came to achieve its current position as a thought-leader and pioneer in this vital industry. “Our firm is migrating from being considered a solid provider of wireless communications networks for electric utilities into a market leader in edge computing and data analytics, benefitting utilities with electric, water and gas commodities. As part of our evolution, we delivered our next-generation Linux-based utility grid edge computing platform in 2013 which was ahead of the market. While other vendors remained focused on simply capturing basic metering data, Tantalus was deploying a system capable of supporting real-time applications beyond traditional AMI.” “As a smaller organization, we faced the challenge of delivering a next-generation solution ahead of the immediate market needs and before mass adoption of communication networks capable of supporting integrated applications beyond core AMI functionality.” This challenge can bring any emerging technology company to its knees, regardless of the industry. “In joining the management team just as Tantalus’ next-generation platform was being delivered commercially, we quickly pivoted from being an engineering- led team to a market-driven business.” “By making this important pivot to a market-driven business, our team successfully converted this challenge into an opportunity to define our solution and educate our target market on the importance of deploying a solution that meets immediate needs while simultaneously delivering future value. The results of our planning and execution are evidenced through the rapid growth and expansion of our customer base, which more than doubled since 2014 from 57 utilities to over 125 utilities across North America and the Caribbean Basin.” DESCRIPTION OF TECHNOLOGY Tantalus’ Smart Grid platform, the Tantalus Utility Network (“TUNet®”), includes a wireless communication network, powerful edge computing communication modules integrated onto meters and distribution sensors, as well as software and services. The system connects the entire distribution grid, providing the utility visibility to the edge and enabling it to gather granular data to achieve a new level of operational control and customer service. Peter is keen to emphasize the importance of this vital solution and how it helps the firm achieve its overall mission. “TUNet delivers a true industrial Internet-of-Things (“IoT”) platform for electric, water and gas utilities to gather granular data – defined as interval power data delivered on the next interval – from a community of networked smart grid devices. Gathering and accessing interval power data on the next interval empowers a utility to make true, data-driven decisions impacting power quality and operating efficiency whereas relying on competing solutions delivering batched data every 6, 8 or even 24 hours is only adequate to support basic metering and AMI tasks. “Relying on batched data delivered over extended periods of time is no longer acceptable to forward- thinking utilities. Instead, the delivery of interval data on the next interval is critical to support time-sensitive decisions which truly optimize power flows and minimize outages.” More specifically, analytic engines with access to granular data are able to more effectively pinpoint electric voltage issues and power outages as well as leak detection in the water distribution network. Visibility into momentary power outages enables a utility to proactively investigate and remedy the causes preventing actual outage incidents and avoiding impacts to the utility’s customers. From a communication network perspective, TUNet is designed to maximize capacity and minimize latency to deliver the right data at the right time. TUNet is based on intelligent endpoints pushing granular data to the utility. This TRUPush™