Chinese energy company Chint is providing Wi-Sun smart metering technology to open up the remote meter reading era for a Caribbean island.

For years, Roatán faced operational difficulties. Power losses exceeded 20% in key areas. Manual meter reading proved highly inefficient and error-prone, while the island’s corrosive salt fog environment accelerated meter corrosion, driving up maintenance costs.

Chint’s Wi-Sun smart metering is solving these problems and opening the era of intelligent remote meter reading. This includes smart meter devices, the Power Easy AMI system, on-site technical support, installation guidance, and system operation training, including software and the PowerEasy platform.

This project covers more than 3000 households with CHA120 smart meters, CHG540 concentrators and CHG590 repeaters for the island. Rolled out in phases, the project replaces traditional meters with a modern AMI system, enabling remote meter reading, real-time monitoring and efficient grid management.

“The Wi-Sun smart meter scheme allows remote reading, eliminating site visits for manual readings and significantly reducing labour costs,” said a spokesperson for Reco (www.recoroatan.com), Roatán’s electricity utility.

The spokesperson highlighted improved customer satisfaction, saying end users enjoyed instant remote reconnection after payment, saving them a trip. The person also praised Chint’s responsive support with quick problem solving through collaboration with Chint’s teams.

The local conditions are harsh and the terrain is complex, with hills and dense jungles. Local technicians of the island confirmed the performance of Chint’s equipment and maintained a high success rate under local natural conditions.

“Chint allows us to judge the Wi-Sun signal strength at each point so that we can conduct independent field investigations in the future,” said the spokesperson. “Integrated systems, software and applications have greatly improved our work efficiency.”

The Wi-Sun technology ended the local history of inefficient manual meter reading on the island. It delivered a stable, secure and intelligent power supply system. This project lays the foundations for smart city ambitions and provides a replicable model for utilities across the Caribbean facing similar hurdles.

For more information on Chint, go to www.chintglobal.com, and to see a video about the rollout, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwgIG7zCZm0&t=57s.