PPC is making targeted investments in the next level of technological infrastructure for interoperability and field testing: The new test and demo center has now been inaugurated at the Mannheim site.
Spanning more than 100 m², a modern environment is being created for development and live demonstrations related to the intelligent measurement system, CLS components, communication technologies, and the Network Management System (NMS). With more than 1,000 test stations, the entire spectrum—from interoperability to development support—can be covered.
The short distances between the development and engineering teams and the test and demo center at the Mannheim location ensure close, seamless coordination between development and integration.
The goal is to be able to test new components, partner solutions, and system integrations more quickly and under realistic conditions—thereby strengthening their interaction within the overall system in the long term.
From the proven demo center to the next level of interoperability and field testing
Our existing demo center has reliably supported the numerous innovations of recent years. However, as our product portfolio grows, more components are integrated, and our customers’ rollouts scale up, the need is not only for more test stations overall, but also for the broadest possible representation of our customers’ and partners’ system landscapes. More than 130 partners,recognized as part of our “PPC connect” initiative, and the steadily growing interoperability lists clearly illustrate this increasing demand.
Thanks to the growing need for flexibility and as a foundation for many new business models, more and more users and technology providers are turning to smart metering systems. Beyond connecting meters, numerous controllable consumers and generators from the PV, heating, and e-mobility sectors will be connected to smart meter gateways and CLS components in the future as part of the control system rollout. WAN communication solutions, such as broadband powerline, will also be tested in the new demo center in the future. Furthermore, integration into the network management system (NMS) and corresponding feature enhancements can now be tested on an even larger scale. In addition, there are system and software providers who wish to integrate their solutions into the smart grid ecosystem. A new test and demo center was therefore the next logical step: moving away from ad-hoc structures toward a scalable, standardized test architecture.
Over 1,000 test sites – structure, reproducibility, and scalability
With a total of over 1,000 structured test stations, we are significantly increasing our capacity while also creating an opportunity—unique in Germany—to model and further develop the complete infrastructure for intelligent measurement systems and control system rollouts.
What previously required a great deal of manual effort on a case-by-case basis will now take place in a standardized and reproducible high-end test environment. Different test stations are clearly defined and documented for each test setup and can be used in parallel.
In this way, PPC lays the groundwork for quality assurance that can meet the future demands of the digital energy transition: systems must operate stably over the long term—not just in isolation in a laboratory, but under real-world conditions in the field and within the entire digital ecosystem.
Among other things, the new infrastructure enables:
- Clearly defined, reproducible, and standardized test procedures
- parallel validation across the entire system landscape
- Accelerated development and validation cycles
- Reliable, long-term quality assurance
- Tangible interoperability and demo setups conducted jointly with partners on-site
Interoperability as a Commitment to Quality in Practice
A particular focus is placed on complex interoperability tests with partner and third-party systems as part of the PPC connect initiative. In an increasingly interconnected smart grid ecosystem, seamless integration is key to ensuring stability and reliability in the field.
Conclusion: Quantity and Quality
Our new test and demo center is not merely a capacity expansion, but the next logical step toward efficiently mapping functions within an overall system—a goal to which we at PPC aim to contribute.
With approximately 100 m² of structured test environment and over 1,000 defined test stations, we are creating an infrastructure that systematically scales quality. It combines technological depth with industrial process reliability and lays the foundation for confidently meeting scaling market demands.
In this way, PPC is consistently building on its existing strengths and strategically and holistically aligning its development and testing landscape with the future requirements of the digital energy system.
