It's already there in the telecommunications industry. Anyone can approach the telecom company of their choice for a subscription: "Only we can offer you the whole month for 40 guilders." However, this deregulation is going even further. All over the world, governments are debating the deregulation of power companies. In the future, the consumer will be able to choose a power company that supplies electricity at the lowest price. Modern satellite technology can measure the consumer's electricity consumption at any instance.

As part of SpaceTech, the Master of Space Systems Engineering programme of TopTech Studies at Delft University of Technology, a study has been carried out into just such a world-wide measuring system by means of satellite communications. This multidisciplinary study comprises both technical and commercial feasibility. DBSI Industries (DBSI) in the United States considers the Delft University Study to be a valuable resource. Moreover they have appointed one of the SpaceTech participants Vice-President Engineering of the project.

"DBSI has already been involved in a system of this sort for some time in the United States of America. But the market is ready for it in Europe too," says SpaceTech Director Prof. H. Stoewer. "Of course, it's not easy to keep up with the power consumption of consumers who are frequently switching electricity supplier. And certainly not when we're talking about millions of consumers. The SpaceTech project is primarily concerned with measuring the electricity consumption of large companies and houses that are distant from populated areas." Together with a number of partners, the SpaceTech participants thought up a solution to this problem: BusinessSpace Automated Services (BAS). BAS consists of a number of satellites that measure electricity consumption and a distributor who looks after the electricity transport network and is responsible for the transport of electricity from supplier to consumer.

The BAS system is part of a large world-wide network of Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) for water, gas and electricity. Over the past five years this market seems to have been growing strongly. AMR is of great importance in managing large, complex deregulated markets. DBSI has already secured a launch reservation with Eurockot to launch its LEO satellite constellation."

In Stoewer's view, participants from research institutes, industries, and user organizations in Europe, Canada and Indonesia have shown that SpaceTech can make a substantial contribution to developing new commercial space projects.

The following organizations worked on the project:

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