Smart Meter Implementation Research Articles

Implementation of the Intelligent Metering Systems for Natural Gas in Ukraine

The article proposed and justified the need for on-line calibration, the essence of which is to conduct individual calibration in real time directly at the place of operation of gas meters, taking into account the conditions and influential factors for which they conduct measurements to determine the actual calibration characteristics. This procedure should be one of the primary tools in ensuring widespread adoption of Metrology 4.0. It was noted that the key direction of development of the metrology industry should be the conformity assessment of the gas control and metering system. The given example of calculations (Table 1) carried out in assessing the compliance of such a system. It was found that the greatest weight has the error of the gas meter. In order to carry out the on-line calibration procedure, it is proposed to use the installation with parallel installed reference meters (Fig. 1), which is designed as a mobile stand with the ability to be transported to the work site. The necessity of on-line calibration is justified on the example of the obtained characteristics of gas meters (Fig. 2, Fig. 3). The results of the gas meter calibration on the working environment natural gas (Fig. 4) are presented and the total uncertainty of the gas metering system is calculated (Table 2). The application of the on-line calibration procedure leads to the need to develop the concept of introducing intelligent or smart metering of natural gas using intelligent information-measuring systems. As part of the implementation of smart metering, the possible introduction of two-tariff metering of natural gas. As a tool for statistical processing of the data, it has been proposed to apply control charts that have been tested for reference standards and are recommended in international documents.

Impact of increased solar penetration on bill savings of net metered residential consumers in India

The modernization of the grid and increased renewable penetration had led to a requirement of alternative tariff mechanisms for the consumers. The increasing PV deployment trend, as well as implementation of smart meters under smart grid pilot projects in India, opened up avenues for alternative retail rates and net metering policies. The rooftop PV deployment had led to an increase in the number of net metered consumers. The present work studies the impact of different retail rate mechanisms on bill savings of net metered consumers, with increasing solar penetration scenario. Seven different scenarios, based on increasing solar penetration in the energy mix, are designed. After simulating wholesale electricity prices through a unit commitment based energy system model, retail rates (two time-invariant and three time-variant) are designed using simulated electricity prices. To evaluate the impact of increasing PV penetration on consumer economics, the electricity bills of 97 net metered consumers are calculated using designed retail rates for all the scenarios. It is observed from the results, that the value of bill savings decreases with increasing PV penetration for all the retail rates. Also, the decrease in the value of bill savings is more in time-variant rates as compared to time-invariant rates.

Implementation of Smart Metering based on Internet of Things

From the aspect of saving energy, there is a continuous modification in communication technology and information in order to satisfy all customers demand. Today customers are demanding for accurate energy measurement, timely data and for good customer services. The best solution is smart grid system with various communication technologies which can be cost effective and electrical section to have a bidirectional communication in which information about electrical energy consumption is shared between consumers as well as by utility for remote checking. This paper describes the monitoring of energy consumption with Arduino Uno board and Ethernet using IoT (Internet of Things) concept. This proposed design eliminates human inclusion in the conservation of electricity. The consumer can receive the information about consumption of energy by using IP address on their devices. The web client code is uploaded for checking the client information such as location, content, connection, and disconnection to the web server. This proposed system gives reliable and accurate information regarding electrical energy management system (EMS) through Internet of things (IoT).

Smart metering and systems for low-energy households: challenges, issues and benefits

ABSTRACTAs a critical step in the transition to a low-carbon economy, smart meters are being rolled out in large numbers throughout the world. To date, however, no systematic review of the development and implementation of smart meters have been published, so for maximizing the benefit of the benefit of smart meter, this study has been carried out to identify the main concepts and issues of promoting smart metering and related service system. Including key physical components and communication networks of smart meters compared to conventional meters, various policies to support smart meter roll-out and potential benefits to the participators. Challenges and issues involved in the deployment of smart meter infrastructure, such as technical, commercial and ethical debates, are also outlined. Results suggest that existing studies predominately focus on energy efficiency and demand management, while end-user engagement with smart metering systems, especially consumers’ social, economic and behavioural aspects, are rarely considered. Areas of future research should include consideration of privacy and security concerns of end-users, and the necessary learning/educating processes and behavioural change of end-users to maximize the benefit of smart metering systems.

Metodología para el análisis de costos y beneficios de proyectos Smart Grid y su aplicación en un piloto de medición inteligente de energía (AMI)

The aim of this paper is to present a methodological approach to obtain the cost-benefit impact at environmental and socioeconomic level, related to the integration of Advanced Measurement Infrastructure into utilities and their residential customers. The methodology used to quantify the costs and benefits of implementing such technology was established by the European Union and adjusted to the local context. It is worth highlighting that this methodology can be used to evaluate any kind of Smart Grid project. The socioeconomic benefits estimated in this research were related to job creation, energy consumption decrease, reduction of non-technical losses, and the reduction of CO2 emissions. An economic analysis using the net present value is presented here for assessing the impact caused by smart metering implementation.

Telecommunication Technologies for Smart Grid Projects with Focus on Smart Metering Applications

This paper provides a study of the smart grid projects realised in Europe and presents their technological solutions with a focus on smart metering Low Voltage (LV) applications. Special attention is given to the telecommunications technologies used. For this purpose, we present the telecommunication technologies chosen by several European utilities for the accomplishment of their smart meter national roll-outs. Further on, a study is performed based on the European Smart Grid Projects, highlighting their technological options. The range of the projects analysed covers the ones including smart metering implementation as well as those in which smart metering applications play a significant role in the overall project success. The survey reveals that various topics are directly or indirectly linked to smart metering applications, like smart home/building, energy management, grid monitoring and integration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). Therefore, the technological options that lie behind such projects are pointed out. For reasons of completeness, we also present the main characteristics of the telecommunication technologies that are found to be used in practice for the LV grid.

Modeling and disaggregating hourly electricity consumption in Norwegian dwellings based on smart meter data

By area-wide implementation of smart metering, large amounts of individual electricity consumption data with a high temporal resolution become available. We use multiple regression models for hourly electricity consumption in Norwegian dwellings, based on panel data consisting of hourly smart meter data, weather data, and response data from a household survey. Two models based on daily and hourly mean values of outdoor temperature, respectively, are compared and discussed. Our results indicate that daily mean outdoor temperature – represented by heating degree day – can serve as weather-related input variable for modeling aggregate hourly electricity consumption. The regression models are further used to break down hourly electricity consumption into two components, representing modeled consumption for space heating and other electric appliances, respectively. Thus, without submetering electric heating equipment an estimate for heating energy consumption is available, and can be used for evaluating different demand side management options, e.g. fuel substitution or load control. Moreover, the models can be used for forecasting aggregate regional electricity consumption in the Norwegian household sector with a high temporal resolution, as e.g. changes in regional climatic conditions, dwelling structure, and demographic factors can be taken into account.

Consumers’ Perspective on Full-Scale Adoption of Smart Meters: A Case Study in Västerås, Sweden

Large-scale deployment of reliable smart electricity metering networks has been considered as the first step towards a smart, integrated and efficient grid. On the consumer’s side, however, the real impact is still uncertain and limited. This paper evaluates the consumer’s perspective in the city of Västerås, Sweden, where full implementation of smart meters has been reached. New services, such as consumption feedback and the possibility to choose dynamic electricity pricing contracts, have been available from the adoption of this infrastructure. A web-based survey evaluating customers’ perception of these new services was carried out. The survey included consumers’ personal information, preferences about the type of information and the frequency of delivery and the preference for electricity pricing contracts. The results showed that the electricity consumption information offered by distribution system operators (DSOs) today is not detailed enough for customers to react accordingly. Additionally, while variable pricing contracts are becoming more popular, the available pricing schemes do not encourage customers to increase their consumption flexibility. Therefore, more detailed information from the smart meters should be made available, including disaggregated electricity consumption per appliance that would allow consumers to have more control over their energy consumption activities.

Exploiting the Cellular Infrastructure for Data Transmission in Smart Metering Systems

To implement the access and backhaul networks for Smart Metering (SM) systems various technologies are combined with the existing communications infrastructure. This paper deals with data transmission in SM systems, focusing on how the existing cellular networks infrastructure is employed to implement SM access communication networks. The analysis aims at analyzing the role of the cellular communications infrastructure taking into account the spatial distribution and installation points of the smart meters, the urban and topological characteristics of the SM deployment areas and the common practice so far followed by the utilities. It is demonstrated that cellular communications, either exclusively or combined with power line communications, enable immediate and scalable deployment of SM access communication networks at low installation cost, thus constituting the basic option for the implementation of smart metering.

New consumer services provided by smart metering

This paper focuses on the issues of smart metering market and considers different services provided by smart metering from consumer point of view. Firstly, smart metering deployment challenges emerging and conventional tariffs, which modify a consumer behavior and thus, the entire electric energy market can be optimized since the customer is motivated to consume less energy. Secondly, the authors illustrate changes in electricity quality, which have an impact on consumer relations with utility. Additionally, two main indices of grid resilience – SAIDI and SAIFI – are exemplified to reveal the improvement potential of smart metering implementation in certain regions of Russia that also influence the consumer. Finally, in-home display and privacy problem directly reflect the consumer’s behavior, thus the private life rights should not be violated as they are guaranteed by law.

Wyświetlacz domowy IHD – przegląd doświadczeń z projektów badawczych

There are many studies on smart metering. The aim of smart metering is not only automated billing and two-way communication with a smart meter. The measure of success of the implementation of smart metering is the level of customer engagement and their cooperation with energy companies, as well as the consequences of such involvement changing electricity-using habits. This article focuses on one device for smart metering – in-home display (IHD). The paper characterizes an IHD’s functions and describes international experiences of research and conclusions of studies.

Do home energy management systems make sense? Assessing their overall lifecycle impact

An ever-increasing body of research explores the effectiveness of Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) in achieving energy savings in households. To date, however, the overall life cycle impact of the HEMS itself has not been taken into account. Thus, no assessment has been made whether the amount of energy saved (esaved) outweighs the energy needed for production, use and disposal (einvested). Therefore, an eco-cost and a Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) method were used to analyze three distinct types of HEMS. Based on the literature, six scenarios were developed in order to find the break-even point, where einvested=esaved. The results show that the overall impact is dependent on the type of HEMS, and that if the duration of use is short and the achieved savings are small, the benefits do not always outweigh the environmental costs. Care should be taken not to develop HEMS with unnecessarily elaborate parts or functionalities and that their own electricity consumption is minimized. The paper concludes by discussing the implication for polices concerning the implementation of smart meters and HEMS and their design.

Large-scale integration of renewable and distributed generation of electricity in Spain: Current situation and future needs

Similar to other European countries, mechanisms for the promotion of electricity generation from renewable energy sources (RESs) and combined heat and power (CHP) production have caused a significant growth in distributed generation (DG) in Spain. Low DG/RES penetration levels do not have a major impact on electricity systems. However, several problems arise as DG shares increase. Smarter distribution grids are deemed necessary to facilitate DG/RES integration. This involves modifying the way distribution networks are currently planned and operated. Furthermore, DG and demand should also adopt a more active role. This paper reviews the current situation of DG/RES in Spain including penetration rates, support payments for DG/RES, level of market integration, economic regulation of Distribution System Operators (DSOs), smart metering implementation, grid operation and planning, and incentives for DSO innovation. This paper identifies several improvements that could be made to the treatment of DG/RES. Key aspects of an efficient DG/RES integration are identified and several regulatory changes specific to the Spanish situation are recommended.