Communication Technologies for Smart Metering_Metering India 2013

Communication Technologies for Smart Metering_Metering India 2013

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  Communication Technologies forSmart Metering A smart grid delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers using two-way digital technology to control appliances at consumers' homes to save energy, reduce cost and increase reliability and transparency. Such a modernized electricity network is being promoted by many governments as a way of addressing energy independence, global warming and emergency resilience issues. Smart meters are the initial step and is a part of a smart grid. A smart grid includes an intelligent monitoring system that keeps track of all electricity flowing in the system. It also incorporates the use of superconductive transmission lines for less power loss, as well as the capability of integrating alternative sources of electricity such as solar and wind. When power is least expensive a smart grid could turn on selected home appliances such as washing machines or factory processes that can run at arbitrary hours. At peak times it could turn off selected appliances to reduce demand. The amount of data required to perform monitoring and switching your appliances off automatically is very small compared with that already reaching even remote homes to support voice, security, and Internet and TV services. Many smart grid bandwidth upgrades are paid for by over-provisioning to support also consumer services, and subsidizing the communications with energy-related services or subsidizing the energy-related services, such as higher rates during peak hours, with communications. This is particularly true where governments run both sets of services as a public monopoly, e.g. in India. What Smart Grid Is? The function of an Electrical grid is not a single entity but an aggregate of multiple networks and multiple power generation companies with multiple operators employing varying levels of communication and coordination, most of which is manually controlled. Smart grids increase the connectivity, automation and coordination between these suppliers, consumers and networks that perform either long distance transmission or local distribution tasks.  Transmissions networks move electricity in bulk over medium to long distances, are actively managed, and generally operate from 345kV to 800kV over AC and DC lines.  Local networks traditionally moved power in one direction, "distributing" the bulk power to consumers and businesses via lines operating at 132kV and lower. Modernization is necessary for energy consumption efficiency, real time management of power flows and to provide the bi- directional metering needed to compensate local producers of power. Although transmission networks are already controlled in real time, many in the US and European countries are antiquated by world standards, and unable to handle modern challenges such as those posed by the intermittent nature of alternative electricity generation, or continental scale bulk energy transmission. Figure: Smart grid pyramid(source: BC Hydro)
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  The Smart gridPyramid shows a typical utility pyramid in which asset management is at the base and on top of it utilities build a foundation for the smart grid through careful overhaul of their IT, communication, and circuit infrastructure, being Smart Metering as fundamental application of the smart grid. Advanced Metering Infrastructure is the Key Given the fact that close to 90% of all the power outages have their roots in the distribution network, the move towards the smart grid has to start at the bottom of the chain, in the distribution system. The rapid increase in the cost of fossil fuels, coupled with rising demand for electricity, has accelerated the need to deploy technologies that can utilities with demand –side management and revenue protection. Off late Utilities across the world gradually moving towards Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI).AMI provided utilities with a two-way communication system to the meter (Smart Meter), as well as the ability to modify customers’ service-level parameters. Through AMI, utilities can meet their basic targets for load management and revenue protection. In order to implement the AMI system there’s a strong need to leverage on communication infrastructure at all the levels of distribution value chain. The AMI system should incorporate the following components:  Smart meters and sensors capable of measuring a multiple of consumption parameters (e.g. active power, reactive power, voltage, current, demand, and so on) with acceptable precision and accuracy. Smart meters should be tamper-resistant and capable of remote connect and disconnect for load and service control.  Smart Terminations, loads, and appliances capable of communicating their status and accepting commands to adjust and control their performance and service level based on user and/ or utility requirements. Figure: Achieving Consumer Participation is the key in demand curtailment  A communication infrastructure that enable systems components to exchange information and commands securely and reliably.  An intelligent core composed of integrated networking, computing, and communications infrastructure elements, that appears to users in the form of energy management applications that allow command and control on all nodes of the network. Figure: Emerging Communication Technologies for Implementation of AMI HAN is used to identify the network of communicating loads, sensors , and appliances beyond the smart meter and within customer’s premises.
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  LAN or NeighbourhoodArea Network (NAN) is used to identify the network of integrated smart meters, field components, and gateways that form the logical network between distribution substation and customer’s premises) WAN is used to identify the network of upstream utility assets. ZigBee with Smart Energy Profile seems to be clear front runner in Home Area Network (HAN) side. Figure: ZigBee in Smart Home and HAN Source:wsj.com Some of the Key Facts supporting ZigBee Protocol for getting a most desirable place among its rivals are:  A high level communication protocol using small, low- power digital radios based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for wireless networks  Up to several hundred (client) nodes per network  16 channels in the global 2.4 GHz band  Full Mesh Networking Support  128bit AES security  Network and link keys can restrict access  Easy deployment  Reliable -self forming & self healing  Low cost Figure: Mixed Star & Mesh Topology in ZigBee PRO Network The above figure explains about the certain characteristics of ZigBee PRO Networks, which as a follows:  The Co-ordinator establishes a PAN ID and the nodes within range join in.  As routers join ZigBee Network they form Mesh network with each other, whereas end devices do not have routing capabilities remain in sleep mode most of the time; the resulting network is very robust.  If a routing node is damaged or lost from the network, remaining nodes will from alternative path back to the co-ordinator In order to achieve device level interoperability across different manufacturers, Common language for data exchange and set for processing action.ZigBee has come out with various profiles ,one of the very relevant profile could be Smart Energy Profile in this case.
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  Figure: ZigBee Smartenergy profile Growing Demand for ZigBee Smart Energy ZigBee Smart Energy is bridging the gap between the power grid today & the Smart Grid of tomorrow  ZigBee Smart Energy is the standard of choice for Energy Management and Smart Metering in the Smart Home  Using ZigBee Smart Energy today in the HAN can improve in building energy efficiency, comfort and convenience all at the same time even without a Smart Grid or Smart Meter  Households with digital tools controlling temperature and price preferences saved on average 10% on utility bills  40+ Million ZigBee enabled electric meters being deployed by over 11 utility companies in the USA  2.5 million ZigBee electric meters being deployed in the State of Victoria, Australia, British Gas selected ZigBee Smart Energy for its multi-million meter roll-out in the UK.  ZigBee Smart Energy is also an essential element in disaster recovery and in managing micro/distributed generation, energy storage and electric vehicles In Summary with above characteristics ZigBee PRO could be the best choice for HAN as well as NAN networks with self healing , self forming network capability. On top of everything it has a tag of low cost technology in its segment. Gothenburg “The ZigBee City”  255,000 Meters (electrical) out of 260,000 installed  Approximately 8000 Concentrators , 9 jumps identified, can do 18, have set limit to 10  Infrastructure built to handle 1,1 million meters  3000 GPRS meters  Remote disconnect in use  Planning to add district heating, gas and water Company Background Powrtec Energy Private Limited is promoted by The Siddho Mal group based in New Delhi and Bangalore. The Group has a Business Background of over 50 years in India and Overseas. Powrtec Energy is an associate company of POWRtec Corporation USA that is based in Silicon Valley, California. POWRtec USA has been a pioneer of Smart Metering Technology and has implemented over 200,000 Smart meters with DONG Energy of Denmark. The Group also has well Established Marketing Arm in Scandinavia/Europe Submitted By: Deepak Chaturvedi-AGM Sanjay J-Sr. Project Manager