Advance Metering Infrastructure:Smart Meter

Advanced Metering Infrastructure: SMART METER
SIET, VIJAYAPURA DEPT. OF EEE Page 1
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
World without Electricity is unimaginable, and countries development depends on
per-capita consumptions. In India there are many sectors which have attained a rapid
development but only few developments are made in Electricity sector. Traditional
electro-mechanical meters, still widely used today, are prone to drift over temperature and
time as a result of the analogue and mechanical nature of the components in these meters.
Electricity theft is not a new problem for energy utilities. In India, non-technical
losses can be as high as 25% of the generated energy delivered to the distribution
network. All Indian energy utilities suffer from theft losses. This scenario is not restricted
to underdeveloped countries the percentage varies and occurs in almost all countries.
Among the usual fraud techniques are illegal tap wiring and meter tampering through
security seal violations. These frauds are detected by periodical line inspections and fraud
evidences are easily found, allowing thieves prosecutions. Energy providers are
constantly challenged to uncover new fraud techniques developed by creative people.
Collection of meter readings is also inefficient, because a meter reader has to
physically be on- site to take readings. This method of collecting of meter readings
becomes more problematic and costly when readings have to be collected from vast and
often scattered rural areas. Meter readers are reluctant to make the effort to travel to such
areas and will often submit inaccurate estimations of the amount of electricity consumed.
For households at the top of high buildings and luxury housing plots, traditional meter
reading is highly inefficient. There exists chance for missing bills, absence of consumer
etc.
Digital meters are placed in certain places which indicate voltage, current, power,
time & date in liquid crystal display. Automatic meter reading is popular because of its
remote nature of data collection. There are different technologies being used to capture
and transfer data remotely, but the accuracy, speed, efficiency, reliability and cost
effectiveness are the usual benefits properly achieved in this system but an additional
facility for payment was also introduced. Automatic meter reading system consists of
measuring sensors, microcontroller and wireless communication network.

The meter reading and management of data are free from human error. After the
measurement of readings the data is fed to remote location server which consists of
software solution which generates bill and it will send back to the same protocol so the
consumer can collect his bill in the meter display. By using a recharge card consumer can
pay the bill with the help of keypad in the system.
1.2 Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
AMI are systems that measure, collect, and analyze energy usage, and
communicate with metering devices such as electricity meters, gas meters, heat meters,
and water meters, either on request or on a schedule. These systems include hardware,
software, communications, consumer energy displays and controllers, customer
associated systems, Meter Data Management (MDM) software, and supplier business
systems.
Government agencies and utilities are turning toward advanced metering
infrastructure (AMI) systems as part of larger “Smart Grid” initiatives. AMI extends
current advanced meter reading (AMR) technology by providing two way meter
communications, allowing commands to be sent toward the home for multiple purposes,
including “time-of-use” pricing information, demand-response actions, or remote service
disconnects. Wireless technologies are critical elements of the “Neighbourhood Area
Network” (NAN), aggregating a mesh configuration of up to thousands of meters for back
haul to the utility’s IT headquarters.
The network between the measurement devices and business systems allows
collection and distribution of information to customers, suppliers, utility companies and
service providers. This enables these businesses to participate in demand response
services. Consumers can use information provided by the system to change their normal
consumption patterns to take advantage of lower prices. Pricing can be used to curb
growth of peak consumption. AMI differs from traditional automatic meter reading
(AMR) in that it enables two-way communications with the meter. Systems only capable
of meter readings do not qualify as AMI systems.

CHAPTER 2: ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE
AMI is not a single technology implementation, but rather a fully configured
infrastructure that must be integrated into existing and new utility processes and
applications.
An AMI system is comprised of a number of technologies and applications that have been
integrated to perform as one:
AMI is not a single technology, but rather an integration of many technologies that
provides an intelligent connection between consumers and system operators. AMI gives
consumers the information they need to make intelligent decisions, the ability to execute
those decisions and a variety of choices leading to substantial benefits they do not
currently enjoy. In addition, system operators are able to greatly improve consumer
service by refining utility operating and asset management processes based on AMI data.
Through the integration of multiple technologies (such as smart metering, home area
networks, integrated communications, data management applications, and standardized
software interfaces) with existing utility operations and asset management processes,
AMI provides an essential link between the grid, consumers and their loads, and
generation and storage resources. Such a link is a fundamental requirement of a Modern
Grid.
• Smart meters
• Wide-area communications infrastructure
• Home (local) area networks (HANs)
• Meter Data Management Systems (MDMS)
2.1 SMART METER
Conventional electromechanical meters served as the utility cash register for most
of its history. At the residential level, these meters simply recorded the total energy
consumed over a period of time – typically a month. Smart meters are solid state
programmable devices that perform many more functions, including most or all of the
following:
 Time-based pricing
 Consumption data for consumer and utility

 Net metering
 Loss of power (and restoration) notification
 Remote turn on / turn off operations
 Load limiting for “bad pay” or demand response purposes
 Energy prepayment
 Power quality monitoring
 Tamper and energy theft detection
 Communications with other intelligent devices in the home
Fig. 2.1: A modern Solid State Smart Meter (left) and older Electromechanical Watt hour Meter
A smart meter is a green meter because it enables the demand response that can
lead to emissions and carbon reductions. It facilitates greater energy efficiency since
information feedback alone has been shown to cause consumers to reduce usage.
2.2 COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE
The AMI communications infrastructure supports continuous interaction
between the utility, the consumer and the controllable electrical load. It must employ
open bi-directional communication standards, yet be highly secure. Various architectures
can be employed, with one of the most common being local concentrators that collect
data from groups of meters and transmit that data to a central server via a backhaul
channel.
Various media can be considered to provide part or all of this architecture:
 Power Line Carrier (PLC)
 Broadband over power lines (BPL)
 Copper or optical fiber

 Wireless (Radio frequency), either centralized or a distributed mesh
 Internet
 Combinations of the above
The AMI uses different communication tools:
1. The ZigBee network is one of the most widely used communication tools.3 The ZigBee
Smart Energy supports the energy metering, as the Home Display, remote programming
of thermostats, lighting and load management.
2. The Home Area Network (HAN) operates in wireless and on-the-wire mode, too (e.g.
Power Line Carrier, or IEEE 802.15.4 wireless protocol). The main device communicates
with all the meters in the building and the gateway keeps contact with the Neighbourhood
Area Network (NAN).
3. The WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a scalable
bandwidth alternative of other communication channels based on 802.11n standard.4
Specifically serves the Intel's and GE Energy’s smart devices.5
Fig. 2.1: Trilliant smart meter

2.3 HOME AREA NETWORKS (HAN)
A HAN interfaces with a consumer portal to link smart meters to controllable electrical
devices. Its energy management functions may include:
 In-home displays so the consumer always knows what energy is being used and what
it
 is costing
 Responsiveness to price signals based on consumer-entered preferences
 Set points that limit utility or local control actions to a consumer specified band
 Control of loads without continuing consumer involvement
 Consumer over-ride capability
The HAN/consumer portal provides a smart interface to the market by acting as the
consumer’s “agent.” It can also support new value added services such as security
monitoring.
A HAN may be implemented in a number of ways, with the consumer portal located in
any of several possible devices including the meter itself, the neighbourhood collector, a
stand-alone utility-supplied gateway or even within customer-supplied equipment.
2.4 METER DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM(MDMS)
A MDMS is a database with analytical tools that enable interaction with other
information systems (see Operational Gateways below) such as the following:
 Consumer Information System (CIS), billing systems and the utility website
 Outage Management System (OMS)
 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), power quality management and load
forecasting systems
 Mobile Workforce Management (MWM)
 Geographic Information System (GIS)
 Transformer Load Management (TLM)

CHAPTER 3: TYPES OF SMART METERS
There are two basic categories of Smart Meter System technologies as defined by
their LAN. They are Radio Frequency (RF) and Power Line Carrier (PLC). Each of these
technologies has its own advantages and disadvantages in application. The utility selects
the best technology to meet its demographic and business needs. Factors that impact the
selection of the technology include evaluation of existing infrastructure; impact on legacy
equipment, functionality, technical requirements as well has the economic impact to the
utility’s customers. The selection of the technology requires a thorough evaluation and
analysis of existing needs and future requirements into a single comprehensive business
case.
3.1 Radio Frequency (RF)
Smart Meter measurements and other data are transmitted by wireless radio from
the meter to a collection point. The data is then delivered by various methods to the utility
data systems for processing at a central location. The utility billing, outage management,
and other systems use the data for operational purposes.
RF technologies are usually two different types:
3.11 MeshTechnology
The smart meters talk to each other (hop) to from a LAN cloud to a collector. The
collector transmits the data using various WAN methods to the utility central location.
 Mesh RF Technologies’ advantages include acceptable latency, large bandwidth, and
typically operate at 9157 MHz frequencies.
 Mesh technologies disadvantages include terrain and distance challenges for rural
areas, proprietary communications, and multiple collection points
3.1.2 Point to Point Technology
The smart meters talk directly to a collector, usually a tower. The tower collector
transmits the data using various methods to the utility central location for processing.

 Point to Point RF technologies advantages include little or no latency, direct
communication with each endpoint, large bandwidth for better throughput, some are
licensed spectrum, and can cover longer distances.
 The disadvantages of point to point RF networks are licensing (not for 900MHz),
terrain may prove challenging in rural areas (Line of Sight), proprietary
communications used for some technologies, and less interface with Data Acquisition
(DA) devices.
3.2 PowerLine Carrier (PLC)
Smart Meter measurements and other data can be transmitted across the utility power
lines from the meter to a collection point, usually in the distribution substation feeding the
meter. Some solutions have the collection point located on the secondary side of a
distribution transformer. The data is then delivered to the utility data systems for
processing at a central location. The utility billing, outage management, and other
systems use the data for operational purposes.
 PLC technology advantages include leveraging the use of existing utility
infrastructure of poles & wires, improved cost effectiveness for rural lines, more
effective in challenging terrain, and the capability to work over long distances.
 PLC disadvantages include longer data transmit time (more latency), less bandwidth
and throughput, limited interface with Distribution Automation (DA) devices , and
higher cost in urban and suburban locations.
There are other Smart Meter Systems in use that differ from those described
above. However, these are generally a hybrid or combination design, a slight variation of
the basic types, or niche products. The major Smart Meter System Technologies in use
today are of one of these basic types.

CHAPTER 4: WORKING OF SMART METERS
Fig. 4.1: Overview of working of Smart Meters
Fig. 4.1 provides a high level overview of how the Smart Meters (Gas and Electricity)
will capture consumption data in the home and present relevant information back to the
consumer.
4.1 BLOCK DIAGRAM
Fig. 4.2: Block Diagram of Smart Meter

Fig. 4.3: Block diagram of billing station section
A Smart Meter which is capable to communicate with central distribution office to
provide great facility is discussed. Current transformer (CT) is attached with line to
measure current flowing through the load and a voltage divider network is connected to
the line to measure to terminal voltage of load. It processes these values of power to
calculate the total power consumed by load. Automated billing of energy meter is made
possible by connecting a GSM modem to the energy meter. As the authorities request for
the units of energy consumption the same is send to them through GSM service from the
energy meter. Once the value reaches the board they prepare a bill and send this to the
registered mobile number of the consumer also a hard copy of the bill is mailed to the
address of the registered consumer. Automatic connection and disconnection can be done
by passing a code such as a password from the board based on bill payment of the
consumer through the GSM module. Once this code reaches the microcontroller at the
consumers end, the supply to the load can be turned OFF or turned ON.
In case of industrial consumers the maximum demand has to be recorded by a
higher official from the board. Then this person has to official reset this maximum
demand after recording it. This is a time consuming as well as a tedious job. Hence it is
possible for the energy meter to transmit this data to the board and store it in a special

register. This register can only be accessed by a higher official from the board. The detail
with the energy meter serial number is stored in a particular register of the electricity
board database and can be only accessed by an higher official using his password. Once
this procedure is done then the maximum demand of the industrial consumer is reset.
Detecting a fault in distribution system can be done by communicating between
the distribution transformer and the consumer’s energy meter. If there is supply in the
transformer and no supply in the consumers end it means that there is a line fault between
the consumer and the distribution transformer. This communication is done with a RF
transmitter and receiver kept at two sides. When this communication interrupts energy
meter will send an SMS to authorities and they can take necessary action. Door sensors
are used to prevent energy meter tampering. Once the door of meter is opened door sensor
send a high signal to microcontroller’s pin, which in turn sends message to utilities.
Block Diagram of Advanced SMART METER
Advanced Smart Metres include features such as wide-range high-accuracy current
measurement, fast digital calibration, protection against meter tampering and theft of
service.

CHAPTER 5: FUNCTIONS & BENEFITS OF SMART METERS
5.1 Functions of Smart Meters
A Smart Meter performs:
• Time-based pricing
Time-based pricing is a pricing strategy where the electricity supplier, may vary
the price depending on the time-of-day when the service is provided. The rational
background of time-based pricing is expected or observed change of the supply and
demand balance during time. Time-based pricing includes fixed time-of use rates for
electricity and dynamic pricing.
• Net metering
Net metering allow consumer which generate some or all their own electricity to
use that electricity anytime, instead of when it is generated. this os particular important
with wind and solar, which are non dispatchable
• Loss of power (and restoration) notification
Smart meters allow the utility to better understand if the outage is related to the
utility service or is related to a problem within the customer’s premises. The utility can
then take the proper action to resolve the problem in a timely and cost effective manner.
• Remote turn ON / turn OFF operations
Smart meters quickly notify your electricity distributor if your power is out. The
problem can be located faster, repair crews can be allocated in a priority manner and
repairs can begin sooner.
• Load limiting for “bad pay” or demand response purposes
Demand response is a change in the power consumption of an electric utility customer to
better match the demand for power with the supply.
• Tamper and energy theft detection
Smart meters can enable great flexibility in optimizing energy usage but also can present
additional opportunities for theft of electricity through tampering.
• Communications with other intelligent devices in the home
records consumption of electric energy in intervals of an hour or less
and communicates that information at least daily back to the utility for monitoring and
billing

5.2 Benefits of AMI: Smart Meters
AMI provides benefits to consumers, utilities and society as a whole.
5.2.1 CONSUMER BENEFITS
For the consumer, this means more choices about price and service, less intrusion
and more information with which to manage consumption, cost and other decisions. It
also means higher reliability, better power quality, more prompt and more accurate
billing. In addition, AMI will help keep down utility costs and therefore electricity prices.
5.2.2 UTILITY BENEFITS
Utility benefits fall into two major categories, billing and operations.
AMI helps the utility avoid estimated readings, provide accurate and timely bills,
operate more efficiently and reliably and offer significantly better consumer service. AMI
eliminates the vehicle, training, health insurance and other overhead expenses of manual
meter reading, while the shorter read-to-pay time advances the utility’s cash flow,
creating a one-time benefit. Consumer concerns about meter readers on their premises are
eliminated.
Operationally, with AMI the utility knows immediately when and where an outage
occurs so it can dispatch repair crews in a more timely and efficient way. Meter-level
outage and restoration information accelerates the outage restoration process, which
includes notifying consumers about when power is likely to return.
Using AMI, the utility can receive significant benefits from being able to manage
customer accounts more promptly and efficiently, starting with the ability to remotely
connect and disconnect service without having to send personnel to the customer site.
Similarly, many maintenance and customer service issues can be resolved more quickly
and cost-effectively through the use of remote diagnostics. AMI enables new programs
and methods for creating and recovering revenue such as distributed generation and
prepayment programs.
AMI also provides vast amounts of energy usage and grid status information that
can be used by consumers to make more informed consumption decisions and by utilities
to make better decisions about system improvements and service offerings.

Instead of relying on rough estimates, engineers armed with AMI’s detailed
knowledge of distribution loads and electrical quality can accurately size equipment and
protection devices and better understand distribution system behaviour.
This huge increase in valuable information helps the utility:
• Assess equipment health
• Maximize asset utilization and life
• Optimize maintenance, capital and O&M spending
• Pinpoint grid problems
• Improve grid planning
• Locate/ identify power quality issues
• Detect/reduce energy theft
5.2.3 SOCIETAL BENEFITS
Society, in general, benefits from AMI in many ways. One way is through
improved efficiency in energy delivery and use, producing a favourable environmental
impact. It can accelerate the use of distributed generation, which can in turn encourage
the use of green energy sources.
5.3 Vulnerabilities: Advanced Metering Infrastructure
The implementation of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) is widely seen as
one of the first steps in the digitization of the electric grid’s control systems. Despite the
increase in the utilization of AMI, there has been very little assessment or R&D effort to
identify the security needs for such systems. Smart meters, however, are extremely
attractive targets for exploitation, since vulnerabilities can be easily monetized through
manipulated energy costs and measurement readings. Possible threats to the electrical grid
introduced by the use of AMI include:
✔ Fabricating generated energy meter readings
✔ Manipulating, energy costs
✔ Disrupting, the load balance of local systems by suddenly increasing or decreasing the
demand for power

✔ Gaining control of millions of meters and simultaneously shutting them down
✔ Sending false control signals
✔ Disabling grid control center computer systems and monitors
✔ Disabling protective relays.
As more utilities move toward using Internet Protocol (IP)–based systems for
wide area communications and as the trend of using standardized protocols continues
throughout the industry, maintaining the security of such devices will be critical. AMI
introduces serious privacy concerns, as immense amounts of energy use information will
be stored at the meter. Breaches into this data could expose customer habits and
behaviours. As a result, several key privacy concerns need to be addressed, including
those outlined by the Cyber Security Working Group of the U.S. National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST). These include:
✔ Personal profiling: using personal energy data to determine consumer energy
behavioural patterns for commercial purposes
✔ Real-time remote surveillance: using live energy data to determine whether people
are in a specific facility or residence and what they are doing
✔ Identity theft and home invasions: protecting personal energy data from criminals
who could use the information to harm consumers
✔ Activity censorship: preventing the use of energy for certain activities or taxing those
activities at a higher rate
✔ Decisions based on inaccurate data: shutting off power to life-sustaining electrical
devices or providing inaccurate information to government and credit reporting agencies.
In addition, AMI systems will need to be defended against more traditional cyber
threats such as mobile and malicious code, DoS attacks, misuse and malicious insider
threats, accidental faults introduced by human error and the problems associated with
software and hardware aging.

5.4.1 SECURITY NEEDS
In order to defend against the vulnerabilities described above, several security features
need to be incorporated into the development of AMI, along with new privacy laws to
protect consumers. Data stored at the meter and transmitted over communication
networks must also meet standard cyber security requirements, including confidentiality,
integrity, availability, and non repudiation. One security feature alone, such as encryption,
will not be able to cover all the possible security threats.
Furthermore, since it will be impossible to protect against all threats, smart meters
must be able to detect even the most subtle unauthorized changes and precursors to
tampering or intrusion. Smart meters will need to be cost-effective, since millions will
need to be purchased and installed to replace antiquated analog devices and they must
also be robust as they will be deployed in very insecure locations.

CONCLUSION & FUTURE SCOPE
6.1 CONCLUSION
The traditional model is large remote power stations with central dispatch, long
transmission lines, and a distribution system primarily designed to deliver power from
transmission substations to load centers with established load profiles.
The existing grid is not intelligent and is operated near its thermal limits due to
increasing population and power demand. Also the depleting conventional fuels are
posing problems to the existing system.
Advanced Metering Infrastructure is a relatively new concept which needs
improvement in the areas of communication, data analysis and control schemes.
AMI are systems that measure, collect, and analyze energy usage, and
communicate with metering devices such as electricity meters, either on request or on a
schedule.
Conventional electromechanical meters are not smart. At the residential level,
these meters simply recorded the total energy consumed over a period of time – typically
a month.
Smart meters are solid state programmable devices that perform many more
functions such as Time-based pricing, Net metering, Tamper and energy theft detection,
Communications with other intelligent devices in the home and many more.
A smart meter is a green meter because it enables the demand response that can
lead to emissions and carbon reductions. It facilitates greater energy efficiency since
information feedback is shown to the consumers to reduce usage.
Thus, AMI allows the users to better control their consumption pattern. It also
offers higher power quality and stability.

6.2 FUTURE SCOPE
Smart meters have been introduced as a means to modernise the grids and to bring
about operational changes such as reduce nontechnical losses, introduce remote reading
and switching or simplify the billing procedures.
Promoting investments in smart metering deployment requires a thorough
assessment of what aspects of smart meters need to be regulated and standardised and
what can be left to the market. s
The Commission is working towards implementing further measures to ensure
that smart grids and meters bring the desired benefits for consumers, producers, and
operators just as in terms of energy efficiency.

REFERENCES
[1] Yujun Bao and Xiaoyan Jiang, “Design of electric Energy Meter for long-distance
data information transfers which based upon GPRS”, ISA2009. International Workshop
on Intelligent Systems and Applications,2009
[2] Ashna.K and Sudhish N George, "GSM based automatic energy meter reading
system" IEEE 2013.
[3] Tanmoy Maity and Partha Sarathi Das, "Intelligent online measurement and
management of energy meter data through advanced wireless network" IEEE 2011
[4] B.S.Koay, S.S.Cheah, Y.H.Sng, P.H.J.Chong, and H.W.Kuek, "Design and
Implementation of bluetooth energy meter" IEEE 2003
[5] Vivek Kumar Sehgal, Nitesh Panda, Nipun Rai Handa, “Electronic Energy Meter
with instant billing”,UKSim Fourth European Modelling Symposium on Computer
Modelling and Simulation.

Advance Metering Infrastructure:Smart Meter

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