AMI: Communications and Integration Options

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Deirdre Franklin
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1 AMI: Communications and Integration Options Vinod Namboodiri Wichita State University Additional Team Members: Ward Jewell, Visvakumar Aravinthan Wichita State University PSERC Future Grid Initiative Webinar Series March 06,

2 Advanced Metering Infrastructure A popular tool to modernize the electric grid Facilitates two-way communication between smart meter and control center Captures and transmits energy-use on a hourly or sub-hourly basis As opposed to the current meters that provide daily energy usage and monthly bill Expected to facilitate consumer participation in the Smart Grid Smart Grid Power network which has the ability to self heal from a disturbance, enables active participation by consumers in demand response, operating resiliently against physical and cyber attacks, accommodates all generation and storage options, provides power quality for the 21st century needs and optimizes assets and operating efficiency U.S Department of Energy 2

3 Outline 1. Context AMI and its benefits Utilities, consumers, society 2. AMI status Penetration, technologies 3. Communication Requirements and Design Considerations Backhaul HANs 4. Future Needs Research Standards Policy 3

4 Benefits Utilities Peak shaving, load control, power quality measurements, improved outage management systems (OMS) Consumers Energy use awareness and possible efficiency savings, automated billing (even daily or weekly), potential bundling of water, gas, and electric billing Society Financial and environmental benefits from: Improved system efficiency and reliability Improved integration of EVs and DERs 4

5 Deployment Status in the U.S Source: FERC, 5

6 6

7 Global Status Some EU countries and U.S lead in AMI Deployments Source: Energy Retail Association, UK,

8 AMI and the Distribution System 8

9 Backhaul Requirements Low-Latency Alerts Control Commands 9

10 Backhaul Requirements Low Infrastructure Costs Ability to re-use existing infrastructure Zero or small licensing fees Easy to setup and reconfigure Low maintenance/recurring costs 10

11 Backhaul Requirements - Scalability 11

12 Backhaul Requirements Information Security and Network Availability Information Security Backhaul typically carries aggregate of data Traditional mechanisms, wide-area network security principles could be applied Wireless medium challenges should be considered Some aspects covered in White Paper on Cyber-Physical Systems Security for the Smart Grid Prof. Manimaran Govindarasu (Iowa State) at Network Availability 12

13 Communication Backhaul - Options PLC Pros: Reuse power lines, upgrades needed mainly at only one location --- the substations Cons: Low data rates, interference from noise, repeaters add to the cost Wireless Pros: Greater data rates, flexible, re-use of feeder poles, could use mesh topology or community networks for additional reliability Cons: Needs careful planning to avoid interference and security, larger investments needed Other Pros: Greater data rates Cons: Large investments needed, less flexible 13

14 Comparison of Wireless Technologies Wireless seems to provide best mix of flexibility and performance Single-Hop Multi-Hop Attribute WiMAX Wi-Fi ZigBee GSM/UMTS Cost High Medium Medium High Range m, 4 km (rural) m m 1-2 mi Max. Data Rate 70 Mbps 54 Mbps 250 kbps kbps Frequency Band 2-11, GHz 2.4, 5 GHz 2.4, 5 GHz 700 MHz, 2.1 GHz Band License Free and Licensed Free Free Licensed Robustness Medium High High Low 14

15 Backhaul: Little Consensus on Architecture and Technologies 15

16 AMI and the Distribution System 16

17 Assessment of Communication Standards for Smart Appliances: The Home Appliance Industry s Technical Evaluation of Communication Protocols October

18 Home Area Network Model and Load Classifications Will assume EMS is Co-located with Meter 18

19 HAN Technology Options Technology Data- Rate (Mbps) Range (meters) Security Cost Flexibility Ethernet High High Low PLC High Medium Medium Bluetooth Medium Low High Wi-Fi Low Medium High Zigbee Low Low High Greater Consensus on Architecture, Less so on Technologies 19

20 FUTURE NEEDS 20

21 Data Collection and Management Integration with other utilities Integration with the Internet Impact of trends from emerging countries 21

22 Scalable Data Collection and Management Network Availability and Reliability How does availability impact operations? How reliable should this communication network be? 22

23 Neighborhoods 23

24 Commercial and Residential Towers 24

25 Impact of Partial AMI Implementation Does X % AMI penetration mean X % of stated benefits? opt-out by customers may mean X = 100 is more distant than initially thought Impact on Performance and Fairness due to constraints in AMI communication technology capabilities 25

26 Security Threats to AMI Availability Confidentiality Integrity Time Sensitivity o Two Party Dynamics o Authentication 26

27 Pressing Needs in Standards Network planning as it relates to the TCP/IP stack will be essential HAN aspects such as communication and control how and what loads can be part of HANs how to classify loads Security Interoperability testing will be essential SGIP is a good platform 27

28 Policy Needs - Infrastructure Support for utilities to advance from tentative to long-term investments in AMI Incentives, subsidies, usage of community networks, spectrum allocation Motivate customer participation Incentives similar to federal energy-efficiency programs Education on AMI benefits to customers and society 28

29 Conclusions AMI adds an information/ communication/ control layer to the electric power grid Potential to provide more data on operation status, and allow fine-grained control of loads; enables active consumer participation. AMI seems to provide some similar services as the internet The challenges to realize AMI have similarities to those of creating and maintaining the internet 29

30 AMI: Summary of Recommendations 30

Progressing AMI in Asia Pacific Mike Wetselaar Director Sales South East ASia

Progressing AMI in Asia Pacific Mike Wetselaar Director Sales South East ASia 1 Landis+Gyr Smart Grid 09.05.2012 Table of Content I. The AMI network II. III. The Challenges Addressing your requirements