Smart Metering and Load Management

India has initiated information technology (IT) implementation as part of the Restructured
Accelerated Power Development & Reforms Program i.e. (RAPDRP). Under this program,
utilities have taken up GIS-based consumer indexing, asset mapping, metering, billing
applications, and energy audit applications to bring AT&C losses below 15%. Utilities from
states like Gujarat, Delhi, and Karnataka have changed their processes to add monitoring of
distribution transformer (DT) load profiles, which enables them to take corrective actions to
minimize overloading and phase imbalances. In addition, they have put in place strict
administrative actions to detect theft and incentives to motivate employees to adopt new
technologies. These actions could reduce losses even before the RAPDRP project is
complete. Further details are available in the ISGAN paper on reducing nontechnical losses.
Different utilities in India are at different levels of smart grid maturity. In this paper, various
alternatives for the same processes are discussed. Utilities can shift to high-end processes to
enhance their service delivery to end consumers and also improve their Smart Grid maturity
level.

Advanced Meter Infrastructure

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) facilitates monitoring and measurement of

consumer information and control through Smart Meters installed at customer premises. It
supports bidirectional flow of information between consumer and utility control centre
through communication mode such GPRS / PLC / RF. Smart meters will also enable Time of
Use (TOU) and Critical Peak Pricing (CPP)/Real Time Pricing (RTP) rate metering for
demand response.

Most of the meters currently deployed in India are electromechanical, with meter readers taking
readings once a month. Many utilities have started deploying automated meter reading (AMR), in
which data are transmitted to a handheld device or a drive-through vehicle. This reduces manual
reading errors and makes the data resistant to manipulations. The next step is moving from mere
measurement and monitoring to controlling load for optimal asset utilization. The latest
technology, smart metering, facilitates two-way exchange of information that can be based on the
global system for mobile communications/general packet radio service (GSM/GPRS), power line
communications, or fibre optics. This also enables real-time monitoring and, as appropriate,
consumption control along with time stamped metering information. All the meter readings can
be read regularly (per programmable time periods) and remotely and the data can be logged on a
central server where the information can be used for billing that can be based on ToU. The utility
can benefit froman increase in revenue based on ToU pricing as well as improved billing
efficiency (the national billing efficiency in India‘s power distribution sector currently ranges
from 70% to 80%). Because the utility can monitor the meters in real time, it can receive on-the-
spot tampering information and also eliminate losses resulting from faulty readings. (See Figures
1 and 2) (Sodha, Wadhwa, Megha, 2013)

Figure 1. Process options for billing and payment

 Figure 2. Process options for meter reading

Such opportunities are not without challenges in the form of implementing entirely new
processes. Various utilities in the US report significant challenges with collecting, storing, and
analyzing all of this new meter data in a cost effective manner. Nonetheless, utilities are
innovating new solutions. One utility reported starting to build a meter data management system,
but realized that they had no data architecture that could do analytics.So they asked their vendors
to explain their analytics and realized that the available meter data management systems did not
have the analytical capabilities that the utility wanted. So they decided to build their own. The
result was a system that could look at meters in any number of ways, especially both physical and
financial grouping of meters, and opened up new possibilities, such as allowing the utility to do
predictive analytics around their asset base, and focus resources on prevention instead of repair.
Similarly,paper bills are being increasingly replaced by online bills. After visiting the websites of
approximately 30 distribution utilities (of about 60 utilities), the paper authors observed that 20
utilities have made online bill payment available through utility portal. Thisnumber is expected to
rise as more and more utilities undergo IT implementation under RAPDRP. In the US, online
portals are also impacting customer service, especially in cases of bill disputes. Utilities report
that customer service representatives, aided with online usage data, are better able to resolve
many of these disputes. With appropriate meter data management system, Utilities can also
deliverother value-added services viaan online portalExamples include viewing and paying
current and past bills; choosing a weekly, monthly, or bimonthly billing cycle according to
consumer preference; and accessing consumption pattern analysis and comparison of
consumption with benchmarks. In the US, various utilities with AMI networks now offer
―projected bills‖ that estimate monthly cost at current rates of usage. Some of these utilities also
allow customers to elect a ―preferred due date,‖ which has been found to reduce defaults. These
new services and options can enhance consumer satisfaction and motivate end users to regulate
their consumption. (See Figure 2) Apart from improving processes and practices with advanced
technologies, offering consumers incentives for timely or advanced bill payment can be
rewarding. For example, utilities can classify consumers as priority consumers if they pay their
bills on time, and these consumers can receive benefits like service priority and discounts, among
others. At the same time, the utility can use the remote connect–disconnect feature of smart
metering to disconnect or give a minimum lifeline supply to consumers defaulting on bill
payments. Utilities in Italy also leverage AMI systems to provide a minimum amount of
electricity to defaulting customers.

Meters and associated Features Process

processes Meter Type

Electromechanical Metering and anti-tamper Mainly manual system for

features with manual reading meter to cash i.e meter
option reading, billing and realisation
of bills.

AMR Load profile, time-stamped Partly automated system for

metering and anti-tamper billing and energy audit
features with an option of process
remote reading

Smart Load profile, two-way Mostly automated system for

communication, time-stamped meter to cash that can be
metering with an option of highly effective if supported by
remote reading as well as app
remote connect–disconnect

Several government initiatives and policies, such as Restructured Accelerated Power Development and
Reform Program (R-APDRP) and Central Electricity Authority (CEA) guidelines, have paved the way for
intelligent smart metering in the country. The current size of the energy metering market is approximately
US$ 340.82 million and it is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8-10 per
cent over the next 4-5 years. Further, UDAY - a scheme for operational & financial turnaround of
DISCOMS (Figure 16) and estimated to install 35 million smart meters by 2019 [5]. India exported over
400,000 of its electricity supply and production meters to Australia, followed by over 50,000 meters to
Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. India’s imports of electricity supply and
production meters were very limited—less than 5,000 meters each from Hungary, Singapore, Indonesia,
and China in 2012; by value, Germany and the United States were the leading foreign suppliers

Smart Cities Awas Yojna Mission (Smart City Mission) was launched by Prime Minister of India in June
2015. Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with
a mission to develop 100 cities all over the country making them citizen friendly and sustainable. Smart
meters are one of the areas identified by Government of India in this mission. Implementation of FACTS
& PMU for transmission grid is looked after by Central Transmission Utility and funded through their
resources.
Peak Load Management
The peak load management refers to controlling the demand and matching it to the available supply at the
instant of peak. The peak load management function shall take inputs from SCADA/EMS regarding power
availability and volume of shortage. Based on the shortage, the peak management function shall run
algorithms considering various constraints and priorities predefined on the basis of customer profile by
System Integrator (SI) in association with Employer/ Utility personnel, and suggest the recommended
options. The approach shall be to avoid tripping of feeders for load shedding and manage peak load either
by load curtailment through AMI or by price incentives/disincentives in the form of ToU pricing.

Research, Development, Demonstration & Deployment Projects in India

Puducherry Smart Grid Pilot Project and Battery Energy Storage System

Objective
• Indigenization of Technology
• Proof of Concept for Indian conditions
• Knowledge Sharing & Capacity Building
• Development of a scalable & replicable model
• Demonstration of benefits to stakeholders
• Policy Advocacy, Regulations, Standards, etc.
• Evolution of a Commercial Mechanism
Implemented:
• Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
• Demand Side Management & Demand Response (Virtual)
• Outage Management System (OMS)
• Renewable Energy integration through Net Metering
• Power Quality Management (PQM)
• Electric Vehicle with Solar Charging Station
• Street Light Automation
Under Implementation:
• Battery Energy Storage System: 1.25 MW (Advaneced lead acid and Lithium
Ion – 500 Kw and 250 KwH support for Half-hour each and flow battery 250 kw
and 1000 KwH for four hours.
Battery energy storage system totaling 1000 kW, 500kWh comprising of Lithium iron
phosphate & advanced lead acid has been commissioned and is under operation,
whereas third system on Zinc Iron Flow batteries would be commissioned by
August 2017