Smart Meter Interoperability and the Impact on early Rollout Programmes

Smart Grids Data Management

22nd-23rd November 2010

Ben NicaudieHead of Consulting, ElectraLink Limited

Interoperability Questions

How did we get here? Why is change needed? What are the interim options? Who could govern the interim?

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”George Santayana, Spanish philosopher

How did we get here? Why is change needed?What are the interim options?Who could govern the interim?

Many Industry Functions

• Change of Supply• Customer Billing• Energy Balancing and

Settlement• Change of Agent• Metering Services• Distribution Use of

System Billing

Many Market Participants

Inter - operabilityNetworks

A Highly Functional Solution

MeterMaintainer

Data Aggregator

DistributionOperator /

Transporter

Prepayment Infrastructure

ProviderSupplier

Data Collector

Consumer

MeteringSystem

All using flat files

Data Transfer Service

High VolumeGateway

Low VolumeGateway

Monitoring

Helpdesk

Remote UserSystems Primary Hub Secondary Hub

Managed Network

An “Industrial Grade” Network

DTS (flat files)

Commercial data flows

(e.g. RGMA)

Web traffic (e.g. HTTP)

Web services (e.g. SOAP,

REST)

Any other application

protocol

ElectraLink Data Transfer Network

Authentication, Encipherment, Resilience, Reliability

Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) NetworkConnectivity, Protocol Agnosticism

Physical layer e.g. Ethernet, fibre

How did we get here? Why is change needed?What are the interim options?Who could govern the interim?

The existing system can not talk to the meters

With Smart Meters we need the Wide Area Network to talk and listen

ReadingsConfiguration

Data

Data

XXT 0019.12

0001889.126 Head End

Head End

Customer A

Customer B

SMS

GPRS

Supplier to Meter Operations

The answer - Centralised Comms

“Suppliers will have to use the DCC – a single entity – as that will aid switching and data management. It will control access to the data and secure communications, so it must be independent.”

A Future Centralised Market

CPEMS

MGHHDC

NHHDA

HHDC

NHHDC

REGCOS

COA

MAPMAM

MAP

SH

GT

PP

IGTIGT

SU

GEN

SUP

PPMIP ECOES

ASP

MOP

DCC

DIST

NHHDR

DSM

scoges

ECOES

SET

New investments for Suppliers leading early rollout

• Smart Meters• Head End systems• WAN Comms contracts• Smart Prepayment• All associated IT

New problems for Suppliers leading early rollout

• New concept of “installing supplier”

• Stranded Assets• Negotiating Comms contracts• Dependencies on other Suppliers• Building Market share

Ofgem’s timetable suggests 8-10 million interim meters by DCC Go-Live

20192018201720162015201320122011 2014

20192018201720162015201320122011 2014

Phase 2 Develop regulatory framework

Phase 3 Tender and award DCC licence

DCC Setup and procure service providers

Build and trialling of DCC services

Go-LiveDCC

Meter rollout profile

Delivery Timetable

How did we get here? Why is change needed?What are the interim options?Who could govern the interim?

Core Principles

1. Impact on the consumer

2. Privacy & Data Security

3. Speed and Cost of Implementation

4. Re-usability

5. Avoiding Scope Creep

6. Existing market arrangements

Interim Options (1)

1. Supplier owned HEs non-standard interfaces to Central Service

2. Supplier owned HEs with standardised interfaces to Central Service

3. Centrally owned HEs providing Central Service

Interim Options (2)

4. Installing Suppliers provide readings to a central store

5. Installing Suppliers provide Smart Meter Services direct to 3rd Parties

6. Suppliers Migrate Smart Meters to gaining Supplier’s HE on CoS

Key Influencing Factors

• Industry has immature Smart Metering infrastructures

• Not all Suppliers have a Smart programme at all

• The industry needs to see interim as a step to DCC

Supplier Meter Asset Provider

HH Data Aggregator

Distributor Meter Operator

HH Data Collector

SVAA

Meter Data Management

Site Meta Data Interval Data

Au

the

ntic

atio

n a

nd

Acc

ess

Co

ntr

ol

TranslationServices H/E

Smart Meters

XML Interoperability

Interim Interoperability Arrangements

Novated comms contracts from CoS

HE

HE

Smart Meters

Customer Changes Supplier1. Meter migrates to interim HE2. Comms contract novates to central body3. Translation service starts

HE

Enhancement A

Centralise all head ends

Enhancement B

Standardise interfaces

Enhancement C

Add legacy supportSimplify business processes

A Roadmap for Interim

How did we get here? Why is change needed?What are the interim options?Who could govern the interim?

The ideal regulatory framework

• A dedicated Smart Energy Code• Governing access to smart electricity

and gas meters• Defining commercial relationships

between DCC and its users • A code common to both gas and

electricity

But this is highly complex...

Existing regulatory frameworks

• The Master Registration Agreement• The Supply Point Administration

Agreement• The Uniform Network Code• The Balancing and Settlement Code• The Data Transfer Services Agreement

Comparing frameworks

• The MRA and SPAA do not provide for data transfers service provision

• The UNC and BSC do cover data transfer but also a much wider area

• The DTSA is solely about metering-related data transfer, associated services and governance

What would be needed?

• A transparent mechanism for cost recovery

• An obligation on gas and electricity Suppliers to join

• No restriction on the use of intellectual property by a future DCC

• Any user objections being ultimately resolved by Ofgem

Interoperability Questions

How did we get here? Why is change needed? What are the interim options? Who could enforce this?

“... when men and women agree, it is only in their conclusions; their reasons are always different.”George Santayana, Spanish philosopher

Questions?

Ben Nicaudiewww.electralink.co.uk

ben.nicaudie@electralink.co.uk