Multi Utility.Solutions for a smarter future.

ISSUE 4 | 2015M

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METERING &SMART ENERGY

INTERNATIONAL

EuropeanUtility Week

Big data

and data analytics

Feature:

UTILITY

modernisation

CURRENTAFFAIRSGL BALSNAPSHOT

METERING INTERNATIONAL ISSUE – 4 | 20158

Distribution automation: Brazilian utility’s deal with Silver Spring

Brazilian electricity supplier CPFL Energia has confirmed plans to extend its smart grid

programme to include distribution automation technology. EPFL has awarded Silver Spring

Networks the task of adding a distribution automation programme to its IPv6 mesh networking

platform. The technology will be used for a grid reliability programme across 50 cities in the

state of São Paulo, totalling 4 million customers.

Under the project, more than 600 reclosers on the distribution network, supervised and

controlled in real time by CPFL’s operations centre, will use the Silver Spring mesh network

technology, allowing energy flow redirection to avoid service outages and accelerate system

restoration.

Southern Europe: Gibraltar selects Elster for

smart meter pilot

The Gibraltar Electric Authority has awarded Elster a contract

to supply an end-to-end solution for a smart meter pilot.

Gibraltar Electric Authority, the principal utility for the British

Overseas Territory off the south coast of Spain, plans to

get the smart meter pilot off the ground by the end of the

year. Elster will supply 1,066 AS220 smart meters and 27

AS3000/AS3500 modular smart meters, with AM540 G3-PLC

communication modules, 12 RTU+Server2 transparent

gateway data concentrators and the EIServer head end and

meter data management software.

The smart meter pilot will use Gibraltar Electric’s own fibre

optic network currently being installed for data flow between

the gateways and the EIServer Meter Data Collection system.

Delivery of the hardware is to be expected by August, and

the full system is due to be operational by end of 2015.

US: California’s SCE seeks ‘pre-

engineered’ energy storage solution

Southern California Edison (SCE) has put forth a request

for proposals (RFP) for pre-engineered energy storage

systems with plug and play capability for changing

distribution grid project planning cycles. The utility

said that it would like to see energy storage solutions

providers offering ‘pre-engineered’ storage systems,

between 1MWh and 16MWh that can be built, shipped

and installed and operational within seven months of

commissioning. SCE’s definition of ‘pre-engineered’

storage systems include a combination of batteries,

power converters and control systems that have been

proven in field tests, and are capable of communicating

with utility control systems via standard protocols. The

RFP is aimed at reducing long lead times and specific

requirements, while increasing flexibility of storage

projects at multiple sites. SCE added that it would also

use storage solutions for other purposes such as selling

excess energy into grid markets.

Germany: RWE looks to distributed energy to

transform its utility business model

Germany’s second largest utility RWE is looking to distributed energy

technologies to transform its business model, through several pilot

projects, to avoid succumbing to the so called “utility death spiral”.

The Essen-based utility has embarked on the rollout of numerous

pilot projects across Europe in efforts to bring together large-scale

renewable energy, customer-sites energy resources and local control

systems to identify new cost-effective and reliable methods of

integrating clean energy into its operations. The project includes virtual

power plants, tying together combined heat-and-power systems,

backup generators and small-scale hydropower resources. The German

utility has also created a “Smart Operator” system, used to regulate

energy flows and grid conditions on a local level.

UK: Schneider ‘future-

proofs’ North West grid

German engineering firm Schneider

Electric has launched a project to help

secure and future-proof the electric grid

in the North West of England. Electricity

North West, a British electricity distribution

network operator, will utilise Schneider’s

Fault Level Assessment Tool which the

company claims to ‘intelligently’ manage

fault currents – boosting capacity on

electricity networks, reducing disruption

and lowering costs for the operator’s

more than five million customers. The

collaboration with Schneider forms part of

the Electricity North West’s GBP 5.5 million

‘Respond Project’ backed by Ofgem’s Low

Carbon Networks Fund. The project will run

until October 2018.

METERING INTERNATIONAL ISSUE – 4 | 2015 9

CURRENTAFFAIRS

Middle East: Qatar to complete phase one of smart

meter rollout in 2016

Middle East smart meters rollouts continue as Qatar expects to complete the first phase of a deployment in 2016. State-owned utility Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation, known as Kahramaa, will replace all analogue meters in its Doha service territory by 2016. The rollout forms part of a government-approved smart meter programme launched in January 2015. Qatar has opted for a smart water and electricity meter system using GPRS as its communication method. In June 2014, Northeast Group predicted that Middle East

and North African (MENA) countries will spend US$9.8 billion on smart grid infrastructure by 2024, including smart meters, distribution automation and smart city technology.

Australia: Connected home market

worth US$3.2bn by 2019

The Australian market for connected home devices is forecast to grow 11 times in the next four years from

US$289 million in 2015 to US$3.2 billion in 2019, according to technology analyst company Telsyte. New research by the Sydney-based advisory firm

predicted that by 2019, the average household will contain 24 internet-connected devices, compared to an average of nine in 2015. The Australian connected

home market will be boosted by home appliances such as smart fridges, smart home security systems, and home sensor driven smart energy systems.

Telsyte added that tech giant Samsung has expressed its commitment to connect 90% of its

new products to the internet by 2017 and all of them by 2020. The research company added that this was an indication that “even non-tech savvy consumers

would become more connected by default”.

East Asia: Electricity liberalisation:

Japan’s new retailers eye US$65bn market

Japan has taken a further step towards the liberalisation of its electricity system with the opening of a registration system to give market entry to retail start-ups. New electricity retailers will be able to register with Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry. In the runup to April 2016 when restrictions on which companies can sell electricity are lifted, retailers will be compiling rate and service plans while the ministry will compile rules on

consumer protection. Under the government electricity liberalisation plan, households will be able to choose retailers and rate plans.

North Africa: Egypt prepares for smart meter rollout

Egypt’s Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy (MoERE) will be implementing a smart meter rollout plan, with an estimated cost of

US$7.6 billion. MoERE will install four million smart meters annually until 2024. The ministry has actioned a transition plan, which will see an existing 30 million electric meters converted to smart meters over a 10-year period.

France: Sagemcom wins share

of InovGrid smart grid project

in Portugal

Portuguese energy operator Energias de Portugal (EDP) has offered French technology company Sagemcom the

chance to contribute to its smart grid project InovGrid. Sagemcom, which operates in smart grid, smart city and

Internet of Things markets, will supply

240,000 AMM PRIME PLC meters through local partner Enermeter.

SMART GRID

GIBRALTAR

ELECTRICITY

AUTHORITY

drives lower carbon emissions

Gibraltar s Electricity Authority (GEA) is finalising a smart grid

project, which will see modular smart meters, G3-PLC

communication modules and data concentrators installed, along

with supporting meter data collection and management systems.

Speaking to Metering & Smart Energy

International, Paul Thomas, Metering

Officer with GEA explains that the

implementation of the smart metering

project is as a direct result of European

Union directives and H.M. Government

of Gibraltar s energy policy. The smart

metering solution plays an integral

part in GEAs overall strategy on energy

management for the geographically

limited but highly densely populated

service area.

GEA will be using an Elster supplied smart

metering solution, which uses G3-PLC to

assist the Government of Gibraltar in their

drive to reduce CO² emissions both

in terms of generation and end-user energy consumption.

The smart metering solution provides

GEA with the ability to obtain accurate

energy usage data to improve

network management and generation

requirements such as forecast energy

usage. It also provides the necessary

tools for GEA to further develop energy

management policies and processes.

Ultimately end-user customers will be

provided with accurate and easily

accessible consumption data, based on

15-minute load profiles via a web portal or

mobile app the objective being that by

engaging customers into understanding

their electricity consumption they will be

able to effectively manage and reduce their

electricity usage, Thomas says.

This is seen as a critical factor as

electricity is currently the only source of

energy in Gibraltar.

Gibraltar, being located in southern Europe,

provides an ideal location for renewable

energy. The Government of Gibraltar is fully

committed to the ideology of generating

an increased proportion of Gibraltar s

electricity from renewable energy sources.

The smart metering solution provides GEA

with the ability to remotely monitor and

integrate such energy sources, where as

previously this was not possible.

Technical facts and figures

GEA will install 1,066 AS220 smart

meters and 27 AS3000/AS3500 modular

smart meters, with AM540 G3-PLC

communication modules, 12 RTU+Server2

transparent gateway data concentrators

and the EIServer Head End and meter data

management suite.

The project will use the customer s own

fibre optic network, which is currently

being installed for data flow between the

gateways and the meter data collection

system. Delivery of the hardware is to be

expected by August, and the full system will

be operational by end of 2015.

The pilot project is envisaged to run

for 10 to 12 months with the customer

web portal/mobile app coming online

in the latter stages. Within this period

the system s technical performance,

financial and environmental cost

benefits will be assessed and evaluated.

End-user engagement and changes

to consumption behaviour will also

be assessed, as will improvements to

customer services. It is expected that

smart metering will be deployed across all

GEA service areas once the Government

of Gibraltar gives final approval.

74 METERING INTERNATIONAL ISSUE 4 | 2015

SMART GRID

Initially the GEA will be installing smart grid

technology using an integrated digital control

system to provide protection, automation,

control and monitoring (PACiS) functionality

in a limited number of substations. This

technology will be installed at all new

distribution centres and at key HV network

locations to monitor grid performance,

loads and power quality. The system will

also provide remote control functionality

for these sites using a number of protocols.

These protocols will run over GEAs new fibre

optic TCP/IP networks and substations LAN s

using high speed Ethernet. The introduction

of PACiS will greatly improve outage response

and restoration management times using

functionalities such as the intelligent fast

load shedding (iFLS) system for generation

faults and automatic supply restoration (ASR)

system for network faults.

It is expected to integrate the entire HV

network into the PACiS system providing

full monitoring and control over all

substations, aswell as full automation

and auto-reconfiguration of these, thus

converting GEAs manually controlled HV

network into a pure smart grid.

METERI NG INTERNATIONAL ISS UE 4 | 2015

75

SMART GRID

The head-end MDC-MDM platform will be

used for statistical data and analysis. During

the initial stages of the pilot project it is

expected that analytic and assessment

software tools will be extended and refined

according to statistical and performance

requirements. The GEA has also purchased

MFA400 frequency analysers for field

technicians to assess, identify and analyse

noise and disturbances on the network,

which could interfere with the performance

of the G3-PLC transmission.

At present, HV SCADA (PACiS) network

interfaces and smart metering technology

will be connected to the fibre optic network.

Share of meters in households excerpt from National Energy Efficiency Action Plan,

Department of Environment, Government of Gibraltar, 2014

The number of households in Gibraltar are expected to continue to increase new

housing developments are constructed in the coming years.

Table 1 shows different options of target shares of smart meters among households,

e.g. aiming at 50% of households with smart meters will result in an overall installation

of ca 5,900 smart meters. The installation of these meters is then evenly spread over

the seven years so that in 2020 5,900 households in Gibraltar will have a smart meter.

Estimation of savings resulting from smart meter installation

The corresponding savings from the installed meters, assuming that each meter saves

0.1 MWh/year or 0.2 MWh/year are shown in Table 2 and Table 3 respectively.

However, installing fibre optic networks to

all our substations provides us with the ability

to control and monitor other GEA systems

such as traffic light management systems,

street lighting and public illuminations, as

well as other services, which we are currently

investigating, explains Thomas.

A new 80MWe dual-fuel power station with

3.4MWe heat recovery, is to be built for the

GEA with construction due to commence

within the next few months. The new

dual-fuel power station will replace three

existing and aging power stations further

reducing CO² emissions. Final handover is

expected in 2017. Significant investment and interest in

renewable energy has been attracted to

Gibraltar. At present, there are a number

of renewable energy projects of up to

5MW in their final design stages that

utilise wave power and solar photovoltaic

(PV ). These will complement existing

small-scale PV installations. Stakeholder engagement is central to

delivering the benefits of smart metering

technology in terms of reducing electricity

consumption and CO² emissions.

H.M. Government of Gibraltar is actively

promoting all new residential developments

to adopt a policy of being smart meter

ready. Concurrently, the GEA smart metering

advisory group is working on a campaign to

promote positive customer engagement

with initiatives to build customer knowledge

and awareness of the benefits that smart

meter technology can bring, both to the

individual customer and to Gibraltar as a

whole. MI

TABLE 1: NUMBER OF INSTALLED METERS IN GIBRALTAR HOUSEHOLDS

Number of

smart meters

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

20% 337 674 1,011 1,349 1,686 2,023 2,360

50% 843 1,686 2,529 3,371 4,214 5,057 5,900

80% 1,349 2,697 4,046 5,394 6,743 8,091 9,440

99% 1,669 3,338 5,007 6,675 8,344 10,013 11,682

TABLE 2: FINAL ENERGY SAVINGS IF A METER SAVES 0.1 MWH/YEAR

Share of

meters in

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Total

savings

households [in MWh]

20% 34 67 101 135 169 202 236 944

50% 84 169 253 337 421 506 590 2360

80% 135 270 405 539 674 809 944 3776

99% 167 334 501 668 834 1001 1168 4673

TABLE 3: FINAL ENERGY SAVINGS IF A METER SAVES 0.2 MWH/YEAR SHARE

Share of

meters in

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Total

savings [in

households MWh]

20% 67 135 202 270 337 405 472 1888

50% 169 337 506 674 843 1011 1180 4720

80% 270 539 809 1079 1349 1618 1888 7552

99% 334 668 1001 1335 1669 2003 2336 9346

ABOUT THE ORGANISATION

The GEA is Gibraltar s principle generator, distributor and supplier of electricity and was established with the objective of supplying electricity in an efficient and economical

manner, and to maintain and develop the network and generating system. Currently the GEA has approximately 20,000 customers divided into 20% commercial and 80% residential,

which is expected to increase by 50% within the next 10 year.

76 METERING INTERNATIONAL ISSUE 4 | 2015