Smart meters for proactive consumers
Title of the research project
FLEXMETER - Flexible Smart Metering architecture for multiple energy vectors.
Scientific area
Computer Science, Electrical and Energetic Engineering
Abstract
The FLEXMETER project focus is the development and demonstration of a flexible smart metering architecture, based on cheap and already available components, that can be implemented in a plug and play way, combining metering of different services (electricity, water, gas, district heating), providing advanced services to the users, to the Distribution System Operators and to the other utilities, and enhancing the possibilities of the retail market
Description of the research project
The introduction of the electricity market, the widespread diffusion of distributed generation from renewable and non-programmable energy sources and the need for storage are quickly changing the problems that Transmission and Distribution System Operators (DSOs) have to face in their activity and introduce the need of a smarter grid. A first step in this direction is the development and installation of a flexible smart metering architecture for multiple energy vectors, with multiple objectives: not just to produce billing improvements but also to obtain end-user affordability of electricity, energy and market efficiency, CO2 emissions and pollutants reduction. [IS1] In the FLEXMETER project Simple off-the-shelf meters will be placed at the users for electric, thermal and gas metering; they will communicate with a building concentrator; a central cloud system will collect data from the building concentrators and from MV/LV (Medium/Low Voltage) substation meters. Innovative services will so be available for the prosumers (e.g. analysis of the energy consumption), for the DSOs (e.g. fault detection, network balancing and storage integration) and for the retail market. In the FLEXMETER project two pilot applications in two different countries (Italy and Sweden), on real systems, with the involvement of the local DSOs and volunteer prosumers will be demonstrated. The results on the demonstrators will then be scaled up to the size of the cities in order to evaluate the advantages on a real scale.
In order to understand how the system works, you can consult a video about this research project.
Impact on society
The development of a “second generation electric energy smart meters” interconnected to other public utility services via a common data-exchange platform, will foster the spreading of innovative services both at consumer and DSOs level. Open, real-time data systems will play a fundamental role in the future of smart grid. Social impacts will be strictly related to real-time data availability even at consumer level. This represents a starting point for other more integrated and innovative services (house remote control systems) that will change people behaviors (active demand). ICT based services and tools will be simple, intuitive and always available (apps for smartphones or tablets), in order to reach users of all kinds.
Working group @Polito
EDA - Electronic design Automation group
Enrico Macii, Full Professor
Andrea Acquaviva, Associate Professor
Edoardo Patti PostDoc researcher
Lorenzo Bottaccioli, PhD Student
Alessandro Aliberti PhD student
Luca Barbierato, Researcher.
EESG Group
Ettore Bonpard, Full Professor
Enrico Pons Researcher
Abouzar Estebsari Research Fellow
ALCO Automation Logistics and Combinatorial Optimization Group
Della Croce Di Dojola Federico, Full Professor
Ghirardi Marco, Researcher
Salassa Fabio Guido Mario, Researcher
ORO - Operations Research and Optimization Group
Tadei Roberto, Full Professor
Edoardo Fadda, PhD student
National and International partners
Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna (Italy)
Iren Energia spa (Italy)
STmicroelectronics srl (Italy)
Telecom Italia s.p.a(Italy)
Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische (Germany)
Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble (France)
Universitatea Politehnica di Bucuresti (Romania)
Siveco Romania sa (Romania)
E.on Sverige ab (Svezia)
FLEXMETER project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 646568
Web site- Budget: 3.200.000 euro
- Start date: 1/01/2015
- End date: 31/12/2017