Smart meters for distribution network management
Smart meters are electronic devices with advanced technology used to accurately and continuously measure, store, and transmit the water, gas, and energy consumption of domestic or industrial users.
In addition to “just” measuring consumption, these devices are capable of profiling users’ consumption curves, as well as detecting any anomalies in the operation of the network or the meter itself (presence of reverse flow, significant consumption at night, low meter battery level, etc…).
The smart meter is also equipped to send (and receive) all this data to the centralized control system. It represents the future of water resource management and is an indispensable device for creating a smart metering network. WaterTech has designed smart meters with unique features on the market that can offer gas and water utilities efficiency, sustainability, and optimal service management.
A smart meter not only aims to record consumption but also to store and transmit other data that are essential to ensure maximum efficiency in distribution network management. A path desired by ARERA, but also useful to utilities to avoid waste, optimize network management, ensure the equity demanded by consumers, and encourage more sustainable behavior in the use of natural resources.
WaterTech’s smart meters provide a continuous and reliable data stream that can signal critical issues in real-time along the entire distribution line and are thus useful for timely intervention.
SMART METERS AT THE HEART OF SMART METERING
Smart meters form the base of the smart metering pyramid, being the primary source of data that will then be transported along the smart communication network to be finally processed in the DAQ. It follows from this that the quality of smart meters is the indispensable key to the success of any smart metering system: only highly advanced and high-performing smart meters can serve as a reliable information base for the smart metering network.
Conceptually, the smart meter can be seen as a set of 3 distinct functionalities:
Concettualmente, il contatore smart può essere visto come l’insieme di 3 funzionalità distinte:
⋅ data measurement (metrology): to have reliable data, the meter must measure very accurately, with extreme durability throughout its legal life. For this very reason, smart meters usually make use of static measurement principles, i.e., the meter is electronic, with no moving parts. Static meters usually have higher measurement accuracy than traditional mechanical meters, as well as less susceptibility to wear and tear and a longer legal lifetime.
⋅ data storage (logging capability): the meter must store events and place them on a time scale. The smart meter must then record each relevant event, saving it in a special memory area along with an indication of the day and time when it occurred. This implies that it is essential for the smart meter to have ample memory so that it has enough space to store all the data that needs to be retained.
⋅ data transmission: for the data collected and stored by the smart meter to be processed and transformed into useful information, it is necessary for it to “travel” along the network until it reaches an analysis center (DAQ). Therefore, the ability of the apparatus to transmit the collected data becomes extremely relevant. The greater the transmission capacity of the meter, the greater the ability of the signal to reach the DAQ, being able to overcome any obstacles or unfavorable environmental situations. Transmissionally weak meters pose a risk to the smooth operation of the entire smart metering chain, as the collected information is unlikely to make it to the processing center. It should be emphasized that among the data that the smart meter must send is the time scale so that the center can reconstruct the chronological order of events. Time scaling allows for delayed real-time reconstruction: the DAQ, being aware of when each event occurred, can understand with pinpoint accuracy what happened in the network at each instant. This is a fundamental capability to perform true water budgeting.
WaterTech, boasting extensive experience in water and gas smart metering, offers highly advanced products that guarantee top performance in all 3 functionalities. WaterTech smart meters, in fact, boast unparalleled measurement accuracy, combined with maximum logging and transmission capabilities.
Measurement accuracy and maximum logging and transmission capability
THE TECHNOLOGICAL COMPONENTS OF A SMART METER
The evolution of the grid services market, the need to manage natural resources more carefully and accurately, and the demand for greater environmental sustainability from end customers have led to the introduction of profound transformations in metering.
It is the continuous quest for innovation that is the driving force behind WaterTech’s development of smart meters that guarantee reliability and high performance. The solutions offered by WaterTech are differentiated from the rest of the market landscape by functional excellence and the ability to meet all the needs of utilities. Making this possible are sophisticated technology components designed to withstand even severe environmental conditions.
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WaterTech is one of the very few Italian smart meter manufacturers operating in both the water and gas supply chains. The latter, having been the first affected by network digitization processes, has given the company great know-how in the field of smart metering. Skills that are now also made available to distributors in the water world.
WaterTech’s presence in both water and gas has enabled the transfer of knowledge from one sector to the other, developing highly synergistic know-how.
An example of joint expertise between the two spheres is that of the splitting of electronic circuits and batteries. This is a concept first implemented in the gas world and then applied by WaterTech in the water sphere as well. All smart meters produced feature two separate electronic circuits and as many batteries. One circuit and a dedicated battery are entirely dedicated to the metrology function. The other circuit, with its respective battery, is totally reserved for transmission functionality. Clearly, this splitting of electronic components has some influence on production costs, which inevitably rise.
The idea behind this choice, however, is to ensure maximum security for the distributor, to avoid any risk of data loss. In fact, from the point of view of energy consumption, it is the transmission aspect that is the most delicate: while the metrological activity of the smart meter requires a low energy draw from the battery, the data transmission functionality can only take place at significant battery power expenditure.
From this, it follows that batteries are naturally a vital component for the proper and long-lasting operation of smart meters. Currently, regulations stipulate a periodic replacement of smart water meters every 13 years, while smart gas meters have a legal life of 15 years. These are extremely long-time frames, and it is therefore imperative that the batteries can provide power for as long as the devices are in the field.
Smart meters designed with a splitting of batteries and circuits are decidedly safer for the distributor: even in the unfortunate event that the battery dedicated to the transmitting activity – the most energy-consuming aspect – were to run out of power (or the circuitry involved in the operation of that activity were subject to failure), the utility would not incur the loss of measurement data, as the metrology electronics would continue to function smoothly. It would be sufficient to read the meter traditionally to continue billing regularly. This is an indispensable form of protection for the utility, which would otherwise face missed billings and loss of revenue.
Another common feature of WaterTech’s water and gas smart meters is having bidirectional communication systems. Bidirectionality is the enabling factor for the remote implementation of firmware upgrades extended to the entire installed fleet of meters.
In addition, WaterTech’s deep and direct know-how in both supply chains has enabled it to develop integrated solutions for water and gas smart metering: no longer two separate networks, each entirely dedicated to a specific type of meters (water or gas), but a single network on which both types of meters can hook up thanks to the use of 169 MHz radio frequency systems fully compliant with the UNI-TS 11291 gas standard.
WaterTech smart meters are characterized by high quality materials and innovative engineering solutions. Thanks to the long experience gained in the water sector, the electronic components are designed to withstand all the critical issues that arise in distribution networks. Sensor placement, anti-corrosion coatings, and the presence of dual batteries are some of the solutions adopted to offer reliable solutions with absolute metrological accuracy.
With WaterTech, utilities wishing to rationalize network management have at their disposal a complete range of smart meters, electronic and hybrid, to create a distribution system that adapts to the demands of highly complex territories, such as those that characterize Italy.
The benefits of the smart meter
New smart meters are based on electronic technologies that, in addition to quantifying consumption, can store data, communicate it to the control center, transmit it locally, and receive remote instructions. A traditional meter records only the total amount of consumption over an interval of time, usually read manually by an operator
A smart meter, on the other hand, measures, and records behavior in a more precise and detailed way.
It provides real-time information on quantities, giving suppliers and consumers an accurate picture of consumption patterns.
ARERA also rewards use of smart meters, through the famous “M indicators.”
The recent energy and water crises have highlighted the need for substantial changes in consumption with increased user awareness, but also with proposals by utilities for offers and information that encourage people to rationalize consumption and reduce waste.
