Energy balance Grid sensor


FW remotely upgradable Plug and play Bidirectional


Enhanced cyber security PLC and RF embedded


Remote relay management Remote reading & programming


Customer QoS monitoring Last gasp


 Antitampering Repayment


• World’s largest smart meter system


• 2017: started roll- out of Enel Open Meter


Not only a smart meter but an active grid component


• 13 million smart meters installed by the end of 2018 and now in operation


• Dynamic pricing Projects:


• Phase 1 rollout in Chile (300 000 meters)


• Pilot Brazil (300 000 meters) • Pilot Colombia (40 000 meters) • Pilot Peru (10 000 meters) • Pilot Argentina (5000 meters)


Enel technology presently used by more than 45 million customers over the world


Left: Open Meter – main functionalities Right: Enel smart meter technology…massive roll-outs and pilot projects worldwide


How has the technology developed?


The new generation of Enel smart meters introduces technological innovations to ensure high connectivity levels and completely new features creating a real breakthrough for the industry.


Thanks to advanced measuring technologies and computational power, more and more granular energy data is now available to the customer and to the DSO, providing opportunities to better understand consumption habits and interact with other energy stakeholders.


The Open Meter, acts both as an intelligent meter for commercial purposes, as well as a sensor which allows advanced management of technical parameters at the digital grid edge. It allows a pervasive monitoring of each individual installation point, enabling the meter operator to receive detailed information for in- depth monitoring of the state of operation of the grid and to receive notifications in real time.


This new generation of sensors, spread all over the distribution network, will allow Enel to collect, in Italy alone, more than 7 trillion data points (systematic collection of measurement data and all the electrical parameters from the meters) every year.


This information can then be used to optimise network operations (by predictive maintenance, load balancing and revenue protection) and improve quality of service and efficiency of operations.


The smart meters play a key role in the digitalisation of distribution networks, in addition to translating electric network parameters into digital information, which forms part Enel’s Network Digital Twin® and Grid Futurability® technology platforms.


The newest generation of smart meters has also been designed with special consideration given to the environment and the circular economy. These new devices can indeed be fully manufactured using recycled plastic materials coming from the first-generation smart meters,


ensuring a circular approach. For Enel, this represents a further step forward towards a more sustainable future.


But perhaps the most meaningful innovation of the second-generation smart meters is that they take customer empowerment to the next level thanks to advanced communication capabilities with customers’ homes in near real-time. A dedicated communications channel in the meter, known in Italy as “Chain 2”, allows the development and spread of commercial technologies dedicated to energy management services and home automation.


A wide variety of information can be made available through this channel – not available previously via the first-generation meters – allowing customers to gain more awareness and understanding of their consumption habits. This feature will be an important enabler for smart energy customers who wish to take an active role in the energy market.


Another benefit of “Chain 2” is based on the use of power-line communications (PLC), which


• Roll-out of smart meters, 900 000 meters installed to date


Italy


Iberia


Latam


Romania


DSOs (distribution system operators), interested in testing flexibility


devices and interfaces in different network configurations to verify their behaviour in emulated stress test environments, or to shape new flexibility products to solve network constraints; other flexibility players such as aggregation software developers interested in testing different scenarios for aggregation, or HVAC manufacturers interested in setting and testing dispatching rules or communication protocols; device manufacturers interested in testing the set points and capabilities of their devices in a simulated/emulated grid test environment; academics & associations interested in this area. Currently, the focus is on three main use cases aimed at the


integration of flexibility-related services: ● 1. observability & DER (distributed energy resources) control; ● 2. DERMS (distributed energy resources management systems) & market platforms;


● 3. electric mobility dispatches. The detailed work plan is under discussion with stakeholders. With regard to the first use case, observability & DER control, the main objective is to validate third party assets and devices used to observe and control DERs for the provision of flexibility services on the DSO network. For example, in Italy this use case includes tests of the Central Plant Controller, which is an interface between DERs, the respective DSO and the aggregators regulated by the Italian Electrotechnical Committee (CEI).


The activities include analysing and testing prototypes in


pre-operating conditions, with respect to observability and controllability functions in a simulated environment, with real devices, in real-time intraday or day-ahead market conditions. Technical constraints and compliance with regulatory requirements and technical specifications will be examined. As a result of this programme of work, it will be possible to qualify third party assets and devices for observability and DER control as being ready to provide flexibility services to DSOs. For the second use case, DERMS & market platforms, the main


objective is to support the definition of flexibility products for DSOs, testing their implementation in DERMS and market platforms. An example is a test programme to be performed in the Malaga


facility. Specifically, flexibility services oriented towards congestion management at medium and low voltage levels will be developed and tested in practice, with the collaboration of flexible service providers such as CHP, biogas and solar PV plants, as well as office buildings, etc. With regard to the third use case, electric mobility dispatches, the aim is to focus on the implementation of flexibility services provided by electric mobility and other aggregated DERs, analysing DSO/aggregator/asset interations, the rules for dispatching and settlement, and communication protocols.


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