Going Green with AMI and ZigBee Smart Energy

Going Green with AMI and ZigBee Smart Energy Abstract This paper provides an overview of AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure), including the cost sa...
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Going Green with AMI and ZigBee Smart Energy Abstract This paper provides an overview of AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure), including the cost savings and environmental benefits it can provide. It then looks at how ZigBee fits into this picture, and the ways in which ZigBee (together with its Smart Energy application profile) is ideally suited for the development, delivery and on-going support of AMI solutions.

Introduction

need for new generating stations, which is one of the easiest and least expensive ways for utilities to reduce emissions. But that’s not all AMI can do, especially when it is implemented and managed using ZigBee.

What are smart meters? AMI starts with smart meters (electricity, gas and water), which provide many benefits over traditional meters:

Utility companies are under pressure. Growing populations are using increasing amounts of power, which is putting a strain on existing supplies. In many countries (including the US) the increase in demand is growing at a faster rate than transmission capacity. And the cost of providing power is also increasing due to higher fuel prices and increases in the cost of construction and capital expenses.

• Detailed energy usage data is collected continuously at regular intervals (for example, every 30 minutes), which provides a good level of granularity. The additional details collected provide utilities with greater control over load management, and allows consumers to adjust their usage to reduce costs.

To make things even more challenging, governments around the world are introducing new regulations and guidelines to reduce emissions. And many countries have deregulated the energy sector in recent years, which has led to greater competition along with consumer demand for more control over power usage and costs.

• Smart meters can be read remotely via an automated process, with usage data sent to the utility’s management and billing system. (This is referred to as Automated Meter Reading or AMR.)

This has forced utilities to rethink traditional supply and billing practices. AMI puts more control into the hands of both utilities and consumers by giving them more detailed information about consumption. This allows utilities to better regulate supply and to refine their pricing structure based on demand cycles. It also gives consumers immediate feedback about their usage, allowing them to reduce consumption by turning off things they don’t need and switching others over to non-peak demand times when prices are lower. Initial trials of AMI in North America and Europe show decreases in power usage, which has the dual benefit of saving consumers money while helping utilities to better manage supply during peak periods. Lower energy use during peak times also means less

• Two-way communication is available between the meter and utility, and between the meter and consumer. This means that in addition to providing readings, the meter can also receive (and act on) instructions sent from the utility or consumer. • AMI smart meters can be integrated with home, building and industrial automation systems, allowing consumers to both monitor and manage usage remotely (for example, to turn the heater down a few degrees or turn off an appliance). • AMI smart meters can be used to notify utilities or consumers of malfunctions or potential problems, such as leaks detected in a water meter or tampering detected in an electric meter. They are also able to fix some problems

Going Green with AMI and ZigBee Smart Energy

remotely, for example disconnecting supply in a potentially dangerous situation. Smart meters help to provide a complete picture of current energy and resource usage, which utilities can then apply to improve reliability and efficiency, pinpoint energy loss caused by faults (or tampering), expand consumer choices, and create new rates and programs.

How does AMI work? AMI starts with Automated Meter Reading (AMR). 1

Smart meters automatically send their data to a local collection point (either directly or using a mesh network).

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Local collection points forward the meter data to a central collection point.

• AMI uses the information to improve reliability and efficiency, detect faults (and remotely repair them where possible), create new rates and programs (such as time-based pricing), empower consumers through informed energy usage choices, and comply with government regulations. Oh, and also to bill consumers, passing on cost savings achieved through all of the above. AMI utilities provide consumers with easy access to their usage and cost information, typically through dedicated monitoring hardware or by providing information over the Internet. This shows at a glance how much power is being consumed moment-tomoment and in total, allowing consumers to make informed choices about usage and associated costs: • Utilities typically provide a number of pricing programs aimed at helping consumers reduce costs by using energy more efficiently (for example, at times when demand is lower). • During emergencies or unexpected peak events utilities can immediately inform consumers about the situation and recommend actions they should take. In some instances, AMI is able to remotely adjust consumer usage (such as turning off air conditioning) to ensure power can continue to be delivered where it is needed most. The two-way communication available through the AMI smart meters gives both utilities and consumers the ability to adjust and control usage remotely. Appliances and services that are compatible with the smart meters can form and be managed as a total integrated system.

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AMI kicks in when data reaches the central collection point, using powerful software to process the meter readings, manage supply and demand, and keep consumers happy.

One of the key differences between AMR and AMI is what the utilities do with information after it arrives. In its most simplistic form, • AMR uses the information to bill consumers, passing on cost savings achieved through automation.

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AMI and smart homes AMI becomes really powerful when teamed with a building automation system, such as a Home Area Network or HAN. As the name implies, a HAN is a network within the home that enables communication between “smart” devices including HVAC, security, lighting, and appliances. The ability to remotely control devices within the HAN (such as adjusting a thermostat or turning off lights) can be made available to both consumers and utilities. This helps consumers to 2

Going Green with AMI and ZigBee Smart Energy

better manage consumption and cost, and utilities to better manage supply and demand, and to react quickly during emergencies.

• Implementation is appropriate given the high value and relative low cost • Potential technology obsolescence is low due to multiple bridging options Once installed, the HAN offers the opportunity to leverage to other applications within the home by integrating suitable devices and application software.

Benefits of AMI AMI provides benefits for utilities, consumers and the environment. Even though AMI solutions are currently more expensive to implement up-front than AMR or traditional meters, the long-term benefits greatly outweigh any short-term pain: • Utilities are able to track peak usage times (and days), which provides them with the ability to offer consumers greater range of rates and programs, such as time-based pricing.

A HAN typically provides the following: • Secure 2-way communication between the AMI Network and the HAN • Load control integration (for example, distributed resource dispatch/control/relaying) • Direct access to usage and other meter data (such as kWHr, KW, Voltage) • A platform for future customer-owned products that leverage meter data and utility/grid information • Three types of communications: public price signaling, consumer-specific signaling, and control signaling • Communications to other HAN devices with metering capability (for example gas and water meter communication, EV and PV sub-metering) • The AMI network interface to HAN interface is based on open standards

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• Demand response can enable utilities to keep prices low by reducing demand when wholesale prices are high. In recent trials, this has been shown to provide significant savings to all consumers, not just those who adjust their usage habits. • Utilities can post meter readings daily (or at more regular intervals) for consumers to view, which enables consumers to track and modify their energy usage. This provides more timely and immediate feedback than traditional monthly or quarterly statements. • Utilities can not only notify consumers of peak demand times, but also monitor the extent to which those notifications cause consumers to change their habits and reduce their load during these periods. • Utilities and consumers both benefit from more accurate billing that is available thanks to the increased granularity of usage information, for example, for individual floors, apartments, or offices within a building. This gives consumers better control of their power and water usage, and passes on the biggest savings to those who use these services most efficiently. It also helps

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Going Green with AMI and ZigBee Smart Energy

to reduce the number of billing enquiries, and helps to make those enquiries easier to resolve. • On-demand meter reading and remote troubleshooting allow utilities to provide better and more timely consumer support. Utilities have more information at hand about outages and restorations, and are able to provide consumers with good information about when power will be restored. • During emergencies, utilities can create “partial outages” in non-exempt buildings to ensure that power remains available where it is most needed. Partial outages are more economically efficient than full rotating outages, because the effects are limited to the reduction of a single discretionary service such as air conditioning rather than the elimination of all services.

AMI and the environment AMI empowers consumers to take more control of their usage by providing them with detailed information about their current habits, and showing the savings they can make by changing those habits. It doesn’t matter whether consumers change those habits to save money or save the planet, the result is the same: the less power they use, the less power needs to be generated. “The golden rule about energy and the environment [is] it’s the energy you do not consume that is the best investment you can make,” said Quebec premier Jean Charest. The ability to better manage supply and demand, and ultimately not need to build as many new power stations will not only go a long way towards reducing emissions, it will also help utilities to satisfy new “green” legislation. The same is true for other services such as water. The less water people use, the better utilities can manage supply, and the fewer new dams and treatment plants need to be built. AMI not only helps to make being green and efficient more profitable, it also helps utilities and society better prepare for a sustainable future.

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AMI and ZigBee AMI encompasses many services and appliances within the home and workplace, all of which need to be able to communicate with one another. Therefore, open standards architecture is essential. Open standards provide true interoperability between systems, flexible communications choices, and competition and innovation from third-party technology providers for applications not currently envisioned. In countries where consumers are able to switch between energy providers, having a common infrastructure helps to avoid waste, create efficiencies, lower consumer costs, and ensure competition. Having open standards also ensures that utilities can choose the best-in-class vendor for all types of AMI components—from the meter itself, to software, smart appliances, and in-home displays—and have all components work together. Open standards also help to future-proof investments made by both utilities and consumers. If communication network pricing or technology change, the AMI components can easily switch to a new network, as long as it supports the open standards used for communications. Using an open protocol typically reduces costs in implementing: there are no interoperability problems to solve, and manufacture costs tend to be lower. At least one public utility authority says that it would be in the best interest of promoting energy efficiency if there was just one common protocol. The Texas PUC says that a single standard to communicate with devices in a home area network is advisable, and suggests non-proprietary ones such as ZigBee. Leading utilities in California and Texas are also championing ZigBee. ZigBee was developed by the ZigBee Alliance, a world-wide industry working group that developed standardized application software on top of the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standard. ZigBee is designed specifically for monitoring and control of appliances and applications that exist in our daily lives. The monitoring devices need to be

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Going Green with AMI and ZigBee Smart Energy

able to communicate with each other quickly and require little maintenance. Its low power usage makes ZigBee ideal for AMI. Batteries in devices will last for years rather than just the days or hours achieved using some other standards-based technologies. ZigBee is designed to be easy to incorporate into a wide range of devices, which makes it ideal for a system that includes smart meters, HANs, and potentially other components into the future.

ZigBee application profiles are designed to provide seamless integration within the network, so that the Smart Energy profile can be used with ZigBee’s other public application profiles, which include Home Automation, Commercial Building Automation and Industrial Automation. This provides a single integrated solution for controlling energy demand and supply both at home and in the workplace.

Summary

ZigBee also provides strong security capabilities to prevent mischief, and is extremely tolerant of interference from other radio devices, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The challenges and “green” legislation that utilities are facing today, combined with increased demand from consumers for more flexible offerings and cost savings, make a solution like AMI both timely and inevitable.

ZigBee-enabled meters form a complete mesh network so they can communicate with each other and route data reliably. And the ZigBee network can be easily expanded as new homes are built or new services need to be added.

Implementing AMI with an open standard such as ZigBee helps to keep costs down, ensure interoperability, and future-proof investments made by both utilities and consumers.

The ZigBee Alliance has recently announced its “Smart Energy” public application profile (January 2008). ZigBee Smart Energy offers utility companies a global open standard for implementing secure, easyto-use wireless home area networks for managing energy. The profile also offers product manufacturers access to a burgeoning green marketplace by establishing a standards-based technology for new products designed to enhance energy management and efficiency by consumers everywhere.

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The information collected through AMI provides unprecedented insight into energy demand and usage, allowing utilities and consumers alike to do their part to ensure continued and affordable supply of essential services into the future. You can find out more about ZigBee and the Smart Energy application profile on the ZigBee web site at www.zigbee.org.

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Going Green with AMI and ZigBee Smart Energy

About Daintree Networks Based in Mountain View, California, Daintree Networks is a clean technology company that provides wireless control solutions for commercial buildings. Daintree has a strong background in wireless sensor and control mesh networking, with extensive knowledge and experience gained through its industry-standard design verification and operational support tool, the Sensor Network Analyzer (SNA). In addition to wireless embedded expertise, Daintree has put together a team of seasoned professionals from the lighting, telecommunications and networking worlds. Daintree’s expertise and knowledge is now being focused on the development of costeffective building automation systems. These provide benefits including reduced energy consumption, costs and carbon footprint, compliance with new “green” building regulations, and cost savings available through government rebates and the ability to take advantage of demand response programs. Daintree’s Wireless Lighting Control Solution (WLCS) allows lighting manufacturers to speed their time to market, and enables them to deliver powerful, comprehensive, flexible, and reliable wireless lighting control systems for commercial buildings. For more information, visit www.daintree.net or email [email protected] Copyright  Daintree Networks, 2004–2010 January 2008 ZigBee is a registered trademark of the ZigBee Alliance. 802.15.4 is a trademark of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

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Daintree Networks Inc 1503 Grant Road, Suite 202 Mountain View, CA 94040 U.S.A (w) www.daintree.net (e) [email protected] (p) +1 (650) 965-3454

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