Page 421 - Unleashing the potenti al of the Internet of Things

Unleashing the potential of the Internet of Things 4

6.1 Smart grids and smart metering

A smart grid is a type of electrical grid that attempts to predict and intelligently respond to the
behaviour and actions of all electric power users connected to it – suppliers, consumers and those
that do both – in order to efficiently deliver reliable, economic and sustainable electricity services
including:
– enhancement of reliability
– reducing peak demand
– shifting usage to off-peak hours

– lower total energy consumption
– actively managing electricity charging
– actively managing other usage to respond to other renewable resources.

Smart grid technologies have already been used in other applications, such as manufacturing and
telecommunications. In general, smart grid technology may be divided into seven areas: integrated
communications, sensing and measurement, smart metering, advanced components, advanced
control, improved interfaces and decision support, and smart power generation. In other words,
smart meters are key components of smart grids and consequently, smart metering is one of the
crucial features for smart grids.

Figure 1 – Smart grid architecture [b-NIST]

Rec. ITU-T Y.4251/F.747.1 (06/2012) 407