Look Both Ways: Why We Shouldn’t See Sides of the Meter

For utilities, the challenges that come with this change are considerable. The rise of distributed energy resources (DERs), combined with system pressures from data centers and higher levels of variable and distributed generation, has created an increasingly strained and complex grid.

We have moved into a world where the intersection between the grid and homes has blurred, with vast amounts of power and data able to move across the boundary. New challenges need new responses, and next-generation AMI 2.0 smart meters have emerged to allow us to look both ways between the grid and households.

The sides of the meter

Utilities have historically viewed each side of the meter as clearly defined and separate features of the energy system. The grid side, or front of the meter, covers everything from the cables in the ground to the lines overhead. Transformers, distribution feeders, and anything else used to carry electricity to and, in some cases, from customers is traditionally a network operator’s bread and butter.

The consumer side behind the meter has sat firmly apart from the grid. Anything plugged in at home–from a hairdryer to a heat pump–has been the responsibility of the owner or sometimes a third-party service provider to maintain and control.

First-generation smart meters (AMI 1.0) have done little to change this dynamic. They have been largely successful over the last two decades in eliminating manual meter readings but are little more than simple data collection devices. By checking power measurements every 15 minutes and sending this data to the utility 24 hours or more later, their position at the grid edge is underutilized. But that’s all changing now with AMI 2.0 smart meters.

How data has changed the game

Smart meters available today are capable of sampling voltage and current waveforms up to one million times per second (1MHz). That’s 50 million times more data processing than first-generation smart meters. Even at 15,000 times a second (15kHz), AMI 2.0 technology makes it possible to identify unique signals from specific devices, almost like electrical fingerprints, to see how they are behaving in real time. 

The scale of this data is too vast to be transmitted in bulk to a centralized cloud location to be used in your decision-making. Partners like Sense can make use of AMI 2.0’s memory storage and powerful processors to embed high-resolution sensing and edge computing into the meter to analyze the data in an instant. The ability to connect to WiFi and/or cellular networks adds real-time networking, enabling them to deliver real-time, actionable insights.

These capabilities may seem fixed on the consumer side, but they stretch out so much further. The same high-resolution data, combined with Sense’s grid-edge AI computing, can be used in the other direction to provide a detailed bird’s eye view of what’s happening on the system, transforming how you can manage it.

Looking both ways

AMI 2.0 allows smart meters to live up to the potential of their position at the intersection between grid and consumers. Suddenly thousands of smart meters can form distributed sensing, compute and control platforms fit for the modern grid.   

Just as Google Maps uses the speeds of vehicles connected to the app to identify traffic problems, an AMI 2.0 meter equipped with Sense technology can detect unusual power fluctuations or outages and instantly report them to you. This can range from device-level consumption behind the meter to subtle anomalies caused by singular transformer arcs or vegetation brushes on lines.

Far from just telling you what’s happening on the grid, this real-time grid visibility can help you make smarter decisions for the future. Investment can be directed where it’s needed most to respond to increased DER capacity. Use of existing transformer and distribution assets can be maximized in place of costly infrastructure upgrades, keeping costs low for customers.

The holistic view offered by AMI 2.0 data and edge processing delivers grid optimization potential like never before.

A unified future without boundaries

With AMI 2.0 smart meters supported by embedded intelligence, you no longer need to view the grid in binary terms–the sides of the meter disappear. This technological leap forward means you can see and influence how energy is used in homes and buildings while simultaneously monitoring power flows across the grid.

Decisions need to be made today to capture this potential, with large-scale meter replacements already underway worldwide. AMI 2.0 can use edge-computing software to adapt over time and accommodate the consumer-driven transition to smart homes while receiving the remote updates needed to support an evolving energy landscape–all without replacing the hardware.

In a world in which power and data flows both ways, we cannot continue to function with legacy thinking. The long-term and unparalleled grid visibility offered by AMI 2.0 with embedded intelligence breaks down the barrier between grid operations and consumer energy use, creating a unified, responsive energy ecosystem.

Key terms

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI): an integrated system of smart meters, communications networks, and data management systems that enables two-way

communication between utilities and customers. The first generation of AMI technology sampled electricity use every 15 minutes, replacing the need for manual meter readings. 

AMI 2.0: the next-generation smart meters deliver connected networks of intelligent edge-computing devices fully equipped with onboard sensors, computers, and communications capabilities. They sample and measure voltage and current waveforms at least 15,000 times a second (15kHz) and use advanced processing capabilities to analyze and identify subtle fluctuations at the grid edge. Strong networking capability allows both real-time data and alerts to be sent to consumers and utilities with low latency.

Behind the meter: any device or resource on the customer’s side of the electricity meter–home appliances, solar panels or other generation, battery storage and electric vehicles–that traditionally has fallen under their control.

Distributed energy resources (DERs): any resource located on the distribution system or behind a customer meter, such as electric storage resources, distributed generation like solar farms, demand response, thermal storage, and electric vehicles and their supply equipment.

Embedded intelligence: AI and machine learning algorithms integrated directly into AMI 2.0 smart meters enable advanced analytical processing to be carried out in real-time using high-resolution data from the grid edge. This intelligent capability can be used to detect the behaviour of individual appliances, usage patterns, and flag grid anomalies without transmitting raw data in bulk to the cloud. 

Front of the meter: infrastructure, assets, or devices outside the customer’s meter that constitute the grid such as distribution network elements, feeders, transformers, grid-scale generation and energy storage.

Grid edge: the boundary area of the electrical system where the utility and end users meet at the smart meter.

Grid optimization: the intelligent management and coordination of grid resources to maximize efficiency, minimize costs, reduce peak demand, and seamlessly integrate distributed energy resources while maintaining system reliability and power quality.

Grid resilience: the electric grid’s ability to withstand, adapt to, and rapidly recover from extreme weather events, equipment failures, and other disruptive forces while maintaining reliable power delivery to customers.

Grid visibility: the comprehensive, real-time monitoring and understanding of electrical grid conditions from the distribution level down to individual households. It encompasses the ability to observe, analyze, and respond to grid conditions across the entire network infrastructure.