MRIGlobal Metering Environment - American National Standards Institute

USTDA Senegal Solar Minigrids Project:Considerations for Prepayment Meters andSuggestions for Improved Technical StandardsSayan ChakrabortiMRIGlobal, Kansas City, USAPresented at the ANSI Mini-Grids Workshop:Lessons Learned; Technological Advances;Regulatory Framework & Quality AssuranceDakar, SenegalNovember 14, 2018

Overview of MRIGlobal Over 70 years of engineering, science, andR&D providing services in energy, US nationalsecurity and defense, and global health sectorsMRIGlobalMRIGlobalHeadquarters inHeadquartersKansas CityKansas City Involved in managing & operating major U.S.national energy centers and facilities:U.S. rado-U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Design, installation, and field operations ofminigrids for several US govt. agencies Doing business in Africa for the past 4 years-East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya)- West Africa (Senegal, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia)inSolar TechnologyAcceleration Center(SolarTAC)Aurora, Colorado

Outline of PresentationSenegal solar minigrids projectoverviewConsiderations for prepaymentmetersTechnical standards and gapsin addressing new technologiesBenefits of improved standards

Overview of USTDASenegal Solar Minigrids Project

Background, Scope, and Objective Background – Energie Rurale Africaine S.A. (ERA) has received aGrant from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (“USTDA”) Scope – MRIGlobal isproviding technical assistancefor the implementation ofminigrids in 31 villages inthree regions of Kaffrine,Tambacounda, and Kedougou Objective – Prepare a bankable feasibility study report that can be usedby ERA to obtain financing for the project from one or more internationalfinancing institutions (e.g., US EXIM bank, OPIC)

Areas of Technical Assistance(Tasks included in feasibility study)

Energy Evaluations and ConceptualDesign of Minigrids for 31 Villages Site Visits to compile energy usage andrequirements data and identify suitable locationsfor minigrid power plants Energy Load Profiles – Developed electricity loadprofiles over a 24-hour period for all 31 villages Conceptual Design – Estimated optimum power plantconfiguration and size using HOMER Prepared transmission and distributionnetwork layout for each village minigrid

Advanced Metering TechnologyEvaluation and Pilot Project Metering TechnologyAssessment andRecommendation for Pilot –Reviewed, compared, andrecommended meteringtechnologies to pilot Metering Pilot Project – Installationand commissioning of Pilot project at aselected village using recommendedmetering technologies3

Future Task Areas Economic and Financial Analysis Implementation Financing Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Development Impact Assessment Project Implementation Plan

Considerations forPrepayment Meters- Overview of prepayment systems- Operator perspective

Basic Components ofPrepayment Metering SystemsPrepayment systems typically have three components: Prepaid meters: themeasurement and meteringdevice Vending / Server system: apayment acceptance and meterauthorization system that enablessecure sales Revenue management system(CRM): installed at the utilityoperator to manage theprepayment infrastructureand customer relationsDATACOMMUNICATION- Power Line Communication (PLC)- Wireless

General Architecture forPrepayment Metering SystemsTwo types of architecture availablefor prepayment systems for electricity meteringPrepayment Metering withVending Management/Token SystemPrepayment Metering UsingMeter AuthorizationWithout Tokens

General Architecture forPrepayment Metering SystemsTwo types of architecture availablefor prepayment systems for electricity meteringTypically uses PowerLine Communication(PLC)Typically useswirelesscommunicationPrepayment Metering withVending Management/Token SystemPrepayment Metering UsingMeter AuthorizationWithout Tokens

Evolution of Advanced MeteringInfrastructure (AMI)AMRSmart MeteringSmart nagement(AMM)(remotereading)(remote on/off)(Multiple remote shutoffsMultiple tariff blocksRemote tariff changingRemote firmware upgradeFraud alarmsReal-time usage data)Increased Data Communication / Bandwidth

Possible Considerations forOperators in Rural ElectrificationBusiness SustainabilityPhysical FeaturesCommunication Tamper protection Split/combo Front display Keypad Interoperability Cost effectiveness Bidirectional Remote monitoring Speed / bandwidth Ability to use own serverMeasurement Features Starting current Electricity theft detection General accuracySales and RevenueManagement Ease / speed of vendingsystem CRM system capabilities CRM system ease of use Data reporting capabilities

Interoperability Considerations inMetering SystemsAdvantage - Flexibility to switch between meter manufacturersRequirement – Standardized compatibility with vending systemsPrepayment Metering withVending Management/Token SystemPrepayment Metering UsingMeter AuthorizationWithout Tokens

Interoperability Considerations inMetering SystemsAdvantage - Flexibility to switch between meter manufacturersRequirement – Standardized compatibility with vending systemsPLC ONandSYSTEMUpfrontInvestmentMetering PrepaymentMeters more expensive( 105with- 120) SlowerManagement/communicationVending Higher starting currents ( 20 mA)Token vendingSystemagents RequiresWireless Monthly Feesper MeterPrepaymentMeteringUsing Meters less expensive( 40- 45) FastercommunicationMeterAuthorization Lower starting currents (10-20 mA)Tokens WithoutElectricity theftdetection

Technical Standards for Meters- Updates necessary to addressimprovements in technology

General Categories of Standards forPrepayment Metering SystemsAs a general rule, outside of North America, IEC and EuropeanStandards (EN) provide quality assurance for electricity meters: Safety and mechanical standards Metering accuracyAll commercially availablemeters adhere to one ormore of these standards Standards to ensure data security of prepayment systems customer payment data must be both securely andaccurately communicated to the meter meter should be able to turn on and turn off electricitysupply when the payment credit has been used upSTANDARDS HAVE NOT KEPT UP WITH TECHNOLOGY

Security Protocols (Standards) forPrepayment Metering SystemsWith Vending Systems(PLC communication)Without Vending Systems(wireless communication) Use the Standard TransferSpecifcation (STS) Protocol Use transport layer security(TLS) protocol for security ofthe payment data Designed with the goal ofinteroperability in the 1990s Open standards independentof a particular supplier Prevents fraudulent use,generation, and tampering oftokens Certification by STS isrequired Meters must have a keypadand display TLS is the successor to SSL Provides data securitybetween client/serverapplications for internetcommunications Interoperability is notpossible because of uniqueclient/server security Not necessary to have akeypad or a display

The Gap Between Standard andTechnologyPayment Data Transfer Evolution for Credit Cards1980s1990sNo standards2000sSSLTLSPresent

The Problem with STS PaymentStandard199720062018No major updates in STS standards from the 1990s Achieves interoperability atthe cost of the latesttechnological advances STS payment protocol needsto be updated to address 21stcentury improvements incommunication with wirelesstechnologyNointeroperability 40 - 45SatisfiesInteroperability 105 - 120

Interoperability for Customer RelationsSoftware Many meter manufacturers have dedicated CRM software Operator will have to track multiple screens for meter datafrom different vendors Software integrating CRM output from multiple meters into asingle interface for the operator will help interoperability

Summary and Observations Meters used in rural electrification are based either on PLCcommunication or wireless communication Meters based on wireless communication have severaladvantages but lack interoperability Updating of STS protocol to address wireless meters could have asignificant positive impact on rural electrification Interoperability between all types of meters Faster communication at a reduced cost Data transparency for regulators, if desired Standardization of bidding specifications Better guidance for meter manufacturers Interoperability will also improve with CRM software integration

USTDA Senegal Solar Minigrids Project:Considerations for Prepayment Meters andSuggestions for Improved Technical StandardsTHANK YOUPresented at the ANSI Mini-Grids Workshop:Lessons Learned; Technological Advances;Regulatory Framework & Quality AssuranceDakar, SenegalNovember 14, 2018

AMR Smart Metering Evolution of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Automated Meter Reading (AMR) (remote reading) Automatic Meter Management (AMM) (remote on/off) Smart Metering (Multiple remote shutoffs Multiple tariff blocks Remote tariff changing Remote firmware upgrade Fraud alarms Real-time usage data) Increased Data Communication .