Functional analysis of advanced metering infrastructure in smart grid

In this paper, we present a routing protocol design and implementation for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) in Smart Grid. The proposed protocol implementation is based on the framework of the IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low Power and Lossy Networks (RPL), which is proposed by IETF and currently still in its design phase. RPL is based on the idea of maintaining a directed acyclic graph (DAG) structure for the network. We provide a practical implementation of RPL with a number of proper modifications so as to fit into the AMI structure and meet stringent requirements enforced by the AMI. In particular, we propose a novel DAG rank computation method and a reverse path recording mechanism, which enables real-time automated meter reading and real-time remote utility management in the AMI. Our proposed routing protocol design for AMI networks is validated through extensive simulations.

Blockchain-based anonymous authentication and data aggregation for advanced metering infrastructure in smart grid

The Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is a vital element in the current development of the smart grid. AMI technologies provide electric utilities with an effective way of continuous monitoring and remote control of smart grid components. However, owing to its increasing scale and cyber-physical nature, the AMI has been faced with security threats in both cyber and physical domains. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the crucial cyber-physical attacks and counter defense mechanisms in the AMI. First, two attack surfaces are surveyed in the AMI including the communication network and smart meters. The potential cyber-physical attacks are then reviewed for each attack surface. Next, the attack models and their cyber and physical impacts on the smart grid are studied for comparison. Counter defense mechanisms that help mitigate these security threats are discussed. Finally, several mathematical tools which may help in analysis and implementation of security solutions are summarized.

Integration of information communication technology via the Internet of Things devices and sensors can enable an efficient power service for utility providers to consumers in advanced metering infrastructure. Authentication and cryptographic mechanisms protect identity, data security and privacy from unauthorised interception for smart meters to servers. In the last couple of years, many key agreement protocols have been prescribed and deployed to fix those issues. Unfortunately, the deployed protocols did not work inside the same protocols, specifically parameter detection and recognition for session key generation, as they entail high computation time and communication bits overheads. Furthermore, the absence of forward secrecy and user anonymity affects the authentication. Therefore, we have proposed a lightweight identity-based key agreement (LIKA) utilising the Diffie–Hellman cryptography with a trusted authority. It seeks to cover both the security and performance criteria with equal weight. The protocol is evaluated by the Canetti and Krawczyk adversarial model, Avispa and cryptographic analysis released the session keys that were not considered as an adversary during mutual authentication. Moreover, as compared to related work, the proposed protocol took the least amount of time (5.319 ms and 1056 bits) for the entire process of session key generation. Furthermore, comparative analysis has shown that the LIKA adequately encompasses computation, communication, and security assessments. Consequently, it is more convenient for practical implementation for a smart grid.

Internet of Things connects people and things at any time and in any place. Smart grid is one of the promising applications of Internet of Things. Advanced metering infrastructure is one of the most significant components in smart grid which collects data from smart meters and sends the collected data to the utility center to be analyzed and stored. To implement two-way communication between smart grid components, machine-to-machine communications has a great potential. In this paper, we propose a machine-to-machine architecture for advanced metering infrastructure in Internet of Things-based smart grid and focus on finding the optimum number of collectors based on two metrics: collectors' cost and packet delay. We model advanced metering infrastructure as a queuing system and derive an expression for packet delay. We also propose a newperformance metric, the product of cost and delay (CD), so that by minimizing it, we can find the optimum number of collectors. The simulation results indicate correctness of our theoretical model and show that we can achieve a balance between cost and delay.

This survey paper is an excerpt of a more comprehensive study on Smart Grid (SG) and the role of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) in SG. The survey was carried out as part of a feasibility study for the creation of a Net-Zero community in a city in Ontario, Canada. SG is not a single technology; rather it is a combination of different areas of engineering, communication and management. This paper intends to focus on AMI, which is responsible for collecting all the data and information from loads and consumers, as the foundation for SG. AMI is also responsible for implementing control signals and commands to perform necessary control actions, including Demand Side Management (DSM). In this paper we introduce SG and its features, establish the relation between SG and AMI, explain three main subsystems of AMI and discuss related security issues.

A review of non-technical loss attack models and detection methods in the smart grid

Internet of Things connects anythings at any time in any places. Smart grid is one of the promising applications of Internet of Things. Advanced metering infrastructure is one of the most important components of smart grid which aggregates data from smart meters and sends the collected data to the utility center to be analyzed and stored. In this paper, we have proposed an aggregation-based indirect architecture for advanced metering infrastructure architecture in smart grid Internet of Things and focused on finding the optimum number of regional aggregators in its neighborhood area network (NAN) based on three metrics: regional aggregator (RA) power consumption, cost of RAs and wide-area aggregator, and NAN lifetime. We have developed a power consumption model for each RA and define NAN lifetime based on that. We also defined a new performance metric, the product of power consumption and cost (PC), so that by minimizing it, we can obtain the optimum number of RAs. The simulation results indicate correctness of our theoretical model and show that we can achieve a balance between NAN lifetime and RAs' cost.

This chapter introduces the background of the smart grid, including its motivations, communication architecture, applications, and requirements. In order to achieve the objectives of the smart grid, several important applications must be added to or upgraded in the current power grid. The most important applications and requirements include demand response, advanced metering infrastructure, wide-area situational awareness and wide-area monitoring systems, and communication networks and cybersecurity. The chapter explores some of the major topics in smart grid communication infrastructures and provides solutions and suggestions. It proposes a complete information and communication technologies (ICT) framework for the smart grid. The chapter introduces big data analytics and cloud computing into the smart grid communications to enhance grid operations and control. It also proposes security schemes for communications in the advanced metering infrastructure, and ID-based security schemes for transmission over the Internet in the smart grid.

In smart grid, critical data like monitoring data, usage data, state estimation, billing data etc are regularly being talked among its elements. So, security of such a system, if violated, results in massive losses and damages. By compromising with security aspect of such a system is as good as committing suicide. Thus in this paper, we have proposed security mechanism in Advanced Metering Infrastructure of smart grid, formed as Mesh-Zigbee topology. This security mechanism involves PKI based Digital certificate Authentication and Intrusion detection system to protect the AMI from internal and external security attack.

The evolving technology in power delivery system is Smart Grid. This provides an intelligent, self-recovery and homeostatic grid. A smart grid communication network provides transmission capacity for information transformation within the connected nodes in the network, in favor of functional and operational needs. In the electric grids, communication network not only depends upon transmission constraints but also by the required connecting devices. In distinction, heterogeneous preparation of range dependent wireless technologies like the IEEE 802.16e primarily based Wimax and therefore the IEEE802.11 primarily based WLAN networks will considerably improve the coverage of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network by installing the WLAN within the Wimax network. The HetNet provides best property. This paper work deals with the implementation of WiMAX-WLAN integrated network architecture for WAMS and Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) in the smart grid.

This effort to make the power grid more intelligent is tightly coupled with the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) as an integral part of the future vision of smart grid. The goal of AMI is to provide necessary information for the consumers and utilities to accurately monitor and manage energy consumption and pricing in real time. Immediate benefits are enhanced transparency and efficiency of energy usage and the improvement of customer services. Although the road map toward successful AMI deployment is clearly defined, many challenges and issues are to be solved regarding the design of AMI. In this paper, a multi-agent AMI based on the fog-computing approach is presented. Architecture follows structural decomposition of AMI functionalities encapsulated in a form of local and area-specific service components that reside at the different tiers of hierarchically organized AMI deployment. Fog computing concepts provide the framework to effectively solve the problems of creating refined and scalable solutions capable of meeting the requirements of the AMI as a part of future smart grid. On the other hand, agent-based design enables concurrent execution of AMI operations across the distributed system architecture, in the same time improving performance of its execution and preserving the scalability of the AMI solution. The real-time performance of the proposed AMI solution, related to the periodic and on-demand acquisition of metering data from the connected electricity meters, was successfully verified during one year of pilot project operation. The detailed analysis of the performance of AMI operation regarding data collection, communication and data availability across the deployed pilot AMI, covering several transformer station areas with diverse grid topologies, is also presented.

The delivery of energy and water meter data, management and control information on separate networks is expensive and defeats the gains of the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Smart Grid (SG). In most cases, energy, gas and water services are offered by the same organizational entity, hence the use of different infrastructure for data, service delivery, control and management is expensive and highly illogical. There is a need for a combined energy and water infrastructure to reap the benefits of the AMI SG. Furthermore, combined metering will result in accurate billing, potential cost savings, and improved resource management. This work therefore develops and investigates a combined energy and water AMI smart metering framework. This is possible through a thorough understanding of the AMI technological standards. The implementation of such a system is not trivial, as it depends on many factors: environmental, geographical, technological, economical, regulatory and the existing legacy infrastructure. Optimal technological implementation choices are developed towards an integrated AMI infrastructure. An experimental test bed is developed for delivering energy and water metering data to the utility. The optimal placement results favor the system of separating energy and water actuators at the home area network of the SG while using an integrated communication system. Such a system is feasible, given the different evolution of electricity and water meters and their placement at the home area network, and enables water metering to benefit from the more advanced electrical metering infrastructure.

The increasing demand for has necessitated the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the development of the smart grid. Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are contributing technologies. In this paper, a review on AMI and WSN in the smart grid is carried out. Also, the introduction of WSNs with AMI in the in-home energy management system of the smart grid is also presented with challenges faced in the deployment of WSNs for the smart grid. The low power and low-cost nature of WSN has presented itself as a technology that can be used with AMI and smart home appliances in achieving home energy management within the great goal of the smart grid.

This paper describes the novel methodology for load management control system with continuous power supply feature in Pakistan. Smart meter and smart grids are the crucial components of this proposed power management system for diminishing the possibility of load shedding. Also, this methodology makes it possible to utilize the available energy resources more efficiently using internet of things to overcome the higher energy demands. The advanced metering infrastructure uses the power demand and supply information available from the communication network in managing the demand and supply, real time pricing problems and control over energy theft. Moreover, mathematical analysis supports the efficacy of proposed methodology.