Climate change, awareness of energy efficiency, new trends in electricity markets, the obsolescence of the actual electricity model, and the gradual conversion of consumers to prosumer profiles are the main agents of progressive change in electricity systems towards the Smart Grid paradigm. The introduction of multiple distributed generation and storage resources, with a strong involvement of renewable energies, exposes the necessity of advanced metering or Smart Metering systems, able to manage and control those distributed resources. Due to the heterogeneity of the Smart Metering systems and the specific features of each grid, it is easy to find in the related literature a wide range of solutions with different features. This work describes the key elements in a Smart Metering system and compiles the most employed technologies and standards as well as their main features. Since Smart Metering systems can perform jointly with other activities, these growing initiatives are also addressed. Finally, a revision of the main trends in Smart Metering uses and deployments worldwide is included.

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Distributed Energy Resources might have a severe influence on Power Line Communications, as they can generate interfering signals and high frequency emissions or supraharmonics that may cause loss of metering and control data. In this paper, the influence of various energy resources on Narrowband Power Line Communications is described and analyzed through several test measurements performed in a real microgrid. Accordingly, the paper describes the effects on smart metering communications through the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer analysis. Results show that the switching frequency of inverters and the presence of battery chargers are remarkable sources of disturbance in low voltage distribution networks. In this sense, the results presented can contribute to efforts towards standardization and normative of emissions at higher frequencies higher, such as CENELEC EN 50160 and IEC/TS 62749.

The paper describes the results of a measurement campaign to characterize the non-intentional emissions (NIE) that are present in the low voltage section of the electrical grid, within the frequency range assigned to narrowband power line communications (NB-PLC), from 20 kHz to 500 kHz. These NIE may severely degrade the quality of the communications and, in some cases, even isolate the transmission devices. For this reason, the identification and characterization of these perturbations are important aspects for the proper performance of the smart grid services based on PLC. The proper characterization of NIE in this frequency range is a key aspect for the selection of efficient configurations to find the best trade-off between data throughput and robustness, or even for the definition of new improved error detection and correction methods. The huge number of types of NIE, together with the wide variety of grid topologies and loads distribution (density and location of homes and industrial facilities) are great challenges that complicate the thorough characterization of NIE. This work contributes with results from field trials in different scenarios, the identification of different types of NIE and the characterization both in time and frequency domains of all the registered disturbances. This contribution will be helpful for a better knowledge of the electrical grid as a transmission medium for PLC and, therefore, for evaluating the appropriateness of different robustness techniques to be applied in the next generation of smart grid services.

Currently, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) systems have equipped the low voltage section with a communication system that is being used mainly for metering purposes, but it can be further employed for additional applications related to the Smart Grid (SG) concept. This paper explores the potential applications beyond metering of the available channel in a Power Line Communication-based AMI system. To that end, IP has been implemented over Narrow Band-Power Line Communication (NB-PLC) in a real microgrid, which includes an AMI system. A thorough review of potential applications for the SG that might be implemented for this representative case is included in order to provide a realistic analysis of the potentiality of NB-PLC beyond smart metering. The results demonstrate that existing AMI systems based on NB-PLC have the capacity to implement additional applications such as remote commands or status signals, which entails an added value for deployed AMI systems.