Nordic AMR Forum

1
Nordic AMR Forum

• Andrei Z. Morch
• SINTEF Energy Research
• Norway

2
The Nordic Electricity Market

• The oldest form of Nordic electricity cooperation
  dates back to 1960s
• The Nordic electricity market is a
  well-functioning integrated regional electricity
  market

• The integration did not directly involve retail
  markets, which remained national

3
Common Nordic Institutions in the Power industry

• NORDEL - a body for co-operation between the
  transmission system operators (TSOs) in the
  Nordic countries
• NordPool Nordic electricity exchange
• NordReg Nordic Energy Regulators
• NER - Nordic Energy Research
• EDIEL Nordic Forum

4
Establishment of Integrated Nordic End-user
Electricity Market

• The Akureyri Declaration of the Nordic energy
  Ministers (2004) - a further development and
  deeper integration of the national electricity
  markets
• truly common Nordic retail market with free
  choice of supplier (from the strategic
  objectives to the Forum of Nordic Regulators
  (NordReg) in 2005)

5
Background for the presentation

• Research task for NordReg (Nordic Regulators)
• Mapping of technical obstacles for establishment
  of a Nordic Retail Market (VTT Technical Research
  Centre of Finland and SINTEF Energy Research)
• National research project
• Market-based end-user adaptation (Norway)

6
Data Exchange and Protocols between the main
market actors in Nordic countries
CIS Customer Information System EDI
Electronic Data Interchange MVDB Metered
Values Database TSO Transmission System
Operator
7
AMR Status in Nordic Countries in brief

• Norway
• Mandatory hourly metering for final customers
  with consumption over 100.000 kWh pr year from
  01.01.2005
• Voluntarily installations at app. 10 DSOs
• Denmark
• Mandatory hourly metering for final customers
  with consumption over 100.000 kWh pr year from
  01.01.2005
• Voluntarily installations

8
AMR Status in Nordic Countries in brief

• Finland
• Consumption places that are equipped with main
  fuses of over 3 x 63 A must have hourly metering
• Voluntarily installations
• Sweden
• Mandatory hourly metering for final customers
  with a fuse subscription of 63 A from 01.07.06.
• From 01.07.09 all metering points should be read
  monthly and the Final customers should be
  invoiced based on their real consumption.

9
AMR and economic risks (Results from a survey
and interviews with 8 DSOs in Norway)

• Problems with communication services
• Dependence from 3rd party suppliers
• Technical changes or/and raising costs
• Risks associated with soft- and hardware vendors
  Economic problems and closing down
• Use of proprietor-solutions complicates
  replacement of a single part of the system
• Necessary to purchase a new system

10
AMR and economic risks (Results from a survey
and interviews with 8 DSOs in Norway)

• Vendors develop new versions, which are not
  compatible with the previous ones or/and mergers
  with other DSOs
• Choice of AMRs functionality is critical for the
  future operation and costs
• Strong interest to standardised and open protocols

11
Data protocols for transfer of metered data
MVDB Metered Value Data Base
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How DSOs try to reduce these risks?

• DSO chooses one reliable vendor and builds a
  single-vendor system
• Suites best for medium and small companies
• Does not guarantee that the given vendor is
  reliable
• Back-compatibility issue is still present /
  technologic development

13
How DSOs try to reduce these risks?

• Deliberate choice of several vendors 3-5 in order
  to diversify the risk
• Suites best for medium and big DSOs
• The risk is diversified, but still is present
• Partial or full purchase of an AMR-vendor (own
  AMR)
• Impossible for small companies
• Excludes other vendors and reduces competition
• May result in development of specific local
  solutions

14
ESMA European Smart Metering Alliance

• EUs Energy Intelligent Europe project
• Project led by BEAMA Ltd (UK), with 14
  participants
• 690k Euro Commission contribution
• 3 year project duration

15
Initiation of Nordic AMR Forum

• Common initiative from four Nordic institutions
• SINTEF Energy Research (Norway) (project
  coordinator)
• VTT (Finland) (project partner)
• Elforsk (Sweden) (project partner)
• DEFU (Denmark) (project partner)
• Ekodoma Ltd (Latvia)(observer)
• The initiative is supported (50 ) by Nodic
  Energy Research in 2006 2007

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Objectives of Nordic AMR Forum

• Contribution to harmonization of the technical
  rules and regulations related to implementation
  and operation of AMR systems
• Development of a common strategy, related to use
  of data formats (protocols) for transfer of
  metered data

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Objectives of Nordic AMR Forum

• Sharing experience among Distribution System
  Operators, related to implementation and
  operation of AMR systems
• Work on functional requirements for AMR systems
  (as well as minimum requirements) in order to
  fulfil the future needs of metering and Demand
  Response

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Nordic AMR Forum holds a workshop

• The main topic AMR best national practices and
  challenges in Nordic countries
• Time and venue Stockholm 16.08.07
• Information www.sintef.no/amrforum
• Registration azm_at_sintef.no

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Reserve slides
20
From the research task for NordReg

• Technical and regulatory differences, related to
  operation and implementation of AMR
• Lack of common strategy and standpoints related
  to implementation of AMR leads to risk exposure
• Necessity to improve the technical expertise

21
Interpretation of different protocols
Source Powel ASA
22
Industrial cooperation as a solution

• Several examples (SAMS in Sweden, eHZ in Germany)
• Development of common technical hard- and
  software requirements
• Common negotiations with software vendors
• Meeting place, exchange of experience in
  projecting, building (logistics) and operation of
  AMR systems