Smart Meter Open Standards - DNV Kema

Why Standards?Standards and the longevity questionMechanical meters have proved themselves very robust: most still meet the relevantIEC standards even after decades of use. Because smart meters are far more complexand robust devices than traditional meters there has not been a long history of field testresults, creating a level of uncertainty about how long they will last. Testing to date impliesthat their longevity will be shorter than traditional meters, but there is not yet enough harddata to know for sure. The way a meter’s life expectancy should be assessed is coveredby a special international standard, but that standard doesn’t go far enough. The problemsthat reduce the lifespan of a smart meter are difficult to pinpoint because they are farmore complex than older meters, and because they contain components from multiplesuppliers. Right now, there is no standard that requires that all of the various componentsof a smart meter be traced and cataloged. There is no way of telling where those internalcomponents came from, who made them, or how long they might be expected to last.New meters have to undergo a variety of pre-deployment tests to check resistance toenvironmental factors and EMC performance, but that is only one source of potentialfailure. A set of unifying standards would go a long way toward helping utilities and othergrid operators determine the expected longevity of their smart meters.“There’s a lot to be said for paying close attention to thelongevity question and making the standard mandatory.Our testing of digital meters leads us to suspect thatthese devices may lack the longevity of traditionalmeters, but there hasn’t been enough experience withthem yet.”— Bartjan Kaptein, Manager,DNV KEMA Calibration & Metering Lab12Smart meters and standardsSmart meter rollout34Why standards?The right stepswww.dnvkema.com7