Smart grid development in different countries is affected by six major drivers:

• • Economic competitiveness
• • Knowledge-based development
• • Enhancement of interaction with customers
• • Energy security
• • Enhancement of grid performance
• • Increasing grid reliability and sustainable development

In Iran, the mentioned drivers motivate technology development and the implementation of smart grids with different degrees of importance. To develop the technology development roadmap of the Iran smart grid, we first need to recognize the details of smart grid technology and then select a reliable reference among numerous references to maintain the consistency and integrity of the programs and actions in the roadmap.

For this purpose, the European Union (EU) has defined a smart grid platform. Most European countries have used this reference for their smart grid development programs. Also, it is possible for different countries with diverse economies, technology, and social circumstances to use this methodology. Its information is available and provides the ability to compare the countries.

This document is prepared to accomplish the Iran smart grid roadmap project, which is one of the projects of the Iran Smart Grid National Grand Project. This roadmap focuses on the technology development; the deployment roadmap should be written as well.

To prepare the technology development roadmap of the Iran smart grid, two recommended documents of the EU commission have been used:

• – The Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM), which introduces interoperability aspects and how they are taken into account via a domain, zone, and layer-based approach. The SGAM is a method to fully assign and categorize processes, products, and utility operations and align standards to them.
• – The JRC (Joint Research Center) method, which has a management-technical concept. The major purpose of the JRC method is presenting eight steps to evaluate the cost-benefit of smart grid deployment.

To prepare the technology development roadmap of the Iran smart grid, the first smart grid and its technologies and areas are investigated. Then, the Iran smart grid vision was outlined according to expert opinions and upstream national documents in the smart grid field as well as comparative studies. Based on this vision, policies, actions, strategies and, finally, the technology development roadmap are extracted.

The technology development roadmap contains three parts: the development approach, prioritizing technologies, and determining the technology acquisition method. Considering the variety of smart grid technologies, the International Energy Agency (IEA) standard has been used to categorize smart grid technologies. Based on this standard, smart grid technologies are categorized into eight groups. Fig. 1 demonstrates the technology groups of smart grids in different domains of the SGAM standard. For each IEA category, the development approach and method of technology acquisition have been extracted separately.

Subgroups of each technology area in the IEA standard in hardware, software, and systems sections are expressed in Table 1 in detail.

Prioritization of technologies for each IEA group has been performed based on an attractiveness-capability matrix as well as the opinions of experts. To obtain the attractiveness-capability matrix for all smart grid technologies, a structured questionnaire form has been prepared with two sections. In the first section, the maturity level of each technology in nine levels was asked; in the second section, the attractiveness of technologies considering seven criteria was investigated. These criteria are employment, number of competitors, new markets, added value, a key technology, application in other industries, and the position in the life cycle of technology. Then the attractiveness-capability matrix was extracted.

In terms of time, the attractiveness-capability matrix is divided into three groups. According to the position of each technology in the attractiveness-capability matrix, the priority of development in short, mid and long-term periods can be determined in Fig. 2 for each technology. Fig. 3 shows the IEA standard groups position in the attractiveness-capability matrix for Iran.

Based on the basic features of the Iran smart grid technologies groups (according to the IEA standard and SGAM method), the appropriate method of technology acquisition for each group has been determined. Among a number of valid traditional methods for technology acquisition, the Chiesa (1998) and Narula (2001) methods have been selected. The accuracy and widespread use of these methods were the reasons of this selection. To apply these methods, expert opinions have been collected and analyzed by using a detailed questionnaire form. Comparing the results of these two methods makes the technology acquisition method reliable for each technology.

To obtain a technology development policy, Technology Innovation System (TIS) and Multilevel Perspective models have been employed. Using event logging, measures in the eight IEA standard groups have been analyzed from the TIS perspective. In order to develop more effective actions and strategies in the smart grid roadmap, it is necessary to investigate and classify the players of the Iran smart grid. Fig. 4 represents Iran smart grid players and their relationships in the smart grid ecosystem.

To prepare the roadmap, all the lessons learned in comparative studies, background or benchmarking studies, frameworks, validated methodologies, and upstream national documents and drivers have been used to compile the Iran smart grid road map. Fig. 5 shows the stages of technology and the business development road map of the Iran smart grid.

Fig. 6 shows the fundamental components of the Iran smart grid technology development roadmap. The methodology and components of the roadmap are based on legislation approved in the 18th Supreme Council for Science Research and Technology meeting in January 2016. In the next sections, details of the Iran smart grid technology development roadmap will be described.

1.2 Economic, social, and environmental requirements of smart grid development

1. I. Enhancement of performance and reliability of the transmission and distribution network.
2. II. Reduction of electrical losses in transmission and distribution systems.
3. III. Best usage of existing capacities and, as a result, investment postponement for new generation, transmission, and distribution system development.
4. IV. Optimal asset management and operational cost savings.
5. V. Reduction of peak demand.
6. VI. Optimal management of energy consumption.
7. VII. Development of DGS Infrastructure, including CHP systems and renewable resources.
8. VIII. Enhancement of stability and security of energy.
9. IX. Offering better services and raising consumer satisfaction.
10. X. ICT technologies and infrastructure development.
11. XI. Reducing environmental pollution emissions.

1.3 Values

Iran smart grid policy-making values are based on the following principles:

1. I. The belief in the values of science and knowledge and the utilization of human resources.
2. II. Economic use of resources and preventing their waste.
3. III. Optimal use of resources and facilities.
4. IV. Put effort into foresight and risk acceptance.
5. V. Observance of fairness in development of all districts of the country.
6. VI. Service delivery and raising social satisfaction.
7. VII. Preserving the rights of the next generation.
8. VIII. Protecting and preventing degradation of the environment.
9. IX. Protecting the private sanctum of citizens.
10. X. Boosting mentality of social partnerships and accepting the responsibility of people.

1.4 Vision of Iran smart grid

By 2025, the Islamic Republic of Iran aims to develop an electric smart grid as an efficient, secure, flexible and stable grid that delivers required high quality and reliable power to consumers and stakeholders. ICT, smart management systems, new technologies in the area of smart grids, IoT and integration of DGs, CHP systems, renewable energy resources, and energy storage systems cause dynamic interactions between stakeholders of the whole energy system. The smart grid provides optimal management of demand and supply in a competitive electricity market. Iran seeks to elevate and consolidate their position as the first country in the Middle East in technology development and the implementation of a smart grid.

1.5 Grand policies

The macro policies of the Iran smart grid technology development are as follows:

1. I. Attention to human capital as a source of competitive advantage and value added.
2. II. Focus on policy-making with a national and multisectorial approach and coordinated and systematic implementation.
3. III. Attention to maximize the added value due to smart grid technology development.
4. IV. Maximum use of national capabilities and capacities and support of domestic production.
5. V. Giving priority to private-sector participation and maximizing participation of citizens to achieve goals.
6. VI. Emphasizing international cooperation, engagement, and participation in the systematic development of smart grid technology.
7. VII. Building a public culture to expand the application of smart grid technology.
8. VIII. Enabling consumers to efficiently manage energy consumption.

1.6 Grand goals

According to the vision of the Iran smart grid and its technology development and considering upstream documents, the goals of the Iran smart grid technology development are listed below:

1. I. Achieving the technology cycle of smart grid equipment manufacturing.
2. II. Presence among well-known manufacturers and achieving the first position of the region in domestic, competitive industrial products of smart grid equipment, especially smart meters, smart energy management systems (MDMS), building management systems (BMS), and grid monitoring, control and protection systems.
3. III. Meeting the domestic needs of smart meter production by 2025. About 70% of installed smart meters must be made in Iran until that time.
4. IV. Increasing export capacity of engineering services and smart grid equipment. At least 20% of domestic smart meter products must be exported.
5. V. Achieving domestic technical knowledge of meter data management system (MDMS).
6. VI. Achieving technical knowledge and self-reliance on the design and production of hardware and software of energy management systems, BMS, smart homes, and IoT.
7. VII. Self-reliance on smart grid ICT and data center infrastructure.
8. VIII. Self-reliance on design and production of software and implementation of grid monitoring and control center.
9. IX. Achieving technical knowledge of design and production of local and wide area monitoring, control, and protection systems, distribution automation, and SACADA systems.
10. X. Technology development of load management to reduce electricity cost and damage due to grid contingencies and improve grid radiance to supply sensitive consumers and export commitments.
11. XI. Achieving first position in the Middle East and being among the top five Asian countries in science and paper publications.

1.7 Technology development, strategies, and measures

Table 2 presents actions and strategies to achieve expected deliveries and outputs corresponding to the funds allocated to different areas of smart grid technology development. It has two columns representing deliveries and outputs corresponding to the funds supported by Iran's Electric Smart Grid National Grand Project (IESGNGP) and other resources.

1.8 Financing and resource allocation

Total financial resources required for implementing smart grid technology development in a short period (3 years) is $155 million. This budget is allocated to achieve the goals expressed in the national Iranian smart grid roadmap. The budget resources are:

• – $25 million will jointly be allocated by the Ministry of Energy (MOE) and the Supreme Council for Science Research and Technology to the national master plan for Iran smart grid technology development.
• – $130 million will be financed by the private sector, which provides different services to customers.

Table 3 presents the various areas of the Iran smart grid technology development road map and the funds allocated to each area. The table lists the allocated funds supplied from each resource mentioned above. In order to meet the goals and vision of the plan in 10 years, the resources for mid- and long-term periods should be revised considering the short-term results.

1.9 Updating and evaluation of the road map

In this section, the updating and evaluation mechanisms for smart grid technology development are presented. To do this, two evaluation methods are used: evaluation indices and evaluation reports, which are described.

1.10 Deployment strategy

In the development of the Iran smart grid road map, the JRC methodology has been selected as the analyzing method. Based on the JRC methodology, countries that intend to implement smart grids are required to adopt 10 functionalities in their smart grid. To achieve the stated functionalities, it is necessary to determine the assets of the present electricity grid. To identify the priorities and assets of the Iran power electricity network, experts’ viewpoints from industries and universities have been collected using designed forms. Fig. 7 demonstrates the diagram of the Iran electric network priorities, which have been obtained by analyzing the received forms.

Considering the EU requirements and assets and priorities of the Iran smart grid, the deployment of the smart grid is divided into four pillars: customer empowerment, market development, grid development, and governmental institutions. Table 5 presents the pillars of smart grid development, the baseline of the Iran grid and the measures that will be taken through 2020 and 2025.

2.1 Pilot project

To rollout the pilot project, five areas were selected as the main priority. Zanjan, Bushehr, Mashhad, Ahwaz, and Tehran + Alborz are the first distribution companies that will execute bulk rollout. Considering FAHAM action plans for Tehran + Alborz, it should be noted that distribution substations, lighting feeders, loss monitoring purposes, and large and demand customers have been included in the plan. For the other areas, the residential customers have also been included in FAHAM.

Moreover, 300,000 m for large customers (demand customers) in all 39 distribution companies (all around the country) will be connected to FAHAM in parallel with the aforementioned rollout plans. More details about the FAHAM pilot action plan are shown in Fig. 10.

At the conclusion of FAHAM, all 34 million customers of the Iran grid, all distribution substations, and all feeders will be included in the metering infrastructure.

2.2 Goals and benefits of AMI implementation in Iran

The aims of AMI implementation in Iran are given below; they should include a plan for achieving each goal.

• • Correcting customer consumption patterns.
• • Preparing for complete elimination of subsidies.
• • Applying energy management by the network operator in normal and critical conditions.
• • Improving meter reading and billing processes.
• • Monitoring technical losses as well as reducing nontechnical losses in distribution networks.
• • Improving the quality of service and reducing the duration of power interruptions.
• • Developing distributed generation and clean energy usage.
• • Possibility of electricity presale and establishing electricity retail markets.
• • Optimizing operation and maintenance costs.
• • Providing appropriate management of water and gas meters.

Smart grid development in Iran has several advantages, which are summarized in three areas: economic, social, and environmental benefits:

Economic benefits

• • Reducing nontechnical losses.
• • Demand side management and diversification of tariffs.
• • Modifying electricity consumption patterns by sharing information with customers.
• • Improving the billing and payment systems.
• • Reducing total costs of meter reading, operation, and maintenance as well as customer disconnection and reconnection.
• • Preparing the necessary infrastructure for the development of retail markets.

Social benefits

• • No need for periodic visits to each physical location to read the meters.
• • Establishment of appropriate services for developing the electronic government.
• • Increasing electricity sale options with different prices.
• • Power delivery with higher quality and reliability.
• • Allows for faster outage detection and restoration of service by a utility when an outage occurs.
• • Increasing billing accuracy and speed by eliminating the human error factor.
• • Providing better customer service.
• • Allows customers to make informed decisions by providing highly detailed information.

Environmental benefits

• • Reducing polluted gas and CO₂ emissions.
• • Reducing electricity consumption through energy management and reducing network losses.
• • Demand-side management through sharing information with customers.

2.3 System components and interfaces

The AMI system in the FAHAM project typically refers to the full measurement and collection system that includes meters at the customer site; communication networks between the customer and a service provider, such as an electric, gas, or water utility; and data reception and management systems that make the information available to the service provider. Fig. 11 shows a typical distribution system including AMI. Data can be provided at the customer level and for other enterprise-level systems either on a scheduled basis or on demand. FAHAM will communicate this data to a central location, sorting and analyzing it for a variety of purposes such as customer billing, outage response, system loading conditions, and demand-side management. FAHAM as a two-way communication network will also send this information to other systems, customers, and third parties as well as send information back through the network and meters to capture additional data, control equipment, and update the configuration and software of equipment. Components and interfaces forming the AMI system in the FAHAM project are illustrated in Fig. 12. The main components are described in the following:

• • The electricity meter/communication hub is an electronic smart meter device for measuring electricity, that is, an electricity meter. In addition to being a communication hub, it also incorporates additional processing capacities, memory, and communications for the storage and transmission of data received from multiutility meters, if the interface MI3 is present, and the end customer device, if the interface MI4 is present. The central system, either directly through the wide-area communication interface MI2, if present, or indirectly via a concentrator using interface MI1, remotely manages the electricity meter/communication hub.
• • The multiutility meter is an electronic smart meter device for measuring water or gas with a general communication link to an electricity meter/communication hub using the local interface MI3.
• • End customer devices are ancillary equipment such as an in-home display, which can be connected to the customer installation in order to permit an interaction and/or display consumption or other information to the customer. The end customer devices communicate to the electricity meter/communication hub using the optional meter interface MI4.
• • The data concentrator (DC) is an intermediate element between the electricity meter/communication hub and the central system. Its main purpose is to collect and manage the information directly received from the electricity meters and indirectly received from the multiutility meters, if present, as well as also indirectly from the end-customer devices, if present. This information, consisting of measurement registers, alarms, etc., which is collected through interface CI1, is then sent to the central system via the wide-area interface CI2. For control commands, programming, reconfigurations, etc., coming from the central system, the data flow is the opposite direction and reaches the electricity meter/communication hub via CI1-MI1. In addition, there might exist the option of having external devices connected via the local interface CI3.
• • External devices are other types of equipment that can be connected to the concentrator using the optional interface CI3. They can be used, for example, to permit future smart grid functionality that needs control, monitoring, or sensor elements at the transformer station, which is typically the location where the concentrator is installed.
• • The central access system (CAS) interfaces with application systems through the interface SI3 and is responsible for the management of all information and data related to smart metering as well as the configuration, control, and operation of all system components using communication via the wide-area interfaces SI1 and SI2. This functionality also includes the treatment of events and alarms and the management and operation of all system communications. In most cases, the central system will receive orders from the application system and has to assure their correct and timely execution, and then returns the result of the operation to the application system. These orders can include reading of different parameters, reconfiguration of field components, remote disconnect of supply, etc. The CAS might delegate parts of its operation to the concentrators, if present, such that certain operations can be performed locally without the need for continuous wide-area communications.
• • Application systems or legacy systems are the existing commercial or technical systems that manage the business processes of the utility. They communicate with the CAS using interface SI3.

2.4 Communication profile

The communications solutions deployed in the FAHAM project have to fulfill a set of requirements in order to confirm the economic viability as well as functional reliability of the whole system. The selected communication systems between AMI components shown in Fig. 12 are described as follows:

2.4.1 MI1-CI1 (electricity meter-concentrator)

This interface is between the electricity meter/communication hub, and the concentrator, located, for example, in an electrical MV/LV substation. The protocol architecture is shown in Fig. 13.

For this interface, two power line carrier (PLC) technologies, both working in the CENELEC A band, have been selected:

• • IEC 61334-5-1 S-FSK
• • PRIME

2.4.2 MI2-SI2 (electricity meter-CAS)

MI2-SI2 is the interface directly linking the electricity meter with the CAS. Due to cost constraints, this will usually be cellular. If a large number of nodes are installed using the network of a telecom provider, operation costs may become significant. In this case, data exchange with the meter has to be kept to a minimum.

A large number of nodes to be managed by the CAS imply this interface does not usually have high bandwidths from the electricity meter perspective. GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)/UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) wireless technology was considered to be the most suitable technology for this interface. A protocol architecture will be studied for DLMS/COSEM. Fig. 14 illustrates this interface communication architecture.

GPRS is a mobile data service offered in GSM systems, in addition to GSM service (it is integrated into GSM Release 97 and newer releases). It was originally standardized by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and now by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). It is nowadays globally available in nearly all countries (except South Korea and Japan). In general terms, GPRS coverage is readily available in populated areas in most countries.

GPRS is widely used in IP networks today as a WAN wireless (cellular) technology. Each GPRS subscriber obtains an IP address, which can be public or private and at the same time fixed or dynamic, depending on the contracted service features and operator capabilities. GPRS service is provided in the GSM licensed frequency bands of 800, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz.

The GPRS Access network is divided into two sections:

• • GERAN (for GSM Radio Access Network) which comprises all the layers 1, 2, and 3 for the radio access network, plus all the normalized interfaces between them.
• • The GSM core network, comprising the GSM network switching subsystem, the Gateway GSM support nodes (GGSN), and the Service GSM support nodes (SGSN).

An electricity meter would function as an MS (Mobile Station) from a GPRS perspective.

UMTS, also known as 3G or third generation mobile technology, is an evolution of existing 2G/GPRS networks using WCDMA modulation techniques in the air interface. It is specified by 3GPP and is part of the global ITU IMT-2000 standard. There have been different releases of UMTS issued by 3GPP. The UMTS lower layer networks are owned by the mobile operator. This network can be further subdivided into two different sections:

• • UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network), which contains the nodes B (Base Stations) and RNCs that comprise the Radio Access Network. This network provides the coverage area, linking the electricity meter with the UMTS core network. Each of the different network sections in UTRAN contains standard interfaces to the others, so the technology can be easily upgraded while maintaining full compatibility. All this is specified in the 25 series of 3GPP specifications.
• • The Core Network, linking all the RNCs. The UMTS core network is an evolution of the previous 2G (GSM) core networks. It is an access-agnostic network where some services can be directly connected to the core network.

2.5 Layer model of AMI

In the layer model, five layers are defined within the AMI system, illustrated in Fig. 15. These layers are described as follows:

The first layer is the physical layer related to smart meters that are located in customers’ places.

The second layer is AHE software as communications servers that are charged with the task of communicating with smart meters. These devices are different for different meter manufacturers. The diversity of AHE is dependent on a variety of meter manufacturers.

The third layer, meter data management (MDM), is responsible for collecting and managing data from AHE. The task of the layer is to match information in the same format used for other operational surfaces.

The fourth layer pertains to operational and commercial software that provides required statistical data and information for users by received information from MDM.

The fifth layer is distribution companies, which are responsible for information management in order to service the customers based on the business process.

2.6 ICT architecture and CAS communications

ICT architecture in FAHAM project is depicted in Fig. 16. The communications and information transactions between different parts are described as follows:

1. 1. All the measured data from meters and concentrators are saved via GPRS links in one or more centralized MDM (five MDM centers).
2. 2. Collected data is locally placed in information banks of legacy systems such as billing and outage management system (OMS) in the distribution company as the current format.
3. 3. Depending on the requirements of application systems, they extract information of smart meters form corresponding MDMs by adding web service call mechanisms.
4. 4. After receiving data from MDM, it is stored in the local information bank of application systems such as billing and OMS.
5. 5. Relations between the distribution company and MDM are limited to sectional transactions of information extraction or sending commands. In other situations, there are no communication and transactions.

2.7 Interoperability

Interoperability can be defined as the ability of systems, components, or equipment to provide services to and accept services from other systems, components, or equipment and to use the services exchanged to enable them to operate effectively together. With respect to software, the term is also used to describe the capability of different programs to exchange data via a common set of exchange formats, to read and write the same file formats, and to use the same protocols.

If two or more systems are capable of communicating and exchanging data, they are exhibiting syntactic interoperability.

Interoperability is the ability to automatically interpret the information exchanged meaningfully and accurately in order to produce useful results as defined by the end users of both systems. To achieve semantic interoperability, both sides must defer to a common information exchange reference model. The content of the information exchange requests is unambiguously defined: what is sent is the same as what is understood.

Interoperability can have important economic consequences. If competitors’ products are not interoperable (due to causes such as patents, trade secrets, or coordination failures), the result may well be monopoly or market failure.

Smart metering communication systems should be based on standard metering protocols to confirm interoperability with changing energy supplier equipment and/or consumer equipment over the life of the meter.

Interoperability in the FAHAM system means that meters from different manufacturers should be able to work with all various types of concentrators made by other manufacturers. Every operation and maintenance device can connect to different types of meters and concentrators and CAS can manage all FAHAM devices regardless of their manufacturers. All these mentioned items shall be fulfilled without any additional devices or protocol convertors and without interfering in system online operation.

2.8 Security

When two-way command and control systems are embedded into power systems, several security threats must be addressed:

• • To guarantee the confidentiality of data, which only allows authorized entities to access the data;
• • To guarantee the integrity of data, which assures that data is not manipulated;
• • To guarantee the authenticity of data, which confirms that the data is sent by a dedicated entity;
• • To guarantee the availability of data, confirming that data is available when needed.

Security is everywhere in the metering process, from the meter and the DC to the back-office information system, including each network and media used to communicate (home network, public network, and enterprise network). Also, all components are concerned and we need to handle global security. All partners, from manufacturers to suppliers and regulators have to work together to raise awareness and secure future metering systems.

2.9 Use cases

A use case is a term in software and system engineering that defines how a user uses a system to accomplish a particular goal. Use cases describe interactions among external actors and the system to attain particular goals. Use cases are modeled by means of a unified modeling language (UML) and are represented by ovals containing the names of the use case.

This part provides the business use cases for electricity meters installed at the premises of domestic customers. In this section, “meter” refers to the electricity meter/communication hub. The procedure of each desired application of the AMI system is defined as a use case. These use cases are as follows:

• • Provide periodic meter reads.
• • Provide on-demand meter reads.
• • Provide information through a local customer interface.
• • Provide load profile.
• • Provide power quality information.
• • Provide interruption information.
• • Provide tamper history (tamper detection).
• • Disconnect/connect electricity.
• • Apply electricity threshold and load management.
• • Send long messages to end customer device.
• • Shift tariff times electricity.
• • Clock synchronization.
• • Remote firmware upgrade.
• • Planned on-site maintenance.
• • Adjust equipment.
• • Equipment installation.
• • Uninstall electricity meter/communication hub.
• • Retrieve electricity meter/communication hub state.
• • Perform self-check.
• • Verify topology.
• • Communication use cases.
• • Event logging and error reporting requirements.

Some of these use cases are described in the following:

2.9.1 Use case 1: Provide periodic meter reads

This use case describes the process of gathering and providing periodic meter reads. This process is triggered after the installation of the electricity meter. Periodic meter readings are daily and monthly meter readings. Daily meter readings are used in power market issues such as real-time pricing. The trigger description and block diagram are depicted in Fig. 17.

Legacy systems assign the task of obtaining cycle meter readings to the central system. Meter reading requests are linked to a deadline date for acquiring the reading of the meters involved. Deadline dates are fixed by legacy systems according to legal, technical, or business requirements.

In order to acquire the most recent energy values, the central system could request the direct reading of the meters involved via the concentrator (communication via SI2-MI2). For those meters whose reading is not available in time, the last value stored on the system could be provided. Thus, the central system or concentrators should periodically retrieve and store meter readings.

2.9.2 Use case 2: Provide load profile

This use case provides the description of the process of making the load profile available to the CAS. The load profile is made available through the electricity meter (both load profiles for electricity and gas). The process of registering the load profile (after sending the activation comment from the application layer) is an uninterrupted process that runs throughout the lifecycle of the metering equipment. This process is hence triggered after the installation of the electricity meter. The trigger description, block diagram, and UML sequence diagram are depicted in Fig. 18.

The load profile provides a measurement of the variation in the electrical load versus time. It represents the pattern of electricity usage of a customer. This information can also be used for billing.

Meters shall have the capability of registering load profiles. The number and length of the load profiles registered by the meter shall accomplish the current legal directives.

The CAS shall be able to order the activation of the load profile storage in the meter (if it is not active by default) as well as the programming of the parameters that define the load profiles (i.e., magnitude and periodicity). These orders shall be remotely managed by the CAS, which communicates with meters directly (communication via SI2-MI2) or through a concentrator communication via SI1-CI2 and CI1-MI2).

In addition, the CAS shall periodically gather and store these load profiles in order to provide this information to the legacy systems when required. The gathering of the load profile data by the CAS can be done directly (communication via SI2-MI2) or aided by a concentrator (communication via SI1-CI1-CI2-MI1).

The CAS shall deliver load profiles at the request of the legacy systems.

2.10 Application systems

The smart management of electric distribution grids is one of the key success factors to reach ambitious smart grid goals. Application systems such as an OMS, customer information system, and demand response management system(DRMS) are software that act as decision support systems to assist the distribution system operator with the monitoring and control of the distribution system. The foundation of an application system is the data that is received from AMI. Fig. 19 illustrates the FAHAM system equipped with application systems.