Smart meters are deployed under regulatory pressure in order to educate customers and influence their behavior. Other than reducing energy consumption and incentivizing micro-generation, the idea of monetizing smart meter investments eventually boils down to the commercial offerings that a retailer is able to develop.
These offerings go from something as simple as having variable tariffs for various times of day or load profiles to something more complex such as energy efficiency programs. Utility companies must be able to apply granular tariffs to newly defined customer segments and to deal with individual customers on an individual basis.
This white paper looks at the various opportunities afforded to distribution system operators and retailers from advanced metering infrastructure, discusses some of the pain points and challenges that must be addressed, and suggests solutions to overcoming these challenges.