Smart meter roll-out
Finalising the smart meter roll-outs in Europe, with a focus on achieving tangible benefits for consumers and society
As Europe transforms its energy system to address the interconnected challenges of sustainability, affordability and security of supply, smart metering plays an increasingly important role in the energy transition. Smart meters provide the data and functionality needed for a modern energy system and support the development of a more digitalised, consumer-centric and resilient energy infrastructure.
Smart metering is also a key enabler of electrification. Smart meters provide the visibility and control needed to integrate new demand from electric vehicles, heat pumps and other electrified end uses while maintaining system stability.
Additional services and technologies to work with smart meters are required. ESMIG has worked intensely with European institutions and member states to advance the smart meter roll-out and to realise the expected benefits.
Use of meter data to its full potential by all authorised energy market participants
Smart meters have evolved beyond their original role of measuring consumption and enabling billing. By transforming energy data into insights, they support innovative digital services and help consumers, utilities and market participants make more informed energy decisions.
With smart meters being rolled out in Europe, valuable data is generated that can benefit all energy market participants: consumers, network operators, DSOs, TSOs, suppliers and new energy service providers. For this to happen, the data needs to be transferred, processed and analysed in the best possible way. Data also needs to be accessed in a secure, efficient and non-discriminatory way free of charge for all authorised energy market participants.
ESMIG is working on developing the best technical solutions for these processes and we are advocating for defining requirements for data characteristics and data formats on European level.
Advocating for security and interoperability of the advanced metering infrastructure
Providers of smart energy products and services have created impressive technologies for home energy management. Devices and systems must be able to communicate to each other. Therefore, interoperability is critical to driving consumer adoption of energy management solutions going forward.
Moreover, security of the advanced metering infrastructure is essential to gain consumer trust and protect their data, as well as the systems from eventual attacks.
As smart metering becomes an increasingly important for Europe’s energy infrastructure, cybersecurity, interoperability and resilience are essential to the reliable operation of the energy system.
Driving the deployment of flexible demand-side resources to support EU’s clean energy transition
Demand-side flexibility plays a key role in reducing overall system costs. For this to happen, consumers should have the chance to participate in demand-side flexibility and get rewarded if they chose to do so. Smart metering systems are the necessary infrastructure in this process, as they are used for the measuring and settlement process. Thus, they form the basis for a flexible demand-driven energy market.