Smart meters and smart grids

Etrog Consulting has undertaken many assignments and has been at the forefront of policy development on smart meters and smart grids.  The experience of Etrog Consulting and its director includes the following:

• Advised the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre (CUAC) on Regulatory issues in relation to roll-out of advanced metering in Victoria.  Our advice was published as a submission from CUAC to the Essential Services Commission (ESC) Victoria.
• Analysed and evaluated as an independent expert the four applications to the Australian Government’s National Energy Efficiency Initiative, under which it committed up to $100 million to develop a Smart Grid, Smart City demonstration project in partnership with the energy sector.  This initiative gathered robust information about the costs and benefits of smart grids, to inform future decisions by government, electricity providers, technology suppliers and consumers across Australia.  Our role formed a key part of the Government’s overall assessment of the relative viability, value for money and merit of each application.
• Advised the Victorian Government on a roadmap for realisation of the benefits of rollout of advanced metering to all Victorian electricity customers.
• Advised the Ministerial Council on Energy (MCE) Standing Committee of Officials (SCO) on consumer impacts that could arise following the introduction of smart electricity metering in Australia.  The analysis focused on the potential use of interval data by network and retail businesses in offering time-related tariffs.  The ability of consumers to change their behaviour when exposed to time-related pricing was investigated.  The analysis was based on data from studies and trials undertaken in New South Wales.
• Analysed benefits and costs of smart meter rollout in cost-benefit analyses undertaken for the Essential Services Commission Victoria, the Victorian Government, and the MCE.

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This interview was given by David Prins in June 2011 on the biggest challenges utilities will encounter when effectively and efficiently managing data, and the importance of data management in the smart grid.
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This podcast was recorded by David Prins in April 2011 on the subject of Making Good Use of the Huge Influx of Data that Smart Grids Will Bring.

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In this podcast, which was recorded in September 2010, David Prins discusses:

- What are the overall benefits to making the energy system "smart"? Why Smart Grids? What is so Smart?

- What challenges do you think utilities face in implementing smart grids?

- What’s the vision for how the smart grid scheme will benefit the end user?

- How do you optimise customer engagement?