Programme

• Prioritising the modernisation of the low-voltage network to facilitate renewable energy integration, microgeneration, flexible EV charging and battery storage
• Implementing mechanisms to capture near-real time energy data to inform flexibility markets and reduce expenditure in upgrading grid infrastructure
• Capitalising on near-real time consumption profiles to provide dynamic tariffs to encourage customers to be more energy efficient
• Capturing and analysing customer behaviour to improve operational efficiency, shave peak demand and plan for the electrification of heating and transport
• Identifying key use-cases that will effectively leverage smart meter data and achieve decarbonisation, digitalisation and decentralisation
• Capitalising on advanced insights into customer demand and consumption patterns to support the digitisation of smart grid and meet carbon reduction targets

• Overcoming the significant costs of the smart meter roll out through targeted installation, lifecycle analysis and the upgrading of key AMI assets
• Creating a methodology for ensuring that the huge number of smart meter assets require minimal maintenance
• Ensuring a cost-effective means of training fieldworkers within regulatory timeframes whilst speeding up installation with experienced contractors
• Establishing the business-case for outsourcing IT and communications systems to support the AMI system and ensure data sharing complies with GDPR
• Reducing complexity and costs in your smart meter rollout by targeting investment on key use cases
• Upgrading and installing smart meters in targeted areas to provide insights into LV operations grid and create value at minimal expenditure

During this session, the audience breaks out into several smaller working groups, each focused on a specific theme arising from the day’s presentations. Each working group will comprise of representatives from the AMI community to ensure a well-rounded and holistic discussion. Key issues raised and solutions proposed will be collated for presentation to the wider group at the end of the session.

• Delineating core commonalities across different AMI systems to improve interoperability between the component parts and ensure smooth integration into the grid
• Selecting key use cases for smart meter data analytics to work with suppliers and tailor functionalities and features suitable to the needs of DSOs
• Establishing communication standards and best practice guidelines to ensure AMI systems are installed in an optimal way for supporting the smart grid and the sharing of information is secure
• Developing communication channels and forums to consult all of the stakeholders and cultivate standards, without hindering innovation
• Forming a unified data model to streamline data storage, inform data analytics and encourage data sharing
• Creating a working group that fosters standardisation across AMI installation and data analytics to ensure interoperable system and optimal system design and derive customer insights across the smart grid

• Overcoming the limitations of first-generation of smart meters to ensure two-way communication and reliable data collection
• Creating a robust methodology based on existing standards to ensure interoperability across the advanced metering system and existing infrastructure
• Implementing next generation meter functionalities to ensure the best customer experience and meet regulatory minimum requirements
• Clarifying performance requirements when designing your system and ensuring interoperability by following industry best practice to fit with your specific grid environment
• Installing data processing capability and storage infrastructure that has the capacity to cope with the huge amount of data created from smart meters
• Effectively building a modular, future-proof AMI system that can be efficiently upgraded at minimal expense

• Creating bespoke communication strategies that reduce expenditure and ensure network connectivity that fit the specification of your grid environment
• Analysing the lifecycles of different hardware components to guarantee that your AMI system is future proofed in conjunction with your communication system
• Weighing up the cost, reliability and speed benefits of cellular, PLC or hybrid communication systems within your specific grid environment
• Understanding the improved operational efficiency of 5G connection to establish when upgrading point-to-point technology makes the most sense for your AMI integration
• Establishing a roadmap for integrating next generation communication systems with legacy infrastructure to improve reliability in the flow of meter data in a cost-effective manner

• Integrating MDMS into your AMI system to translate raw meter data so that it can inform advanced analytics and provide actionable insights based on customer consumption patterns
• Creating a comprehensive IT software architecture to support next generation meter functionalities and establish communication channels that ensure the quick and reliable flow of information
• Partnering with external organisations to streamline data collection so time and resource can be allocated to scaling up advanced analytics
• Establishing the business-case for migrating to the Cloud to overcome the vast storage capacity needed for smart meter data and facilitating company-wide data sharing
• Using your MDMS as a foundation for integrating smart meter data into other systems, such as GIS, CRM and outage management systems to support the modernisation of the grid

• Leveraging advanced analytics to model consumption patterns and enable capacity driven production of electricity
• Combining smart meter data, grid load profiles and weather data to support the integration of intermittent renewable resources
• Clustering smart meter data for customer profiling and predicting how customers will react to dynamic tariffs to facilitate demand side management
• Using machine learning algorithms for analysing grid edge data to shave peak demand by informing customers of their load profiles in conjunction with dynamic tariffs
• Making short-term load forecasting more accurate to maintain grid frequency and ensure security and quality of supply whilst scaling up the smart grid

• Creating a comprehensive buying methodology that pre-empts challenges with public procurement to achieve smart meter roll out within the specified regulatory period
• Communicating consistently and effectively with all partners to ensure regulatory standards are met in the procurement process
• Ensuring stakeholder buy-in from market participants on supplier and product decisions during procurement through regular consultation to ensure a quick procurement process
• Designing your AMI system in a modular way to avoid supplier lock-in and achieve interoperability through your procurement strategy
• Constructing a long-term contract to ensure your AMI system is future-proofed from a technological point of view to maintain customer behaviour insights

• Creating a robust rollout methodology that considers all aspects of the AMI system to reach full coverage within the allotted regulatory timeframe
• Learning from pilot projects to overcome planning and implementation challenges to plan for the significant number of installations
• Facilitating industry collaboration through stakeholder consultation and the establishment of communication channels between suppliers, power providers and DSOs
• Creating minimum standards to achieve interoperability between systems whilst ensuring a wide range of supplier options and encouraging market innovation
• Effectively informing customers about the smart meter roll out to overcome mistrust, highlight smart meter benefits and make installation convenient
• Establishing a strategy for maintaining customer centricity once smart meters are installed to encourage customers to assist with demand side response and share their data effectively

• Ensuring that customers are aware of the long-term benefits of having a smart meter installed to overcome the inconvenience of installation and ease their concerns
• Informing customers about stringent data security measures to overcome privacy concerns about the use of intrusive home consumption data
• Consulting customers about the benefits they want from smart meters to generate trust and guarantee smart meter data projects are customer driven
• Providing financial support for customers or free installation of meters to encourage uptake at minimal disruption
• Creating consumer trust to ensure a swift smart meter implementation, maintenance access and encourage data sharing

• Building modular solutions to fit your specific grid environment, avoid supplier lock-in and ensure next generation meters can be rapidly upgraded
• Segregating high-failure and low-failure components to improve diagnostics and reduce failure rates
• Effectively training fieldworkers at better root-cause analysis to reduce maintenance costs and minimise customer disruption
• Benefiting from smart meter two-way communication to integrate smart technologies and new solutions into buildings and the grid
• Capitalising on smart meter data as a grid monitoring device to reduce OPEX and keep pace with an increasingly dynamic grid
• Creating cutting-edge AMI solutions to connect customer projects to the grid and support digitisation, decentralisation and decarbonisation

During this session 3-4 technology innovators will present the results of their system implementations and discuss their product development plans to support the large-scale deployment of next generation metering infrastructure. This is your opportunity to quiz the tech experts, influence the shape and form of future products, and ensure the close collaboration of utilities and suppliers in the drive toward 100% smart meter coverage by 2024.

During this session, the audience breaks out into three different roundtable groups, each focused on a specific theme arising from the day’s presentations. Each roundtable group will address the challenges, discuss potential solutions, and create a summary of recommendations for feedback to the wider group.

• Roundtable Room 1: Standardisation
• Roundtable Room 2: AMI System Design
• Roundtable Room 3: Driving the Roll-Out

During this session participants return to the main stage, where each roundtable leader delivers a 10-minute summary of the outcome of the roundtable discussions.