The starting signal was given by the European Commission, in 2009, within the framework of 2009/72/CE Directive . The law on the energy transition of 17 August 2015 has reaffirmed France’s willingness to develop a smart metering infrastructure. The new Linky meter is now about to be deployed to more than 35 million households and professionals. A look back to what could become the backbone of Smart Grids in France.
The Linky smart meter – Photo : ERDF
Following a pilot involving more than 300 000 households, the roadmap for the deployment of Linky has been unveiled to the public by ERDF. The results of this great test allowed the authorities, including the CRE, to define the terms of a scaling up of the initiative nationally. Deployment is expected to be start in late 2015 and continue until 2021, eventually covering over 90% of users.
This new generation of meter will notably allow:
A better control of consumption
By giving professionals and individuals real-time access to detailed statements of their energy consumption on an online interface. Better awareness and understanding of energy consumption means better control and, why not, investing in energy efficiency projects.
Better integration of renewable energy
The data collected by the meters will lead to the creation of energy consumption databases. These data are essential for the integration of renewable energy into the energy grids of the future. Taken together 35 million meters will allow grid operators to better manage peak consumption and the integration of renewable energy sources through more detailed knowledge of the origin of consumption.
Better management of billing and maintenance
Another major advance is that invoicing will be based on actual consumption. No more meter readings, billing will be performed remotely. Users will no longer be bothered and they will pay their actual bill. A similar development is scheduled for maintenance operations. The speed for certain maintenance operations might even be as little as 24 hours against 4 days at present. Increased comfort for the consumer and operational savings for the operator.
A platform for the smart home of the future
The Linky meter will have two interfaces, an “ICT” port and a USB port to recover consumer data. Third party applications will then be able to use these data which will foster the creation of new energy services. Linky will be an essential component of the smart home of the future.
ITEMS International for Think Smartgrids