Advanced Metering Infrastructure : An Enabler for Smart Power Grid in India

The Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) plays a vital role in the Smart Grid system which comprises of Smart Meters, Head End System (HES), Meter Data Management System (MDM), Communication infrastructure and prepaid engine/billing engine. Implementing AMI systems offers numerous benefits to the power distribution utilities, such as improved billing & collection efficiency, reduction in aggregate technical & commercial (AT&C) losses and revenue gap. Recognizing these advantages, Government of India has launched Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). Under this scheme, traditional meters are gradually replaced by prepaid smart meters with AMI system on a large scale. Consequently, testing of AMI system is of utmost importance prior to widespread deployment. This paper provides overview of various components used in AMI system and it gives comprehensive study of the testing process for the AMI system. Additionally, this paper also presents the outcomes obtained through the testing process.