Smart meter privacy for multiple users in the presence of an alternative energy source

Smart meter (SM) privacy is studied assuming that the SM readings, which report the amount of energy each user gets from the grid to the utility provider (UP) at each time instant, cannot be tempered. The privacy is measured by the amount of information about the users' energy profile leaked to the utility provider through the SM readings. Privacy can be achieved thanks to the existence of an alternative energy source (AES), whose energy generation profile is known to the UP only statistically. Assuming that a single AES with a given power generation capacity serves multiple users, the optimal exploitation of the energy generated by the AES in order to maximize total user privacy is characterized.