CONSIDERATIONS ON COMMUNICATING WITH DECENTRALIZED PROSUMER APPLICATIONS THROUGH HOME AREA NETWORK AND WIDE AREA NETWORK

The German national implementation of a smart metering infrastructure includes not only the electricity meter but also its own communication device, the smart meter gateway. These devices can provide secured communication channels to other devices for different services, e.g. sub metering, energy trading aspects and tele-control for decentralized energy resources such as photovoltaic systems. The created ICT network ties into the private ICT network of customers. In German national regulation, this network segment is named Home Area Network. The aspect of responsibility for the infrastructure as well as the definition of boundaries of property are critical aspects to be discussed. This contribution structures available implementation options and presents considerations from various research projects, where these systems have been put to the test in a field trial.