Smart Choices: Establishing a Solid Foundation for an Effective, Future-Ready Smart Metering System

Published By Alcatel-Lucent

• By Tim Mew
• Published December 2008
• 16 Page(s)

Today’s electrical power industry is under intensifying pressure to curb unconstrained energy use. Electricity-generation infrastructures are struggling to keep up with intense seasonal demand peaks. While simply expanding that infrastructure might seem a logical solution, in reality doing so is enormously expensive and time- consuming, and enlarges rather than minimizes society’s environmental footprint. The electrical power industry is therefore seeking solutions that will enable the effective management of energy consumption and preserve the natural resources required to generate power. Smart metering is precisely such a solution. By introducing two-way communications between electricity consumers and power suppliers, smart metering creates opportunities for power utilities to shape demand patterns and raise consumer awareness of power consumption.