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Ferry Cserèp, VI Smart Communications and Technology Forum: "In the majority of countries regulations are always too late - technology pushes boundries, enforcing development."
The debate about smart grid/metering in Poland has been going on for years now. Poland is among 16 European countries currently heavily engaged in a large scale, nationwide "smart metering" infrastructure implementation by 2020 (Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Romania, Finland, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy and Great Britain) - all of them at different stages of completion:
- Swedish energy sector is operating completely on "smart" solutions since 2010.
- In the British energy industry large scale installation of "smart" meters has began in 2013 and is a continuous process. They estimate to have 53 million of "smart" meters in place by 2019.
- French Regulatory Authority has issued a projection that by the end of this year - 2016 they will have "smart" meters installed and operational in every household nationwide.
- In Italy there were 33,5 million "smart" meters by 2010 (90% of all energy consumers nationwide)
- In Germany, on the other hand, government refuses to install "smart" meters in old housing, and requires installation of this technology only in new construction investments that can ensure certain degree of energy effectiveness.
According to the energy policy in Poland and country's obligations towards EU, at least 80% of energy consumers must have access to "smart" meters by 2020. This is a challenge both technologically and commercially. Presently, three mayor Polish DSOs are engaged in "smart metering" infrastructure implementation:
- ENERGA Operator in the northern and western part of the country, with over 800 thousand AMI meters in PLC technology,
- RWE Stoen in the central part of the country - with over 100 thousand AMI meters installed.
- TAURON in the southern Poland - with over 330 thousand "smart" meters to be operational by 2017. They are also engaged in the Smart Cities project, in cities like Wroclaw. The project allows the consumer to coordinate and control the utility and media consumption, and provides energy distribution operators with more reliable and precise data about the grid. New meters are compatible with all standard household equipment, and the consumption rate can be monitored using just an internet browser or a mobile device, like smartphone.
Despite a number of "smart" projects taking place, the situation is certainly not easy. We still do not have clearly defined regulations and legislative policies, which makes potential investors hesitant about engaging themselves in "smart" solutions in Poland. There is a significant potential in Poland for this type of investments, however, there are still certain barriers and limitations in the legal system regarding the energy sector that impede development - this was one of the prevailing conclusions of the 6th edition of Smart Communications and Technology Forum, held on 16th June 2016 in Warsaw.
The Smart Communications and Technology Forum is an annual event taking place in Poland, dedicated to the subject of smart grids and smart metering. It has gradually evolved from a mostly local conference focused on the domestic market in Poland to an international event, possibly one of the biggest in the region. It is certainly one that makes participation worthwhile. The main goal of the forum is to invite international experts on smart grid and smart metering technology and then encourage them to exchange and share their knowledge and experience. Each year we are honored to host an event with all the mayor representatives of the market including experts on energy and natural gas markets, representatives of the public sector and administration, scientists, engineers, technology developers, financial institutions as well as government officials. We had over 150 experts joining us for this year's edition of the event.
Regulatory Perspective of SG and SM development in Poland.


During the Discussion Panel, experts refereed to the commercial element of "smart" infrastructure installation and possible support of the process. As stated by dr Tomasz Kowalak: "The long-term calculations seem to justify investments in the AMI infrastructure, regardless of the legal ramifications, and regulatory incentives. This is one of those investments that ensures return. Regulator could only provide certain overall support of the process..."
Tomasz Piasecki commented that: "In 2009-2010 Energa developed a study to analyse technological and commercial profitability of AMI systems, and the conclusion was clear - the investment is sound and even without any additional support from government related agencies will guarantee a handsome return. Though additional support would certainly be stimulating and welcomed."

Exactly for that reason, the Regulatory Administration in the Netherlands has temporarily limited and minimized a number of crucial regulations to create a friendly environment for companies to test and pilot new technologies, and verify their effectiveness.
The limitation of energy loss on the grid and the installation of balancing meters in electrical substations.

Implementation of "smart" meters

During the Panel Debate, experts also discussed the topic of utilization of renewable sources of energy in the grid and the issue of reduction of CO2 emissions.
Dr Amnon Shpira - former Chairman of the Israeli Electricity Market Regulatory Authority (ERO) assessed that the energy grid must be more flexible, capable of utilizing more diverse renewable energy sources. Furthermore, due to the depletion of natural energy sources, the necessity of energy loss reduction throughout production, transmission and distribution, and the current state of natural environment (reduction of CO2 emissions), it is essential to push for implementation of the "smart" distribution technologies and grid control.
Communication and interoperability in Smart Grid


Case study: Smart Meters for a Multi-Utility (Belgia)

Additionally: "If you want a perfectly functional system: firstly, you need to define the end-game purpose - how will they be used, and secondly, choose carefully the proper standardization specification that will accomplish that purpose. For example, in case of dense population area, PLC might be the technology of choice, whereas in rural, small population area - GPRS or LTE might be a better option as a communication technology."


Lessons learned in "smart" meter management in the Netherlands - cooperation of NETINIUM and system operator Alliander (DSO)

Ferry Cserèp in the beginning of his speech described the effects of 20 years of cooperation between NETINIUM and Alliander (one of the DSOs in the Netherlands), defining the challenges and benefits of "smart" technology implementation: With utilities, managing change is always a challenge. (…) When it comes to meter hardware, one needs to be able to accommodate ever evolving standards and communication technologies. Because the reality is that the industry will keep updating and constantly improving its technologies. (…) The crucial question is, how do you make sure your IT infrastructure is capable of accommodating this reality without losing out on your ability to efficiently manage different meter installations. Being able to ensure a reliable grid and, in the end, guarantee a constant flow of energy to your customers." - as stated by Mr. Cserèp.


Case study: ESTFEED Platform (Estonia) - the development of technology optimizing the utility usage, including electricity - ELERING AS

In conclusion of his presentation, Mr. Kukk expressed hope that if successful the ESTFEED Platform will be capable of unifying many Estonian energy related databases and systems, making them accessible through single platform.


Virtual Power Plant project in Częstochowa, Poland.

The application of optimization module defined possible sources of reduction for energy consumption. Currently, as data confirms the Electric Engineering Department as an energy consumer could save 8% on electric energy expenses. The balancing module, which is presently under construction, will allow the creators of the VPP project to determine all irregularities and anomalies related to the electric energy consumption in a given area.
Through the concentration and collection of data from just one facility (main data concentrator in the building connected with meters on every floor) they were able to determine the irregularity and define its source.
As stated by dr. Szeląg: "...the next step for the project is the collection of data on heat consumption, air conditioning, optimization of all media consumption and constant screening of demands for specific utility in 24h periods."


Quality Regulations, IRIES

Internet of Things - integration of IT and OT worlds.

The topics of innovations and new solutions in IT and OT, concentrating dispersed data in systems and operational processes, providing information in real-time, delivering greater value into the business enterprise, were discussed by: Filip Kowalski from SAP, Krzysztof Walczuk - Executive Account Manager, Poland and Ukraine from OSIsoft and Krzysztof Borkowski, Executive Manager for Infrastructure and Transportation, Esri Polska. As underlined by the experts - in relation to the energy industry - Internet of Things will be mainly involved in integration of production and distribution capabilities with the "smart" solutions of data concentration and analysis. This in return will improve the operational effectiveness of companies. The complete solution based on the PI system - SAP HANA and ESRI visual and analytical platform - providing the the ability to collect, analyze, visualize and share large amounts of high-fidelity, time-series data from multiple sources to people and systems across all operations.


EDF Renewable Energy Data Warehouse Project- EDF Inc.
Last but certainly not least was the presentation by KPIT representatives in a form of video-conference from the United States. KPIT is a global technology company specializing in providing IT Consulting and Product Engineering solutions and services to Automotive, Manufacturing, Energy & Utilities and Life Sciences companies. KPIT designed and created "smart" infrastructure for EDF Renewable Inc. - details of that project can be found in the attached video file.
I would like to thank everyone for their time, support and dedication for the event. It was a privilege to have you all join us for this year's VI edition. From the opinions gathered amongst the participants, it was a good investment of their time and a possibility to broaden knowledge, exchange experiences, meet interesting people. We hope that it will encourage you to cooperate with us again in the future, during the VII edition of the conference - on 8th of June 2017, in Warsaw.
Maria Przekopowska
Managing Director
CBE Polska
This article has been prepared on the basis of lectures and materials from the 6th edition of "Smart Communications & Technology Forum", held on 16th June 2016, organized by CBE Polska. PRIME Alliance was the General Partner of the Forum. Strategic Partners were: OSIsoft, Esri Polska, SAP, NETINIUM. Our Exhibitors WAGO ELWAG Sp. z o.o. and PSI Polska Sp. z o.o. demonstrated their products and services. Honorary Patronage provided by: SEDC - Smart Energy Demand Coalition, ČTPSG - Česká technologická platforma Smart Grid, Urząd Komunikacji Elektronicznej (UKE), Instytut Łączności PIB, Polska Izba Radiodyfuzji Cyfrowej (PIRC), Stowarzyszenie Inżynierów Telekomunikacji (SIT), Polska Izba Komunikacji Elektronicznej (PIKE), Polska Izba Informatyki i Telekomunikacji (PIIT), Naczelna Organizacja Techniczna (NOT), Smart Power Grids - Polska, Instytut Tele-i Radiotechniczny, Polskie Towarzystwo informatyczne- PTI, Stowarzyszenie Elektryków Polskich, Portal Biznes.pl, GLOBE-net, Bulgarian Biomass Association, Portal Energetyka, Energia i my, Energetyka Wodna, Stowarzyszenie Polskich Mediów, Świat Elit, ekorynek.com, Pomiar Serwis Sp. z o.o. oraz Portal Energetykon. Moreover, the conference was held in cooperation with: PTPIREE, Energa Operator, FORTUM, Elering AS, Eandis, KPIT. Translation delivered by Bireta.



























































































































































































































































