PRIME Alliance, an example of success story in Spain – Elia Group

Spain’s strides in dynamic pricing for electricity, especially the Voluntary Price for Small Consumers (PVPC), owe their success to strategic factors that set the stage for a robust and flexible energy market:

Regulatory Foundation: Clear regulations on smart metering in 2007 laid the groundwork, mandating remote management and Time of Use capabilities—a crucial early step.

Proactive Preparations: Spain’s proactive approach, starting in 2010, prepared the ground for infrastructure and technology, ensuring a smooth smart meter rollout.

Smart Meter Revolution: The rollout of smart meters, initiated in 2010 and reaching almost full coverage by 2018, empowered real-time energy consumption tracking, enhancing precision.

Interoperability Enhancement: Opting for the DLMS/COSEM protocol fostered seamless communication among industry players, facilitating integration into the grid.

Collaborative Initiatives: The formation of the PRIME Alliance in 2009 promoted interoperability standards, fostering collaboration among key stakeholders in the industry.

Consumer-Centric Approach: The introduction of PVPC in 2014 democratized dynamic pricing, making it accessible to a wider consumer base and aligning with broader energy flexibility goals.

Summary of Success: Spain’s achievement in dynamic pricing hinges on early regulation, proactive measures, widespread smart meter deployment, standardized communication protocols, industry collaboration, and consumer accessibility—a holistic recipe for a more efficient and flexible energy market.

STMicroelectronics first to announce deployment-ready certified PRIME 1.4 Hybrid smart grid SoC at Enlit Europe energy forum at Enlit Europe

DLMS UA and PRIME Alliance Join Forces to Enhance Smart Metering Interoperability

Neuron releases dual-frequency and dual-protocol PRIME Gateway

Renesas – Powerline Communication – “There’s life in the old dog yet”

Narrowband powerline communication (NB-PLC) technologies enjoy enduring success and are set to remain vital components of the smart grid landscape.

When it comes to narrowband powerline communication technologies, the saying “There’s life in the old dog yet!” applies rather well, since many experts predicted that cellular technologies would quickly replace PLC in existing applications.

In the dynamic world of the smart grid industry, where technology evolves at breakneck speed, one might question the resilience of narrowband powerline technologies like PRIME in the face of emerging alternatives such as NB-IoT and LTE.

However, there are compelling reasons why these established technologies have not only survived but continue to thrive, playing an indispensable role in the evolution of smart grid.

Narrowband powerline technologies had their breakthrough about two decades ago. Since then, they have been deployed in a few hundred million installations all over the world.

There were voices at the beginning suggesting that the technologies are not robust enough to sustain communication in the noisy environment of a usual powerline infrastructure. However, in the end, one of the key reasons why technologies such as the PRIME standard have stood the test of time is their proven reliability.

These technologies have been deployed worldwide for decades and have consistently demonstrated their ability to transmit data efficiently and securely over powerlines. Furthermore, this widespread adoption creates a network effect that further reinforces their position in the smart grid industry.

Decision makers in the smart grid industry understand the importance of reliability. This, in addition to the large user base and the ecosystem that has evolved around these technologies, makes them a trusted, low-risk choice.

Interoperability is another factor that is crucial for the success of any technology used in a smart grid.

Narrowband powerline technologies have made significant strides in ensuring interoperability between different devices and vendors, facilitating the integration of various components in the grid. This cross-compatibility minimises vendor lock-in and allows DSOs, for example, the flexibility to choose the best components for their specific needs.

Also, with respect to security these technologies have demonstrated their ability to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of data transmitted over powerlines. This long-standing track record of security is a key factor in their continued success.

Smart grid applications often require low latency communication for real-time monitoring and control. NB-PLC technologies excel in this regard, providing the low latency necessary for applications such as fault detection, load management and grid optimisation.

The technologies can also play a complementary role alongside emerging technologies like NB-IoT and LTE. In hybrid networks, these established technologies can help fill coverage gaps and provide a robust infrastructure that ensures continuity and reliability.

The cost efficiency of narrowband powerline technologies, both in terms of initial infrastructure investment and ongoing maintenance, remains unmatched by many alternatives. Decision makers recognise the importance of optimising costs, and these technologies align with that objective.

In many regions, regulations and standards have been developed to support the deployment of narrowband powerline technologies in the smart grid. This regulatory backing provides operators with confidence in the long-term viability of these solutions.

Renesas Electronics, a leading semiconductor manufacturer, has introduced its powerline solution portfolio, which includes the R9A06G037 and R9A06G061 models. These powerline solutions offer major features such as open standard support (R9A06G037), high-speed communication (R9A06G061) and robust performance, enabling reliable data transmission over existing power lines.

With their advanced technology, Renesas’ powerline solutions provide significant benefits, like cost-effectiveness and easy integration into various applications, making them an ideal choice for smart grid systems and home automation applications.

In conclusion, the success and enduring relevance of narrowband powerline technologies like PRIME in the smart grid industry can be attributed to their reliability, established infrastructure, widespread adoption, interoperability, security, low latency, cost efficiency and regulatory support.

These technologies offer a solid foundation for the smart grid, while also having the flexibility to coexist with and complement emerging technologies like NB-IoT and LTE.

Decision makers in the smart grid industry should continue to recognise the value and resilience of these technologies as they chart the course for the grid of the future.

About Renesas Electronics Corporation

Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) empowers a safer, smarter and more sustainable future where technology helps make our lives easier. The leading global provider of microcontrollers, Renesas combines our expertise in embedded processing, analogue, power and connectivity to deliver complete semiconductor solutions. These Winning Combinations accelerate time to market for automotive, industrial, infrastructure and IoT applications, enabling billions of connected, intelligent devices that enhance the way people work and live.

Learn more at renesas.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Author’s profile

Christos Aslanidis manages the Business Development Department for Connectivity Solutions in EMEA for Renesas Electronics Europe. He has been working in the semiconductor industry for more than 25 years.

About PRIME Alliance

PRIME (PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution) Alliance AISBL was created in 2009 to define an open and future-proofed communications PLC-based infrastructure to support large scale smart metering and other smart grid deployments. The goal of the Alliance is to provide a framework in which the smart metering and smart grid industry have access to open detailed technical specifications in order to develop fully interoperable solutions, allowing multiple vendors to be operational within the same distribution network in one common system architecture.
Visit www.prime-alliance.org for more information.

Microchip  – PRIME1.4 Hybrid, a complete platform

Microchip Technology Incorporated offers, in the area of smart energy, a complete platform of extensively tested solutions, with excellent technical support coupled with reliable delivery and quality.

The power line is designed to transport energy efficiently but not to be used to provide communications. Therefore, using it as a communications medium was a challenge that has only been possible with the evolution of technology that has allowed it to be used as an efficient and robust channel for communications.

Power line communications (PLC) is now a proven technology with success in tens of millions of devices around the world. The signal through the low voltage network reaches long distances, reaching subway locations, easily passing through metal structures such as cabinets or reinforced concrete.

Radio frequency (RF) technologies have also been used historically in other applications providing good solutions to the same challenge. Both technologies have their strengths and weaknesses, so the PRIME Alliance has combined them to offer a hybrid solution, providing a stronger and more versatile communications network.

The new hybrid version is fully backward compatible, so no additional investment is required to move from PLC to hybrid systems. The new solution allows the integration of hybrid and PLC-only devices on the same network and is also fully compatible with RF-only devices, enabling new applications such as water and gas meters or connectivity in smart cities or Industry 2.0.

Microchip Technology Inc. has led the development of PRIME Hybrid from the beginning and provides a proven and complete solution to developers of equipment such as electric, gas, or water meters, and any other type of equipment that needs a fully supported and guaranteed implementation.

For PLCs, our solution is based on the well-known PL460A, a programmable modem for narrowband PLCs, capable of running any PLC protocol in the frequency band below 500kHz. The PL460 incorporates the PLC signal amplifier stage, providing a highly integrated solution that reduces the overall bill of materials, simplifies the design, and facilitates the modem design.

For RF communication our solution uses the AT86RF215 a sub-1GHz/2.4GHz dual-band transceiver, proven in millions of devices, and compliant with IEEE 802.15.4-2011, IEEE 802.15.4g-2012 and ETSI TS 102 887-1 standards, providing the RF-PHY SUN FSK layer and also the SUN OFDM which allows for a four-fold increase in range.

Both devices can be connected to various Microchip MCU32s depending on the application requirements.

We especially recommend the new PIC32CXMT platform, based on the 32-bit ARM-M4 architecture. The PIC32CXMT platform is available in three different versions: single-core, dual-core and dual-core with AFE for advanced metrology. All three have full PLC support. This architecture integrates all the components for the implementation of high-end meters and new devices requiring connectivity with maximum security levels.

For low-cost PLC solutions, the SAMD20E18A + MPL460 platform is also available for PRIME 1.4 communication modules for applications such as streetlights, IoT sensors and industrial applications. In addition, the SAMD20E18A + AT86RF215 platform can be used for battery-powered PRIME 1.4 RF nodes in applications such as water and gas meters, IoT sensors and industrial applications.

Microchip’s PRIME 1.4 Hybrid solution can be evaluated by connecting the evaluation kits of the various devices, as shown in the figure.

These solutions have complete documentation, PRIME 1.4 Hybrid stack, various example projects and all the development tools to reduce time to market.

Microchip’s PRIME 1.4 Hybrid solution has already been successfully tested in a recent mass deployment in Egypt.

About the author

Alfredo Sanz has been an active member of the Technical Working Group and the Board of Directors of the PRIME Alliance since its founding. He leads Microchip’s Smart Energy group and has been contributing to communications technology in the energy sector for more than 20 years.

About Microchip Technology Incorporated

Microchip Technology Incorporated is a leading provider of integrated, intelligent, connected and secure control solutions. Its easy-to-use development tools and comprehensive product portfolio enable customers to create optimal designs that reduce risk while lowering total system cost and time to market. The company’s solutions serve more than 125,000 customers in the industrial, automotive, consumer, aerospace and defence, communications and computing markets.

Gridspertise joins PRIME Alliance

Communication is the unsung hero of grid digitalization. Smart meters, for instance, use protocols, which enable communication with other devices or systems. They can be compared to different spoken languages: adapting to connectivity needs or the data they need to share. International standards and protocols help DSOs by allowing them to manage thousands of grid-connected devices and systems, while giving the headroom to add new devices and applications to their networks to solve whatever new challenges the future brings.

Power Line Communication (PLC) is a cost effective, proven and reliable communication solution for smart metering, and PLC based solutions can provide additional smart metering benefits and advantages that are inherent to using the utility’s existing power lines for communicating. Relying on the fact that the grid is already deployed, PLC based solutions avoid the costs of new infrastructures or the dependency of third parties in the data transmission and management while enabling Low Voltage (LV) and Medium Voltage (MV) grid automation within the smart grid concept.

With strong experience in solutions based on PLC protocol, Gridspertise recently joined the PRIME Alliance, a consolidated and worldwide PLC standard used for advanced meteringrid control and asset monitoring applications.

What is the PRIME Alliance?

Established in 2008, PRIME stands for PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution and focuses on the implementation and use of a new open and public telecommunications solution to support smart metering functionalities and smart grids in general.
Achieving secure, reliable, and real-time communication for a successful massive roll out of smart metering, is a great challenge. PRIME delivers the fundamentals for future proven Advanced Metering Networks, not only capable to report a large amount of meter data, but to allow Energy Management with the aim for a more stable, reliable and balanced network.

The primary aim of PRIME Alliance is to develop and deploy a standard for narrowband power lines for both Smart Grid products and services. Its mission is to accelerate the demand for products and services based on the global benchmark and to promote the broad adoption and use of the specification, while encouraging multi-vendor interoperability and compatibility with the global standard. PRIME Alliance, indeed, provides a forum for the realization of a single open specification, that is a technical standard that is freely available to anyone to use and implement for smart meter communication, and accelerates the demand for products that are delivered worldwide.

PRIME-certified products have achieved interoperability among devices and systems from different manufacturers. There are more than 20 million PRIME smart meters in use in more than 15 countries worldwide.

The Alliance achieves its purpose through a series of activities: creating working groups among its members; participating in events; launching and maintenance of testing programs; establishing working relationships with other organizations from the same sector, and handling marketing activities to increase awareness associated with the Association.

Gridspertise role in the PRIME Alliance

Gridspertise has recently joined the PRIME Alliance as a Principal Member along with utilities, manufacturers, IT, service and consulting companies. This new membership will help Gridspertise to play a more important role in the future of smart grids worldwide.

This collaboration with the PRIME Alliance will help to develop a more flexible and future-proof smart meter that can be used in different areas to meet the needs of diverse regulations, enabling the exchange or adaptation of communication technology directly in field, depending on customer needs and location.

The Head of Technical Sales of Gridspertise, Víctor Domínguez Richards, highlighted the strategic importance of this new membership: “We are delighted to join the PRIME Alliance, this new membership is another important step further in our mission to pave the way for a more sustainable and reliable smart grids in different geographical areas. Joining the Alliance global network and resources will help to further accelerate the adoption of PLC based open standards for utilities and vendors and to boost the development of the smart grid”.

In joining the PRIME Alliance, Gridspertise will play an active role in the association’s agenda and will support and promote an open and public specification for the benefit of the end-user and all industry stakeholders.

WELCOME TO PRIME ALLIANCE!

Tecnalia develops official PRIME Hybrid certification tool and validates the first service node from STMicroelectronics

Bilbao, Tuesday April 4 – TECNALIA, the largest centre of applied research and technological development in Spain, has developed the official tool for the automation of tests that allows the certification of PRIME Hybrid equipment ensuring compliance with specification requirements. This testing platform also checks security and backward compatibility with PLC-only or RF-only devices already deployed. In this way, both pre-testing and certification can be completed quickly, ensuring quality and repeatability of the tests and providing detailed information on the diagnosis of the equipment’s performance.

PRIME Alliance has defined the PRIME Hybrid solution using the complementary advantages of PLC and radio frequency (RF) technologies. This new technology increases reliability, coverage, and security shielding from communication impairments of the PLC and RF mediums. In addition, the new Hybrid solution extends PRIME to new applications and to connect RF-only nodes such as gas meters, water meters, or IoT devices to the network.

TECNALIA has launched the PRIME Hybrid testing tool and validated the first PRIME Hybrid Service Node based on ST Microelectronics ST8500 programmable multi-protocol powerline communication system-on-chip (SoC) and STLD1 line driver with S2-LP ultra-low-power sub-GHz radio transceiver, assuring that the main functionalities are compliant with the PRIME specification.

About TECNALIA

TECNALIA is the largest centre of applied research and technological development in Spain, a benchmark in Europe and a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance. We collaborate with companies and institutions to improve their competitiveness, people’s quality of life and achieve sustainable growth. We do it thanks to people who are passionate about technology and committed to building a better society.

Its main scopes of action are: Smart Manufacturing, Digital Transformation, Energy Transition, Sustainable Mobility, Circular Economy, Personalized Health and Urban Ecosystem.

TECNALIA has a huge team of experts to develop testing platforms, create laboratory facilities and a set of laboratories that develop, certify, and validate processes, systems and products that you need to launch on the market promptly.

Discover more about PRIME Hybrid here

We are glad to inform you, that one of our main partners – ADD Bulgaria signed a new frame contract for supplying Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solutions with Elektrorazpredelenie Yug EAD, owned by utility company EVN Bulgaria.

Under this agreement, ADD Grup will manufacture for Bulgarian market 500,000 smart electricity meters ADDAX and 4,500 data concentrators over the next 6 years. The total value of the deal is 43,3 million EUR. Thus, Bulgaria once again confirms that it is the largest sales market for high-precision measuring equipment manufactured by ADD Grup.

The contract is a logical continuation of long-term partnership, which began in 2006. So far, ADD Grup has deployed more than 1.2 million smart meters in the grid of this distribution system operator, contributing to significant cost optimizations and process improvements.

In addition to the delivery of smart meters, the scope of the contract includes development and delivery of additional software modules to the ADDAX Head-End system (HES), which aim to further optimize, digitalize and automate various metering processes within the utility.

«Our relationship with this customer has evolved a lot throughout the years – we started almost 20 years ago, and now reaching solutions being based on PLC technologies like PRIME PLC or Hybrid. We have made a lot of system updates and improvements. Also, we have successfully delivered a very complex cybersecurity project, so that the grid of EVN Bulgaria is secure enough, to the highest standards, unlike many other utilities not only in Bulgaria, but in the world as a whole» – according to a company press release.

ADD Grup will do its best to guarantee the good execution of the contract in the following 6 years. Congratulations to ADD Bulgaria!

WEBINAR – Egypt, the PRIME Capital of Africa

Next March 8, 2023, from 12:00 to 13:00 (EET), PRIME Alliance will organize a webinar on “Egypt, the PRIME Capital of Africa” in collaboration with El Sewedy Electrometer.

Egypt as a focal point in the Middle East & Africa region is  one of the first countries to adopt new technologies in different fields; and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is no exception. Join us as our fellow alliance member El Sewedy Electrometer (EMG) illustrates how it utilized PRIME PLC v1.4 in extremely challenging and noisy deployment environments to great effect. El Sewedy EMG will also share the lessons learnt from this experience as well as its exciting plans for PRIME Hybrid in Egypt. Most importantly, we will share together in celebrating PRIME’s success story in one of the world’s cradles of civilization with the hope of replicating this success across the MEA region.

CONTENT:

• Introducing the different Smart Metering Projects in Egypt
• Solution Components/Architecture
• Achievements, current In-field Activities and future Hybrid prospects
• PRIME v1.4 results vs. alternative communication solutions
• Lessons learnt

In collaboration with:

Please contact communication@prime-alliance.org in case you want to receive more details to join the webinar.

Discover more information about the PRIME 1.4 roll-out in Egypt here