Course Overview

Smart meters are an essential part of global plans to create an environmentally friendly and more dependable energy network, but the initiative is laying harsh pressures on the energy firms and their supply chain.

By the end of 2025, around 50 million smart meters (gas and electric) will be offered to over 30 million premises across the United Kingdom alone. A smart meter installation agent will have to play a vital role in this objective and will be responsible for the installation, exchange, commissioning, upkeep and neutralising of smart metering systems.

Even the most experienced engineers may need more training to carry out smart meter installations. As such, industries must take serious action to address the skill-gaps of existing engineers and, more importantly, expand the number of competent smart meter installers.

Why is this “Smart Metering Course” useful? The growing use of energy demands the smart use of grids within the distribution systems.

Challenges such as fluctuating power generation from renewable sources, ageing infrastructure, unforeseen environmental factors, theft, and technical and non-technical losses have posed as a threat to developing smart grids.

Therefore, this training program is useful for smart metering engineers who will be required to meet the technical and geographical requirements of specific communications hubs, the commissioning process, and the legal requirements of any smart meter installation.

This Zoe training course will empower you with knowledge in the emerging concepts, technologies, and applications of smart meters and smart grids.

Course Objectives

Upon completing this Smart Metering Course successfully, participants will obtain information and training on:

• Customer and site appointment standards
• Access management
• Health and safety at work in terms of meter operations
• Hazards associated with meter installation and changes
• Codes of practice, relevant guidelines, and basic science of working with electricity
• Site safety for installer and customer
• The dangers and identification of cross polarity
• Earthing systems
• Fault finding and rectification

Training Methodology

This is a collaborative Smart Metering training program and will comprise the following training methods:

• Lectures
• Seminars & Presentations
• Group Discussions
• Assignments
• Case Studies & Functional Exercises

Similar to all our courses, this program also follows the ‘Do-Review-Learn-Apply’ model.

Organisational Benefits

Companies who nominate their employees to participate in this course can benefit in the following ways:

• Keep your company one step ahead with this all-inclusive overview of smart metering systems
• Completing this course successfully will give you more confidence in the handling of smart metering systems
• Gain practical knowledge that will give you an edge in your workplace
• Conversation-based sessions let you connect with your instructor and fellow students
• Collaborative sessions let you link with your instructor and peers to learn from real-world examples that can be applied in your individual roles

Personal Benefits

Individuals who participate in this Smart Metering Course can gain from it in the following ways:

• Enhance your productivity through skill training
• Carry out risk assessments
• Be updated with the latest trends and technologies used in power systems
• Carry out meter reading accurately
• Benefit from a tailor-made academic program for technicians or equivalent workforce involved in the smart metering sector
• Get yourself trained, assessed and certified by experts in the domain
• Identify, act on and report asset condition issues
• Perform the test activities and site procedures related to meter operations
• Detect and utilise the appropriate PPE tools and methods when carrying out meter change procedures
• Fix and pair smart electric meters and commission smart meters
• Enhance your skills and get yourself trained for further qualifications in this field

Who Should Attend?

This Smart Metering Course would be suitable for:

• Beginners in the power industry who have just started working in the installation and maintenance of smart meters
• Existing installers who plan to upskill and perform smart meter installation and/or maintenance tasks in different industries

Course Outline

MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION ON SMART METERS & SMART GRIDS & PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

• Basics of energy meters
• Benefits of digital meters
• Block diagram explanation
• Circuit description
• Earth load importance
• Motivation beyond AMI / Smart Metering systems
• Evolution from AMR to Smart Metering Systems
• Worldwide scenario of AMI / Smart Metering
• Current trends

MODULE 2: ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE (AMI) & METER DATA MANAGEMENT (MDM

• What is AMI?
• Evolution of AMI
• What is MDM?
• Drivers of MDM
• Energy NOCs
• Why should AMI be implemented?
• What issues face AMI?

MODULE 3: CYBER SECURITY

• Reference model for the smart grid
• Privacy issues
• Security issues
• Future research directions

MODULE 4: SMART METERS ISSUES & CONCERNS

• Smart meters issues
• Smart meters
• Smart grid overview
• Smart meter exposure levels
• Health effects of smart meters
• Smart meter rf field measurements
• Smart meter mitigation

MODULE 5:  IT IN POWER DISTRIBUTION AND SMART METERS

• IT in system operations
• IT initiatives
• IT in metering systems
• MRI (Meter Reading Instrument
• Telemetering
• Remote Metering
• AMR & AMI
• IT in Energy Accounting and Energy Audit

MODULE 6: STANDARDISATION ISSUES

• Smart meters & interoperability
• Testing methods
• Special purpose energy metering
• Metering and data processing
• Why smart metering is required
• Area covered by smart meters
• Metering Management
• Features of Special smart Energy Meter (SEM)
• SEM Technical Specifications
• Operating section of (SEM)
• Display parameters of SEM
• Classification of SEMs
• Measurement principle of SEM
• Data collecting device
• Data processing of SEM data
• Data checking and validation

MODULE 7: EFFECT OF INFLUENTIAL PARAMETERS ON SMART METER FUNCTION

• Power Distribution System
• Power System Harmonics?
• Why Harmonics are Troublesome?
• Nonlinear Loads Producing Harmonic Currents
• Harmonic Distortion?

MODULE 8: CONFERENCING & TRAINING SMART METERING TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS

• Negative Effects of Sustained Harmonics
• Mitigation of the Effects of Harmonics
• Evaluation of AC Power System Harmonics

MODULE 9: RELIABILITY ANALYSIS OF SMART ELECTRONIC METERS

• Objective of Quality & Reliability of smart meters
• Parameters of Quality
• Reliability
• Components of smart energy Meter
• Effect of burn-in on reliability
• Probabilistic reliability
• Deterministic reliability
• Reliability Test Plan of smart meters
• Bathtub curve

MODULE 10: MANUFACTURING OF SMART METER COMPONENTS

• Process flow chart
• PCB development process
• Designing of PCB
• Surface Mounting Technology (SMT)
• Automatic components placement

MODULE 11: SMART GRID AND SMART METERS COMMUNICATIONS

• What is the Smart Grid?
• Smart Grid Applications
• Electric Power Transmission Grid
• Basic Power Grid
• Smart Grid Needs Secure Communications
• Smart Grid Needs Broadband
• Electric Utility Communications Architecture
• Single Broadband Solution
• Electric Utility Communications Architecture
• FCC-Regulated Features

MODULE 12: SMART METERING SCENARIOS WITH INTEROPERABILITY

• Basic requirements
• Meter data communication
• Communication module
• Interoperability aspects
• Power theft: definition
• How it occurs
• Different ways of monitoring power theft
• Microcontroller based power theft
• Proposed architecture
• Block diagram description
• Working of wireless sensor network
• Advantages
• Limitations

MODULE 13: GETTING READY FOR ADVANCE METERING INFRASTRUCTURE

• AMI by definition
• Is AMI the same as AMR?
• AMI vs AMR
• Benefits of AMI – Utility
• AMI Components
• Meter Data Management (MDM)
• Technical Architecture / Landscape
• AMI Features / Programs
• Few Similar Projects executed

MODULE 14: SMART METERING AND ITS BENEFITS FOR CONSUMERS

• Assessment of costs and benefits
• Activities on smart metering infrastructure
• Policy aspects for regulators
• Recommendations

MODULE 15: CASE STUDY

• The Smart Grid at a National Level
• Grid Development at Minnesota Power
• Current AMI Initiative
• Challenges

MODULE 16: SMART METERS AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

• Recap on current situation
• Options available to alleviate energy crises
• Using smart meters to alleviate energy crises
• Prepayment road map
• Remarks & conclusion