Contribution: Introduction of efforts aimed at cloud adoption of smart meter systems by Kansai Transmission and Distribution, Inc. (Part 2) — First half

This article is the first half of the second efforts aimed at cloud adoption of smart meter systems by Kansai Transmission and Distribution, Inc. We received a contribution from Mr. Yasuo Matsuura, an executive officer. The introduction will be divided into 2 parts: the first half and the second half. This article is the first half of that.
The serial articles have also been published as serialized articles, so be sure to check them out.

• Article #1 “Contribution: Introduction of efforts aimed at cloud adoption of smart meter systems by Kansai Transmission and Distribution Inc. — First half”
• Article #3 “Contribution: Introduction of efforts aimed at cloud adoption of smart meter systems by Kansai Transmission and Distribution Inc. (Part 3) — First half”

1. Introduction

In this article, we will introduce our efforts in three parts. In the first session, we introduced the overall picture of discussions aimed at utilizing the cloud in our smart meter system. This time, I would like to introduce the overall picture of a next-generation smart meter system using AWS, and the current status of our efforts, including technical perspectives. (Figure 1)

Figure 1. Smart meter system and scope of explanation in this article

2. Next Generation System Requirements

In developing a next-generation smart meter system, we discussed the development concept internally based on 15 years of experience in the development, maintenance and operation of current smart meter systems, the summary contents of the next-generation smart meter system review meeting, external needs, and the latest technology trends.

15 years ago, when the current system was developed, basically only an on-premise environment was available, and although applications were developed from our point of view, the architecture, such as function arrangement and inter-system cooperation methods, depended on different vendors for each system, and the entire system was constructed through inter-vendor coordination. In other words, unified system development based on our concept was impossible, and as a result, there were overlapping functions between systems and complex inter-system cooperation, and as a result, restrictions on flexible data utilization.

At the next generation smart meter system review meeting, it was pointed out that lower costs of renewable energy, advanced energy management, heightened interest in strengthening resilience, and furthermore, progress in introducing and expanding the distributed energy resources against the backdrop of the 2050 Carbon Neutrality Declaration etc. is expected more than ever. As a result, in next-generation power distribution platforms that aim for decentralization and multilayering, the necessity of upgrading to a new specification smart meter system has been compiled with the aim of responding to increased operation of power networks utilizing data, expansion of use of power data outside of the power sector, and diversification of transaction needs associated with the expansion of demand side resources.

Based on changes in the internal and external environment, we established the Kansai Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Group Vision in August 2023, and announced our idea that we would like to continue evolving into an energy platformer that not only provides a stable supply of electricity, but also provides new value to customers and society by deepening and expanding the platforms that the transmission and distribution group has, such as network equipment, human resources and technology, and connections with customers and society all around the Kansai region. I believe that the key tool for this is a smart meter and a system for utilizing that data.

Based on this background, the basic concept of a next-generation smart meter system is “unified management of data,” “consolidation of similar functions,” and “loosely coupled function arrangement that is difficult to influence each other,” and based on renewal plans for peripheral systems connected to smart meter systems, smooth transition from current smart meter systems to next-generation systems etc., a system capable of flexible and efficient operation into the future will be realized simply and at low cost It was also touted as a concept, and an RFP was carried out. To put it more simply, the system requires thorough expandability, flexibility for function development, and usability, leading to future transitions to current systems, requests for additional functions to smart meters, implementation of smooth business operations during a migration period from current to next generation systems, and furthermore, promoting cooperation between smart meter systems and peripheral systems, expanding the introduction of renewable energy, strengthening resilience, and steady response to diverse customer needs I would like to go ahead.

Based on our 15 years of experience in developing and operating smart meter systems, we thought it was necessary to radically review the way we think about system development in order to realize what we are aiming for. While we understand that risk reduction can be achieved by continuing to adopt proven conventional technology, we recognize that there is a direction to correctly evaluate new technology and utilize it while controlling risk, and we believe that it is desirable to implement all systems to be built on the AWS cloud and use AWS services as much as possible, so we have begun development. The specific thoughts will be described in the next chapter and later.

As introduced in the previous chapter, in next-generation smart meter systems, it is required that the usability of this system, which supports implementation flexibility and agility related to new function development, and resilience in the power transmission and distribution business, can be realized at a high level over the future, in anticipation of future systems that are currently uncertain, etc.

When following the conventional way of thinking of monolithic system architectures, scaling up, function addition, and modifications require a lot of time for sizing and integrated function development, etc., and there is a tendency that restrictions on flexibility and agility of response occur. This time, we chose an approach using modern application development methods that aim to realize flexible system development while ensuring quality.

By modularizing and dividing applications into smaller functional units using microservices and containers, which are important components of the idea of modern applications, we achieve scalability as a system and high flexibility and agility for future function implementation. Furthermore, by appropriately incorporating a loosely coupled architecture, the scope of influence during work or failure is limited, and the overall availability of the system is enhanced (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Implementation image of loose coupling in our smart meter system

Within the subsystem, attention is paid to ensuring loose coupling and scalability. Specifically, for example, data is placed in a database or S3, data transfer and reception are based on API collaboration, and an event-driven mechanism that triggers data events is adopted to achieve asynchronous inter-function collaboration. This makes it possible to simultaneously achieve fault tolerance, scalability, and flexibility even in large-scale, complex systems such as next-generation smart meter systems (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Features of event-driven architectures

Also, during system development, we actively utilized serverless and containers so that system vendors could focus on application development, and the basic principle was to use AWS managed services rather than individually constructed infrastructure, including databases, by system vendors. By utilizing various managed services of AWS, while ensuring scalability and security support with AWS services, we are also aiming to reduce the workload on our side by offloading the maintenance and operation of systems related to databases etc. to AWS, and the direction is to enjoy cloud benefits to the fullest (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Benefits of Utilizing AWS Managed Services

Furthermore, by centrally managing data on the AWS cloud, we will utilize AWS’s cutting-edge technology, such as data analytics services centered around that data lake and AI/ML services that continue to expand, and embody a path towards advanced data utilization in the future. By utilizing AWS analysis services, it is possible to determine usefulness and direction through trial and error immediately, easily, and easily from the initial stage where a need occurs without taking steps such as requirement definition, design, and construction. Use cases of meter data analysis have also been introduced on AWS (*1, Figure 5), and by referring to these, we will proceed so that we can work on data analysis and data utilization by using cutting-edge technology “when necessary, anytime, and easily”

(*1) https://thinkwithwp.com/jp/solutions/guidance/meter-data-analytics-on-aws/

Figure 5. Solution on AWS for Meter Data Analysis

Based on this review background, we have formulated our system development policy as follows.

1. Loosely coupled architecture enables scalability, flexibility for system development, and high availability
2. Achieve scalability, agility, and operational optimization by utilizing managed services
3. Utilizing AWS Data Analysis Services to Analyze and Utilize Smart Meter Data

While sharing our system development policy with system vendors, we are proceeding with the development of next-generation smart meter systems on the AWS cloud.

In this article, we have introduced the first three chapters regarding our efforts aimed at cloud adoption of smart meter systems. For the latter half, please see “Contribution: Introduction of efforts aimed at cloud adoption of smart meter systems at Kansai Transmission and Distribution Inc. (Part 2) — Second half”

Author

This article was translated by Blake Horike, Riho Matsui, and Satoshi Aoyama.