Effect of Intermediate Network Systems on Remote Power Data Collection in Smart Grid

This paper investigates impact of intermediate switches on remote collection of power consumption data in Smart Grid. Advance metering infrastructure (AMI) is one of the important components in the overall architecture of the Smart Grid. Implementation of AMI has been a topic of research lately as there are many different implementations being used in today's Smart Grid. One of the AMI network is Ethernet based infrastructure for the access of remote power consumption from the customer premises. In this paper, we are investigating impact of Ethernet switches on the power consumption data reported to the utility companies. This paper investigates the impact on the customer power consumption by utilizing commonly used Ethernet switches from different companies. Power consumption data in the presence of Ethernet switch is compared with the baseline Power consumption data when no switches were used. Experimental work as discussed in this paper shows a clear impact on customer power consumption due to the Ethernet based Advanced Metering Infrastructure.