IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - March/April 2014 - 54

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Management of Network
Management of Metering Equipment
Ownership of the Network
Meter Reading
Ownership of Metering Equipment
Procurement of Energy to Cover Network Losses
Switching of Suppliers
Organization of Ancillary Services
Supplier of Last Resort
Energy Efficiency Related Activities
Management of Public Lighting Network
Other Activities
Ownership of Public Lighting Network

figure 1. The current EU DSO roles and responsibilities today (percentage of European DSOs participating in the survey).
For countries where network owners (e.g., local authorities) delegate not only network operation management but also the
realization of network investments (capex) to the DSO or DSOs, the graph treats the DSOs as owning the network. The
same applies for ownership of metering equipment.
✔ implementation of new tools that can forecast network

constraints
✔ better observation and control capabilities to manage
the voltage level and facilitate renewable generation
and electric vehicle charging station integration into
the networks.
in sum, smart meters are key tools for the deployment of
smart grids, and the new data stream they will produce will
need to be managed in a cost-efficient and secure way.

Smart Metering and Data Management
Most dsos own the metering assets and in most countries
are responsible for meter reading, estimating consumption,
and validating metering data (see Figure 1). Meters also
allow them to be informed as quickly as possible about outages and power quality issues. dsos are also responsible for
the rollout of smart meters in most countries and thus represent a key facilitator of this new downstream market.
in all countries where dsos are in charge of metering, they
are best positioned to handle the metering data. it is the most
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practical, convenient (in terms of keeping errors to a minimum) and economically efficient solution. dsos need to have
access to all of the relevant data in a timely manner to perform
their mission of ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the
distribution system. of course, third-party access, whenever
necessary or authorized by the client, must be guaranteed.
The dso in charge of handling metering data (the socalled dso as a Market Facilitator Model) has the following
advantages:
✔ The dso has responsibility over the full distribution
network and encourages the integration of the consumer in the most effective and economical way to
maintain the integrity, safety, and service level of the
network while ensuring overall energy efficiency.
✔ With this model, there is a single responsible entity
that ensures the provision of well-defined market
facilitation services, guaranteeing accountability and
transparency.
✔ Today's processes (e.g., a change of supplier) may
be left intact or can evolve with the general market
march/april 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - March/April 2014