DEVICE FOR THE CERTIFIED MEASUREMENT OF ELECTRIC PARAMETERS AND CUSTOMERS' FLEXIBILITY BEHAVIOUR, AND FOR COMMUNICATING WITH A DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM OPERATOR

Abstract

Disclosed is a device for the certified measurement of electric parameters and customers' flexibility behaviour, and for communicating with a distribution system operator, comprises a System on Module, or SoM, a Certification Module, a Customer Communication Module and a Communication Module.

Claims

1. Device for the certified measurement of electric parameters and customers' flexibility behaviour, and for communicating with a distribution system operator, wherein the device comprises a System on Module, a Certification Module, a Customer Communication Module and a Communication Module, wherein: I. the System on Module is configured for elaborating the information coming from a Metering Module or from a DSO's Smart Meter, and is connected to said Certification Module and to said Customer Communication Module; II. the Certification Module is connected to said System on Module, and is configured for generating a “digital footprint” starting from the values received from the System on Module, for signing said digital footprint through the public and the private keys provided of his chip, and for transferring this “signed data packet” to a Communication Module to which the Certification Module is further connected; III. the Customer Communication Module is connected to both said System on Module and to a Customer Management System, and is configured to send to the Customer Management System the information received from the System on Module, which is exactly the same information received by the Certification Module; IV. the Communication Module is configured to perform a bidirectional communication with both the DSO's Network Management Platform and a Smart Contract software component.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said System on Module is configured to receive the measures from the Metering Module, to encode them together with both the Set Point sent by the DSO and the difference between the Set Point and the actual Customer's consumption/production values, and then to transfer these values to both the Certification Module and the Customer Communication Module.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the information package sent to the Customer Management System by Customer Communication Module contains all the real time measurement data, the Set Point of the relevant sampling period received from the DSO's Network Management Platform through the “Communication Module”, and the differences between the Set Point and the actual customer's energy use.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the Communication Module is configured to receive the Set point from the DSO' s Network Management Platform and to transfer the Set point to the Certification Module; and on another communication way, the Communication Module is configured to send the Certified Data Packet received by the Certification Module to both a Smart Contract software component and to the DSO' s Network Management Platform, wherein the Smart Contract is configured to record those values in a Blockchain Infrastructure owned by DSO for the necessary use.

5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a Metering Module, for the real time monitoring and recording of the electrical parameters of the energy coming from the DSO's grid.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein, in order to prevent any dispute between energy sector actors, the information contained in the Certified Data sent to the DSO' s Network Management Platform by the Communication Module is exactly the same sent to the Customer Management System by the Customer Communication Module.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein: an external DSO's Smart Meter is directly connected to the Customer Grid, so that the electric power is provided to the Customer Grid directly by the DSO' s Smart Meter; DSO's Smart Meter is connected to the Device itself for performing the electrical measurement of the Customers' s behaviours.

8. System for facilitating, verifying and ensuring the compliance of the parties to a contract or agreement, and to automatically executing the contract's clauses when specified conditions are met, thereby permitting financial transactions among said parties, the system comprising, in combination: at least a device according to claim 1, for the certified measurement of electric parameters and customers' flexibility behavior, and for communicating with a distribution system operator. a BlockChain Infrastructure with a plurality of BlockChain nodes, a Smart Contract software component, a Power Grid, a Customer Grid, a Customer Management System a DSO' a Network Management Platform; wherein said elements of the system are directly or indirectly connected and communicating each other.

9. The device of claim 5, wherein the electrical parameters comprise voltage, current, cosϕ, active and reactive energy, and power.

10. The device according to claim 2, wherein the information package sent to the Customer Management System by Customer Communication Module contains all the real time measurement data, the Set Point of the relevant sampling period received from the DSO's Network Management Platform through the “Communication Module”, and the differences between the Set Point and the actual customer's energy use.

11. The device according to claim 2, wherein the Communication Module is configured to receive the Set point from the DSO' s Network Management Platform and to transfer the Set point to the Certification Module; and on another communication way, the Communication Module is configured to send the Certified Data Packet received by the Certification Module to both a Smart Contract software component and to the DSO' s Network Management Platform, wherein the Smart Contract is configured to record those values in a Blockchain Infrastructure owned by DSO for the necessary use.

12. The device according to claim 3, wherein the Communication Module is configured to receive the Set point from the DSO's Network Management Platform and to transfer the Set point to the Certification Module; and on another communication way, the Communication Module is configured to send the Certified Data Packet received by the Certification Module to both a Smart Contract software component and to the DSO' s Network Management Platform, wherein the Smart Contract is configured to record those values in a Blockchain Infrastructure owned by DSO for the necessary use.

13. The device according to claim 2, further comprising a Metering Module, for the real time monitoring and recording of the electrical parameters of the energy coming from the DSO's grid.

14. The device according to claim 3, further comprising a Metering Module, for the real time monitoring and recording of the electrical parameters of the energy coming from the DSO's grid.

15. The device according to claim 4, further comprising a Metering Module, for the real time monitoring and recording of the electrical parameters of the energy coming from the DSO's grid.

16. The device according to claim 2, wherein, in order to prevent any dispute between energy sector actors, the information contained in the Certified Data sent to the DSO's Network Management Platform by the Communication Module is exactly the same sent to the Customer Management System by the Customer Communication Module.

17. The device according to claim 3, wherein, in order to prevent any dispute between energy sector actors, the information contained in the Certified Data sent to the DSO's Network Management Platform by the Communication Module is exactly the same sent to the Customer Management System by the Customer Communication Module.

18. The device according to claim 4, wherein, in order to prevent any dispute between energy sector actors, the information contained in the Certified Data sent to the DSO's Network Management Platform by the Communication Module is exactly the same sent to the Customer Management System by the Customer Communication Module.

19. The device according to claim 5, wherein, in order to prevent any dispute between energy sector actors, the information contained in the Certified Data sent to the DSO's Network Management Platform by the Communication Module is exactly the same sent to the Customer Management System by the Customer Communication Module.

20. The device according to claim 2, wherein: an external DSO's Smart Meter is directly connected to the Customer Grid, so that the electric power is provided to the Customer Grid directly by the DSO's Smart Meter; DSO's Smart Meter is connected to the Device itself for performing the electrical measurement of the Customers' s behaviours.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] A better understanding of the invention will be obtained following detailed description, with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate some preferred embodiments of the invention.

[0035] In the drawings:

[0036] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the architecture of the flexibility market solution, comprising the device according to the invention;

[0037] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a first embodiment of the device according to the present invention, wherein the DSO's Smart Meter is comprised therein;

[0038] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a second simplified embodiment of the device according to the present invention, wherein the DSO's Smart Meter is not comprised therein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0039] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, concerning the first embodiment of the invention including also the DSO's Smart Meter, the device now on named (D1) comprises: [0040] a. a Metering Module (7) which, similarly to known DSO's Smart Meter, is configured for the real time monitoring and recording of the electrical parameters of the energy coming from the DSO's grid (voltage, current, cos□, active and reactive energy and power, . . . ) [0041] b. a SoM (System on Module) (8)—i.e. a board-level circuit that integrates Computer functionalities in a single module—which is configured for elaborating the information coming from the Metering Module (7) and is connected to a Certification Module (9) and to a Customer Communication Module (10). The SoM is configured to receive the measures from the Metering Module (7) or from DSO's Smart Meter, to encode them together with both the Set Point sent by the DSO and the processed difference between the Set Point and the actual Customer's consumption/production values, and then to transfer all those values to both the Certification Module (9) and the Customer Communication Module (10); [0042] c. the Certification Module (9), that is a microcontroller equipped with an integrated EEPROM for storing Security Key, Certificates and Private Key. Wherein such microcontroller is configured to implement also a complete asymmetric (public/private) key cryptographic signature solution. Furthermore, said microcontroller is configured for generating a “digital footprint” (hash) starting from the values received from the SoM (8), for signing said digital footprint through the public and the private keys provided by his chip, and for transferring those “signed data packet” to a Communication Module (11); [0043] d. the Customer Communication Module (10)—i.e. a System on Chip integrating different communication modules (WiFi, Bluetooth, Cellular, Ethernet, . . . )—is connected to the Customer Management System (6B) and is configured to send him the information received from the SoM (8), which are exactly the same information received by the Certification Module (9), except that they are not digitally signed. The information package sent to the Customer Management System (6B) contains all the real time measurement data, the Set Point of the relevant sampling period received from the DSO through the “Communication Module” (11), and the differences between the Set Point and the actual customer's energy use; [0044] e. the Communication Module (Toward DSO) (11), that is a System on Module that implements several communication protocols (PowerLine, Cellular, Ethernet, WiFi and so on) and is configured to perform a bidirectional communication with the DSO's Network Management Platform (5). The Communication Module (11) receives the Set point from the DSO and transfers it to the Certification Module (9). On another communication way, the Communication Module (11) sends the Certified Data Packet received by the Certification Module (9) to the Smart Contract (3) (see FIG. 1), and then the Smart Contract (3) records those values in the Blockchain Infrastructure (2) owned by the DSO for the necessary use. The Certified Data sent by the Communication Module (11) are sent to both the DSO's Network Management Platform (5) and the Smart Contract (3).

[0045] Advantageously, as already pointed out, the information contained in the Certified Data sent to the DSO by the Communication Module (11) are exactly the same sent to the customer by the Customer Communication Module (9): this feature avoids completely any dispute between energy sector actors

[0046] In a (second) simplified embodiment of the present invention, the Device (now on named D2) is configured to be connected to the existing DSO's Smart Meter: this version may be preferable in most cases, since doesn't require the DSO to substitute any already installed Smart Meter (FIG. 3).

[0047] This second embodiment of the device (D2) differs from the first embodiment of the device (D1) for two main aspects: [0048] the electric power to the Customer Grid is provided directly by the already installed DSO's Smart Meter and not by the Device (D2); [0049] the electrical measurement of the Customers' behaviours are performed by an external DSO's Smart Meter connected to the Device (D2) and not by an internal metering module (7) of the device, like in the first embodiment of the Device (D1).

[0050] The communication channels between the DSO's Smart Meter and this simplified embodiment of the Device (D2) can be different with respect to first embodiment of the device (D1) and depend upon the constructive technology of the DSO's Smart Meter: for example, this channel can be an 18.1 type (Power-Line, Wi-Fi, NB-IOT . . . ) or any other interface available on the market or purposely designed for the specific Smart Meter.

[0051] Through the above mentioned communication channel, the electrical information (voltage, current, cos□, active and reactive energy and power, . . . ) are transferred to the SoM (8) of the simplified Device Version (D2) and, from this point forward, the operation of the device is exactly the same of the first embodiment of the Device (D1).

[0052] In case the DSO's Smart Meter where not able to perform all the measures required by the energy flexibility market, additional measuring unit can be added by the DSO to the existing Smart Meter and then connected to the simplified Device (D2).

[0053] After having disclosed the technical features of the Device (D1, D2) according to the present invention, it is useful to explain the integration of the Device itself into the overall DSO's flexibility system shown in FIG. 1.

[0054] The Device sends recorded data to a Blockchain Infrastructure (1), that process them by a Smart Contract (3), which is substantially a computer program that regulates the economic operations between the parties of the contract on the basis of: [0055] the instantaneous and updated data acquired and certified by the Blockchain and [0056] the conditions and clauses defined therein.

[0057] The transmission of data is automatically done via a secured communication channel.

[0058] The Smart Contract (3) is subscribed by all the flexibility market “actors” (TSO, DSO, Aggregator, Customer, . . . ) so that the energy values, Set Points, billing information and so on elaborated by the Smart Contract are not disputable by anyone. The Smart Contract is configured to facilitate, verify and ensure the compliance of the parties to a contract or agreement, and to automatically execute the contract's clauses when specified conditions are met. The rules defined by the Smart Contract permit financial transactions among the actors of the value-chain, using the information collected by the Blockchain technology guaranteeing data immutability and consistency.

[0059] The rigid rules of the Smart Contract and the automated use of data ensure the certification of energy exchanges and reduce controversy risks among the actors.

[0060] Finally, please note that, according to the invention, it is also provided a system configured for facilitating, verifying and ensuring the compliance of the parties to a contract or agreement, and to automatically executing the contract's clauses when specified conditions are met: thereby permitting financial transactions among said parties, using the information collected by the Blockchain technology.

[0061] Said system comprising: at least a device (D1, D2) for the certified measurement of electric parameters and customers' flexibility behaviour, and for communicating with a distribution system operator, as well as a BlockChain Infrastructure (1) with a plurality of BlockChain nodes (2), a Smart Contract (3) software component, a Power Grid (4), a Customer Grid (6), a DSO's Network Management Platform (5), wherein said elements of the system are directly or indirectly connected and communicating each other.