SMI is an interdisciplinary and tri-national research project with ERDF co-financing by the EU programme Interreg V Oberrhein, managed by the University of Haute Alsace, Mulhouse (UHA IRIMAS-Institut de Recherche en Informatique, Mathématiques, Automatique et Signal) and developed in collaboration with over 15 partners from science and industry.

In response to the European Directive 2009/72/EC for the internal electricity market and to reduce energy consumption, the project aims to improve the integration and acceptance of smart meters by households and to develop a new smart meter that is more efficient, safer and better accepted by consumers. New smart meter functionalities will be developed within this framework to measure and predict the individual consumption of electrical appliances by end users, taking into account energy prices, available production and storage capacities. The laboratory prototype including the smart meter will be tested with the help of associated partners.

The project can be divided into five complementary parts:

1. mapping smart meters and their types to get a clear and precise understanding of the existing potential of smart meters of different types in the development of demand-response measures in the context of flexibilisation mechanisms to balance an energy system based on renewable energies in the Upper Rhine region.

2. modelling (assumption + participatory use) the acceptance of smart meters by households by examining on the one hand the social representations associated with smart meters and on the other hand the degree of satisfaction, expectations and uses related to the technical characteristics of smart meters. This study will be carried out in two phases: on existing smart meters and on the solution proposed in this project.

3. artificial intelligence for the development of the smart meter and security concepts for distributed smart grids. The results of the general public survey of the previous task will help to lay the foundations for an intelligent tool for detailed observation of the energy behaviour of uses with maximum data security.

4. modifying and thoroughly harmonising the current legal framework for smart meters for a compatible cross-sectoral legal framework and significantly broadening the legal possibilities available to stakeholders.

5. the preparation of a white paper in 3 languages (French, German and English) on smart meters, which, in addition to the state of the art, also sets out the perspectives for future development.

Project coordinator at the University of Freiburg: Manuel Saros, manuel.saros felis.uni-freiburg de

Project-Website: https://www.smi.uha.fr/en/