Life cycle based analysis of ICT equipment for advanced metering infrastructure

The future electric power grid, i.e., the smart grid, is expected to offer numerous advantages over the current electricity grid due to an improved efficiency of electricity production, distribution, consumption as well as sophisticated grid management and integration of distributed renewable energy sources. However, in order to enable these functionalities, additional equipment has to be installed, which, on the other hand, will lead to increased electricity consumption and more e-waste. This correspondence provides insights into the sustainability of the additional information and communication technology (ICT) equipment required for the deployment of the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), which will be the essential part of future smart grids. We present results on the cumulative exergy consumption of AMI taking into account all life cycle phases. The impact of components´ lifetime and implementation options is shown.