Smart electric energy measurements in power distribution grids

Smart Grid (SG) is an expression that has diffused worldwide. However, the meaning of this expression is not commonly shared, since there is not yet a totally defined or accepted idea of smartness. What is commonly recognized is that significant changes are occurring in electric systems, and traditional management and protection schemes will not be suitable for next generation electric grids [1]. This paper discusses some of the challenges and the opportunities related to the measurement of energy in modern distribution grids. In particular, the possibility to estimate energy flows in the network branches is explored, by focusing on the importance of a proper choice of the components of the distributed measurement system, mainly in terms of typology, metrological characteristics, and number and position of the measurement devices.