Implementing DLMS/COSEM in smart meters

For some time now there have been initiatives (European SmartGrids, GridWise) to develop new visions of the future electric system - smart grid, triggered with the increasing demand for electricity and the drive for lower carbon generation, and made possible by new advances in technology. In order to deliver electric energy reliably and efficiently to end-users, smart system has to monitor and control demand appropriately. This can be done through the use of smart meters. However, for long there has been no unique and generally accepted protocol for delivery and interpretation of meter data, what has generated many problems and difficulties for both AMI system developers and utility distributors. DLMS/COSEM is widely accepted standard-based language for meter communication, whose main goal is interoperability among metering equipment. Although it is a well-defined protocol, integrating it into a meter sets new challenges in front of a developer like resources management and compatibility with current HW and SW platform.