Investigation of the use of embedded Web Services in smart metering applications

The actual situation in smart metering is characterized by a coexistence of a large number of proprietary and open standards for wired as well as wireless communication. These standards show low or no interoperability to each other. Therefore, it is very difficult to integrate multi-vendor solutions using one sustainable holistic approach. The proposed approach is to use Web Service technology as an open widespread Internet standard for the creation of a heterogeneous network for smart metering devices. Smart metering is an emerging topic for realizing modern energy policies. Monitoring, analyzing, and controlling of power consumption is the precondition for optimizing energy strategies. This work focuses on the integration of Web Service technology in the area of smart meter communication. Furthermore, mechanisms for reducing Web Service traffic overhead by over 90% is presented.