Assessing the Smartness Required of Electricity Meters for Affordable, Inclusive and Sustainable Electricity Access in the Global South

Increased use of smart technology is seen as a solution to providing equitable and reliable energy access. Consequently, there has been a global push for smart metering. There is a range of smart meters available with differing features and functionality. This work discusses an approach for rating the degree of smartness of an electric meter to assess whether it can help provide equitable and affordable electricity access to the Global South. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the multicriteria decision-making tool, is employed for obtaining a framework for evaluating smartness. India is the country chosen in this paper as a case representing the Global South. Expert opinion is used as input to provide a weightage to various criteria that make up smartness. A survey was conducted to collect data for the AHP in which experts from both industry and academia participated. Based on their inputs, 2 AHP frameworks were created. The data obtained and the AHP results show that there is an agreement between both sets of experts on what constitutes a smart meter for a developing country such as India. Using the expert agreed AHP framework, a smartness score was then calculated for any given meter. As a case study few commercially available Indian electricity meters are considered for smartness assessment and affordability, and the results are discussed. It is demonstrated that the new framework allows decision makers to choose economical smart meters that aid in achieving efficient electricity access. Additionally, it is noted that both sets of experts seem to favour similar meters with regard to smartness.