State-of-the-art integration of decentralized energy management systems into the German smart meter gateway infrastructure

The German Smart Meter Gateway (SMGW) infrastructure enables digital access to metering data and distributed energy resources by external parties. There are, however, various restrictions in order to guarantee the privacy of consumers, and strong security requirements. Furthermore, in the current state of development, there are still several challenges to overcome in order to implement demand side management (DSM) measures. In this paper, we present a prototype enabling DSM measures within the SMGW infrastructure, using the smart grid traffic light concept. The prototype implements an automated decentralized energy management system (EMS) that optimally controls an electric vehicle charging station. In the development of this prototype, we did not only evaluate five of the seven available SMGW devices, but also push the limits of the infrastructure itself. The experiments demonstrated the successful implementation of the intended DSM measure by the EMS. Even though there are technical guidelines standardizing the functionality of SMGWs, our evaluation shows that there are substantial differences between the individual SMGW devices

Smart Meter Gateways: Options for a BSI-compliant integration of energy management systems

The introduction of Smart Meter Gateways (SMGWs) to buildings and households creates new opportunities and challenges for energy management systems. While SMGWs provide interfaces for accessing recorded information and enable communication to external parties, they also restrict data access to protect the privacy of inhabitants and facility owners. This paper presents an analysis of options for integrating automated (Building) Energy Management Systems (EMSs) into the smart meter architecture based on the technical guidelines for SMGWs by the German Federal Office for Information Security (“Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik”, BSI). It shows that there are multiple ways for integrating automated EMSs into the German smart metering architecture, although each option comes with its own advantages and restrictions. By providing a detailed discussion of trade-offs, this paper supports EMS designers that will be confronted with differing freedoms and limitations depending on the integration option

Palaeobiogeography and Evolutionary Patterns of the Larger Foraminifer \u3cem\u3eBorelis\u3c/em\u3e de Montfort (Borelidae)

The palaeobiogeography of the alveolinoid Borelis species reveals the evolutionary patterns leading to the two extant representatives, which occur in shallow‐water tropical carbonate, coral reef‐related settings. Type material and new material of fossil Borelis species, along with Recent specimens were studied to assess their taxonomic status, species circumscriptions (based on proloculus size, occurrence of Y‐shaped septula, and the index of elongation), palaeobiogeography and evolutionary dynamics. The species dealt with here are known from exclusively fossil (B. pygmaea, B. inflata, B. philippinensis, B. melo, B. curdica), and from fossil and modern (B. pulchra, B. schlumbergeri) specimens. For the first time, fossil and Recent Borelis specimens are illustrated via micro‐computed tomography scanning images. Depending on the occurrence of Y‐shaped septula, two lineages are distinguished. Deriving from the middle–upper Eocene Borelis vonderschmitti, the first lineage includes B. inflata, B. pulchra and B. pygmaea, lacking Y‐shaped septula. The first species bearing Y‐shaped septula is the Rupelian B. philippinensis of the western Indo‐Pacific. The westward migrants of B. philippinensis into the Mediterranean gave rise to B. melo (Aquitanian–Messinian) and B. curdica (Burdigalian–Tortonian). These two species became isolated from the Indo‐Pacific by the Langhian eastern closure of the Mediterranean basin and disappeared during the Messinian Salinity Crisis. Since the Tortonian, B. schlumbergeri, which descended from B. philippinensis, has inhabited the Indo‐Pacific along with B. pulchra. From the central Pacific Ocean, B. pulchra reached the Caribbean area before the early Piacenzian closure of the Central America seaway