New design for a sustainable Enel Smart meter

Overview

The smart meter is installed in the customer premises and dedicated to the measuring of the electric energy consumption.

Considering the big amount of smart meter produced every year, a low complexity in the manufacturing process must be considered. Furthermore, there are also some bonds imposed by electronics and mechanics that must be respected.

In 2016 Enel undertook the transition towards a sustainable business model, with a marked acceleration on decarbonization. This approach was adopted by all the Group’s businesses , leveraging in particular circular economy as a strategic driver. Enel’s vision of circular economy is not limited to recycling materials only, but it extends to the business activities along the entire value chain, starting from the design and procurement phases up to production and end-of-life management: consequently, this approach must be applied from the design stage and must guide the design of the smart meter.

For questions about the challenge and your proposal, contact InfoChallengeEGIN@enel.com

This Challenge provides contribution to the following Sustainable Development Goals:

SDG 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Description

BACKGROUND

The installation of the smart meter in every single customer’s house is mandatory to provide a smart, modern and digital service to customers, empowering them with an active control in their energy consumption. It is important that the meter harmoniously fits into the environment in which it is being installed.

THE CHALLENGE

Enel Global Infrastructure and Networks (EGI & N) is looking for a new and sustainable design for residential single-phase and poly-phase smart meters, which must have innovative features in design and materials, incorporating the principles of circular economy and sustainability.

The development of the new smart meter will have to meet the following requirements:

Comply with the technical, dimensional, safety and protection requirements currently adopted by Enel for smart meters (see ANNEX 1 and ANNEX 2).
Ensuring easy manufacturability as they are produced in large volumes.
Incorporate in its design and implement as much as possible the fundamental principles of the circular economy and sustainability.
Promote and enhance , through the design of the smart meter, a vision of efficiency, reliability, innovation and empathy.
Provide the possibility of conveying brief messages or simbols like logos addressed to the final users and maintenance worker of the Company.
The meter is subject to tampering so the design of the aesthetics must in any case take into account an anti-intrusion robustness.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS OF SMART METER

schematic-view-smart-meter-main-external-parts_2400x1160

Figure 1 – Schematic view of smart meter main external parts

The general view in Figure 1 is not mandatory, it’s only an overview of the external parts.

The smart meter must comply with the following characteristics:

Dimensions compatible with the DIN 43857-1 1978 and DIN 43857-2 1978 standard for the single and poly phase version
Materials compliant with the technical requirements of smart meters (EN 50470 -1, EN 50470-3)
It must allow easy reading of an LCD with a minimum size of 64.5x20 mm (we are open to evaluate different display technologies)
Provide a solution for scrolling the display
The presence of a terminal cover to cover the power cable connection
Allow access with optical port and visibility for the 2 LEDs for metrological verification.
The project must allow an IP54 for the area containing the electronics and IP20 under the power cable connection terminal cover.
The smart meter needs to be wall mounted.

In the design phase, please take into account that any prototype will be subjected to all the type tests required by the technical standards for distribution boards in public networks.

For the materials:

The smart meter cover is mainly composed by Polycarbonate (reinforced with 10% of Glass Fiber); the proposal of alternative materials to this type of reinforced polymer would be positively considered, as long as they ensure similar mechanical characteristics, and represent a more sustainable and circular solution. It is desirable as well, the use of secondary raw materials as input materials, in percentages fulfilling technical standards and specifications.
The material must allow or improve the use, accessibility, and safety performance of the smart meter in relation to the work processes in which it is involved.

For the design:

Promote a positive visual impact of these infrastructures that improve their insertion into local contexts (home indoor, …), favoring their reception.
The design of the meter must be able to arouse a perfect combination of functional aspects that can simultaneously recall the sense of efficiency, reliability and quality of performance and symbolic aspects capable of expressing innovation, a look to the future but also closeness and empathy towards the final user.
Be a symbol of a new vision of energy promoted and communicated by the Company: more participatory, bidirectional, sustainable, and evolved, forming a closer relationship between the Company and its customers. Provide for the possibility of conveying brief messages aimed at customers or at the Company’s various stakeholders.
Possess the requirements of realization and economic feasibility.
Integrate the circular perspective into the design in order to ensure the asset’s longevity, favor modularity and therefore the replacement and maintenance of components, as well as the recycling/reuse of the smart meter materials at the end of its life. The main drivers of a Circular by Design approach concern:
- Structure/architecture of the product: Reduce the number of components compared to the main functionalities required and a design that facilitates the removal of hazardous materials.
- Components: Use long-lasting components and avoid hazardous materials.
- Materials: Select recyclable/recycled materials and with low energy intensity as well as minimize the variability of materials used. In the analysis of materials, the assessment must be made taking into account regulation IEC62474, REACH (European Union Regulation for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals), and RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances, Directive 2002/95/EC).
- Design for dismantling: The product must be designed in such a way as to facilitate the dismantling and recovery of all materials at the end of their life.

PROJECT DELIVERABLES

The submitted proposal should contain:

Solution description including:
1. A description of the proposed solution with an explanation of how the Applicant proposes to address the Solution Requirements as listed above.
2. An overview of the proposed path (possible materials and technologies to be used).
3. 3D rendering, views of the smart meter.
4. Technical drawings with all maximum dimensions (in a pdf file). Confirmation of adherence to all the requirements or declaration of the requirement not respected.
General information about the Applicant including:
1. The key contact person for this Challenge (including phone number and email address).
2. Organization/Company/University name and address (including website, if available).

The proposal should not include any information the Solvers may consider as their Intellectual Property they do not want to share.

Challenge rules

All proposers are invited to read carefully the Challenge and the Regulation of this Challenge, attached below in the Attachments section, before submitting a solution.

By submitting a solution they automatically accept the attached Regulations other than the Terms of Use of this platform.

ELIGIBILITY

Designers, Engineer, Architect, design studios, startups, scaleups and SMEs, industries incorporated in any country are eligible to participate in this challenge. For more details, see the Challenge Terms and Conditions.

The employees of Enel Global Infrastructures & Networks and of the other Companies of the Enel Group who are involved in the organization and management of the Competition or admitted to the Open Innovability^® Portal back office, as well as their spouses or partners and their relatives up to the fourth degree, are not eligible for participation in this Challenge.

Also, employees of the companies of the Enel Group who have worked in the technical sector of secondary substations and that work, in the moment of the Challenge, on substation design, or their spouses, partners or any of their relatives up to the fourth grade determined according to Italian law are not eligible for the participation in this Challenge.

Explain your proposal clearly in English, attach documents (max 5 files, 25MB total size) if needed.

CHALLENGE, AWARD, IP RIGHTS

The submission to the Challenge should include the following:

An explanation of the proposed solution addressing specific Solution Requirements along with a well-supported rationale and pertinent data
Schematics that illustrate important aspects of the design
A cost assessment, prototyping timeline, and implementation strategy

Upon Acceptance of a Proposed Solution by the Seeker and payment of the Award, the exclusive IP rights of the winning Solution will be transferred to the Seeker.

The Seeker will recognize to the winner an amount of €10,000. Furthermore, a €3,000 partial awards may be considered for solutions that meet some, but not all, of the criteria.

DEADLINE

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (Central European Time) on May the 29th, 2022.

Late submissions will not be considered.

Specific regulation in the CSA attached at the bottom of this page.

Regulation

Regulation - New design for sustainable Enel Smart Meter

PDF (0.18MB) Download

What happens next?

After the Challenge deadline, the Seeker will complete the review process and make a decision with regards to the Winning Solution(s). All Solvers that submit a proposal will be notified on the status of their submissions.

Enel will evaluate the proposal using the following criteria:

Overall scientific and technical feasibility of the proposed solution;
Economic potential of concept (e.g. Total Cost of Ownership);
Business potential for Enel;
Novelty and creativity;
Potential for proprietary position (i.e., is the technology novel or protectable);
User's capabilities and related experience;
Realism of the proposed solution;
Maturity level of the proposal.

In case the reward includes "Collaboration with Enel", once suitable solution/s have been identified, Enel will reserve the opportunity to start a collaboration, by way of example, all or part of the following activities:

Test execution;
Supply of prototypes (if an equipment);
Installation and site tests;
Follow up and monitoring of the proposed idea behavior.

Upon completion of the evaluation, you will receive feedback.

In case of success, an Enel contact person will get in touch with you to discuss the next steps.

The final award for this Challenge is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the verification process, including acceptance of the Challenge-Specific Agreement (CSA) that is the regulation for this Challenge.
The verification process includes obtaining the following from the Solver: signed affidavit (based on the CSA), employee waiver (if applicable), proof of identify, and Counterparty Analysis Questionnaire (CAQ).