Realizing smart meter connectivity: Analyzing the competing technologies Power line communication, mobile telephony, and radio frequency using the best worst method

The world is faced with various societal challenges related to e.g. climate change and energy scarcity. To address these issues, complex innovative systems may be developed such as smart grids. When these systems are realized challenges pertaining to renewable energy and sustainability may, in part, be solved. To implement them, generally accepted common standards should be developed and used by firms and society so that the technological components can be connected and quality and safety requirements of smart grids and their governance can be guaranteed. This paper studies a subcomponent of the smart grid. Specifically, the paper studies competing technologies for a standard means of interface between the smart meter and the concentration point for collecting meter data. Three types of communication technologies for the interface are currently battling for standard dominance: Power line communication, Mobile telephony, and Radio frequency. Nine relevant standard dominance factors were found: operational supremacy, technological superiority, compatibility, flexibility, pricing strategy, timing of entry, current installed base, regulator, and suppliers. The Best-Worst Method was applied to calculate the factors’ relative weights. The results show that experts believe that Power line communication has a high chance of becoming dominant and that the most important factor affecting standard success is technological superiority. The relative weights per factor are explained and theoretical and practical contributions, limitations, and areas for further research are discussed.