Utilities are upgrading to a smart grid, which reports hourly net consumption data for homes and businesses, allows wireless communication between the utility and meters, and provides additional tools for reducing peak demand. However, utilities remain uncertain how to best take advantage of energy generated by behind-the-meter photovoltaics (PV) installations. Smart meters present a compelling option for broadening the utility's ability to account for distributed generation systems' energy output. Greater certainty in benefits of PV systems will directly result in utilities placing a greater value on energy generated by these systems, resulting in more investment in PV. Additionally, new peak demand reduction programs, enabled by advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), can improve payback periods for system owners, hence furthering market.adoption. This paper discusses: how AMI can be leveraged to increase savings (particularly during peak demand periods) for households with PV systems; and benefits to utilities and system owners.
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