International Journal of Contemporary ENERGY, Vol. 4, No. 1 (2018) ISSN 2363-6440 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ J. I. Laveyne, G. van Eetvelde, L. Vandevelde: “Application of LoRaWAN for Smart Metering: An Experimental Verification”, pp. 61–67 61 DOI: 10.14621/ce.20180107 Application of LoRaWAN for Smart Metering: An Experimental Verification Joannes I. Laveyne*, Greet Van Eetvelde, Lieven Vandevelde Ghent University, Department of Electrical Energy, Systems & Automation (EESA) Tech Lane Ghent Science Park, Technologiepark, Zwijnaarde 913, 9052 Ghent, Belgium; joannes.laveyne@ugent.be Abstract The emerging Internet of Things (IoT) market is generating a lot of buzz, and different Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technologies such as Sigfox, Ingenu or LoRaWAN are making waves in the industry. The speed at which nation-wide networks based on these technologies are being rolled out is among the fastest ever seen on the European continent. In this paper we discuss the aptitude of a LoRaWAN network to capture data from smart energy meters. Special attention is given to the communication requirements of different uses cases for smart metering, and the benefits and drawbacks of LoRaWAN are illustrated. Additionally, a brief overview of the most prominent LPWAN technologies is presented and a small field test is conducted. 1. Introduction In many Western and most West-European countries, smart metering is being rolled out as a replacement for traditional electromechanical consumption meters at the customer’s premises [1-2]. These smart meters are intended as a cornerstone in tomorrow’s smart grids, as they provide new services impossible or difficult to implement on the former metering devices [3]. When well implemented, smart metering offers potential benefits to customers and certain benefits to the Distribution System Operator (DSO). One of the main benefits for customers, and also one of the main regulatory drivers for smart metering, is the ability to receive accurate and timely statements of energy use. No longer do provisional statements have to be made based on energy consumption estimates, possibly leading to unpleasant surprises when a customer receives a final settlement after a manual meter reading by the DSO. With smart metering the intermediate statements are based on the real meter readings communicated through a digital network to the DSO. Smart metering offers additional benefits to customer and society as a whole, such as real-time feedback about their energy use. This leads to higher energy awareness and potentially energy savings. Connecting the smart meter to home automation systems can automate this process significantly. The main benefits of smart metering are arguably reserved for the DSO [4]. The automation of meter reading releases them form the time-consuming process of manual meter reading and simplifies administration, e.g. disputes about the settlement. It also gives the DSO an intricate and quasi real-time view of the distribution grid, enabling quick problem identification and resolving or even pro-active maintenance. Keywords: Smart metering; Internet of things; LoRaWAN; Smart grids; Energy management Article history: Received: 31 March 2017 Revised: 11 December 2017 Accepted: 19 January 2018