Cloud and NB-IoT Integration for Automatic Meter Reading in Smart Grids: A Conceptual Implementation Framework and Requirements

Modernizing the energy sector relies heavily on the integration of smart metering systems and advanced measuring equipment to enhance the efficiency of power grid operations. Low-power, wide-area network capabilities of the Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and Cloud platforms' computational efficiency make them ideal for integrating to transform the smart grid, especially Automatic Meter Reading (AMR). This paper examines NB-IoT’s capacity, scalability, and cost-effectiveness to manage extensive deployments of smart metering devices, as well as the feasibility of combining Cloud and NB-IoT technologies to support energy monitoring and management. The integration of NB-IoT with Cloud platforms helps improve data storage, processing, and analytics capabilities, thereby addressing the requirements of existing AMR systems. The research conducted in this paper, along with the presented real-world smart metering scenarios, aims to offer better insights and recommendations for the effective implementation of integrated Cloud-NB-IoT smart metering systems.