Impact of Smart Distribution Grid and AMI on Public Dissatisfaction During Generation Shortage in Iran

Persistent generation deficit has become a major operational challenge for electricity distribution companies globally. Traditional grids, fundamentally lacking advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and selective load control capabilities, are frequently forced to implement blunt, feeder-wide load shedding protocols as a last resort to maintain grid stability and prevent catastrophic frequency collapse. This non-selective disconnection strategy invariably results in widespread outages, impacting all consumer segments indiscriminately, leading to severe public dissatisfaction, significant erosion of trust in utility services, and substantial quantifiable economic losses to critical industries and commercial enterprises dependent on continuous power supply. This comprehensive paper examines how the integration of smart distribution grids—specifically leveraging AMI, sophisticated SCADA systems, precision selective curtailment mechanisms, dynamic demand response (DR) incentives, and transparent penalty frameworks—can substantially mitigate outage duration and frequency while simultaneously improving metrics related to social justice and overall energy economics. Quantitative assessments utilize industry-standard reliability indices such as System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI), and Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI), alongside critical economic indicators like Energy Not Supplied (ENS) and direct revenue loss calculations. The analysis, benchmarked against validated international performance metrics, demonstrates conclusively that targeted curtailment, made possible by the granular data provided by smart meters, effectively prevents catastrophic full feeder outages, drastically reduces financial damage inflicted upon the industrial sector, improves long-term revenue stability for the utilities themselves, and significantly increases willing public participation in structured load reduction programs.

کلیدواژه ها:

Generation deficit ، widespread outages ، public dissatisfaction ، smart distribution grid ، energy economics