1)What do u mean by advance metering infrastructure?

name its
components.
Ans:

AMI(Advanced Metering Infrastructure) is the collective term to describe

the whole infrastructure from smart meter to two-way communication
network to control center equipment and all the applications that enable
the gathering and transfer of energy usage information in near real-time.
AMI makes a two-way communications with customers possible and is the
backbone of smart grid.
AMI is comprised of various hardware and software components, all of
which play a role in measuring energy consumption and transmitting
information about energy, water and gas usage to utility companies and
customers. The technological components include:
1. Smart meters
2. Wide-area communications infrastructure
3. Home(local) area networks(HAN’s)
4. Meter Data Management Systems(MDMS)
5. Operational gateways

1.Smart meters:
Smart meters have the capacity to collect information about energy,
water, and gas usage at various intervals and transmitting the data
through fixed communication networks to utility, as well as receiving
information like pricing signals from utility and conveying it to consumer.

2.Communications Infrastructure:
Communications infrastructure supports continuous interaction between
the utility, the consumer and the controllable electrical load.Networks
such as Broadband over power Line (BPL), Power line
communications, Fiber Optic Communication,Fixed Radio Frequency or
public networks are used for such purposes.

3.Home Area Networks(HANs):

A Home Area Network (HAN) interfaces with a consumer portal to
 link smart meters to controllable electrical devices.

4.Meter Data Management System (MDMS):

A MDMS is a database with analytical tools that enable interaction with
other information systems.One of the functions of MDMS is to perform
validation, editing and estimation on the AMI data to ensure that despite
disruptions in the communications network or at customer premises, the
data flowing to the systems described above is complete and accurate.

5.Operational Gateways:
AMI interfaces with many system-side applications to support:
• Advanced Distribution Operations (ADO)
• Advanced Transmission Operations (ATO)
• Advanced Asset Management (AAM)