The landscape of the electric grid that encompasses traditional power generation sources (i.e. coal etc), transmission and distribution networks; and metering infrastructure is changing primarily because of introduction and rise of non-conventional and green-power generation sources and the availability of inexpensive electronic devices required for communication infrastructure. As optimal usage of renewable energy sources are required to meet the ever-increasing demand of electricity and reduce the impact on the environment, it is also essential to bring awareness to consumers about their consumption behavior and provide suggestions as to how electricity can be efficiently used-a step towards making consumers smart in a Smart Grid arena.

To capture the consumption patterns and provide suggestions for consumers, electricity usage information is required in real-time at regular intervals with a reasonable cost for communication. With the increase in population, comes the increase in meters that require information at certain intervals, and there can be an over-utilization or under-utilization of data network bandwidth if it is not planned or sized adequately. This can eventually result in congestion and data loss or inefficient usage of infrastructure.

It is anticipated that captured real-time information will give insight to utility companies on consumer electricity usage behavior which will accordingly assist them in planning for effective power generation and even in establishing different price structures during specific times to sensitize consumers to their behavior and optimize the usage. Hence, in the realm of Smart Grid infrastructure, communication infrastructure will play a vital role. The objective of this paper is to provide a mechanism by which the requirement for the data bandwidth can be identified in advance with two key inputs: (a) interval with which information is required and total number of meters involved; and (b) develop mechanisms to help to identify the bandwidth requirement at “Meter Area Network (MAN)” in entire communication layers of Smart Grid.

This approach serves the key purpose of being proactive in identifying bandwidth requirement in the MAN layer instead of a reactive approach of monitoring, troubleshooting and identifying bandwidth as the bottleneck of communication distortion in the electric grid.

Information, which will be exchanged between electrical meters and communication devices, could be of a sensitive nature for consumers. Therefore, it is essential to ensure data privacy and physical infrastructure security. The certain aspects of security and interoperability have been mentioned in appendix section of this document.