A Secure and Privacy-Preserving Protocol for Smart Metering Operational Data Collection

Smart grid allows fine-grained smart metering data collection which can improve the efficiency and reliability of the grid. Unfortunately, this vast collection of data also imposes risks to users' privacy. In this paper, we propose a novel protocol that allows suppliers and grid operators to collect users' aggregate metering data in a secure and privacy-preserving manner. We use secure multiparty computation to ensure privacy protection. In addition, we propose three different data aggregation algorithms that offer different balances between privacy-protection and performance. Our protocol is designed for a realistic scenario in which the data need to be sent to different parties, such as grid operators and suppliers. Furthermore, it facilitates an accurate calculation of transmission, distribution, and grid balancing fees in a privacy-preserving manner. We also present a security analysis and a performance evaluation of our protocol based on existing multiparty computation algorithms.