System and method for providing privacy in smart meter deployment

1. A method for providing secure, private and fraud-resistant smart meter information gathering and smart-meter-based applications using smart meters with secure cryptography modules in smart grid, comprising:

issuing a privacy-enhanced credential to a consumer node comprising a smart meter;

operating the consumer node to associate a credential id corresponding to the privacy-enhanced credential wherein the credential id acts as a pseudonym for the consumer without revealing that the credential id is associated with the consumer;

operating the consumer node to create a presentation token from the privacy-enhanced credential which includes no consumer-identifying attributes from the privacy-enhanced credential and includes the credential id as a pseudonym for the consumer; and

operating the consumer node to provide usage information using the presentation token and the credential id to a service provider node.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

operating the consumer node to repeatedly provide usage information using the presentation token and the credential id to a retail energy provider node;

operating the retail energy provider, at the conclusion of a billing cycle, transmitting an electronic bill to the consumer node from the retail energy provider node, wherein the electronic bill is associated with the credential id; and

operating the consumer node, in response to receiving the electronic bill, to pay the electronic bill using a privacy-preserving payment mechanism.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of making a privacy-preserving payment comprises operating the consumer node to:

transmit a bill payment using a second presentation token created by the consumer node and identified by the credential id to a payment transmitter; and

operating the payment transmitter to forward payments and payment notifications identified by the credential id to the retail energy provider.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of making a privacy-preserving payment further comprises operating the consumer node to:

create the second presentation token from the privacy-enhanced credential.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second presentation token is the same presentation token as the first presentation token.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of making an anonymous payment comprises operating the consumer node to:

make a payment from a digital wallet.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

operating the retail energy provider node to digitally authenticate the smart meter of the consumer node prior to transmitting an electronic bill to the consumer node.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

operating the retail energy provider to authenticate the consumer node using anonymous authentication wherein the retail energy provider is assured of the consumer node being a node corresponding to a consumer of the retail energy provider having a smart meter associated with the retail energy provider.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the anonymous authentication comprises:

using a shared authentication credential to authenticate the consumer node to the retail energy provider wherein the shared authentication credential is shared among a group of consumer nodes each having a smart meter.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

operating a gateway node to:

link the smart meter of the consumer node to the pseudonym;

link the pseudonym to the electronic bill;

receive the electronic bill identified by the pseudonym from the retail energy provider;

match up the pseudonym with the smart meter corresponding to the pseudonym and forwarding the electronic bill to the smart meter corresponding to the pseudonym;

receive payment from the consumer node corresponding to the smart meter corresponding to the pseudonym;

forwarding the payment to the retail energy provider.