Application of WSN in Smart Grid: Present and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Modern life aims at making the world less vulnerable to risk, shortening our workload, saving time, assuring security, and overall making our life more comfortable. These goals may be achieved through the implementation of smart environments that are formed with different sensors employed in the collection of various environmental data. The collaboration of these type of sensors is known as Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) that enhances the power generation system and serves smartly. A wide range of studies suggests that WSN is an auspicious nomenclature that possesses the capability of turning the traditional method of electric power generation, distribution, utilization monitoring and measurement, fault tolerance, etc. into a smart one. However, the application of WSN in the smart grid is not a feasible task. Several challenges have to be overcome to introduce WSN effectively in the smart grid. This review begins with an in-depth discussion on the migration from the conventional power grid to a Smart Grid (SG). Then, the introduction of WSN in SG benefits the conventional- SG is discussed followed by the comparative analysis of the security demands, MAC layer protocols, and routing protocols of WSN-based-SG. Finally, the communication technologies, future motives, and intact fields of WSN-based-SG have been discussed in this review.