Enhancing Communication Network Availability for Secondary Distribution Power Grid Management

Abstract

Secondary Distribution Electrical Power Grid (SDEPG) is the last mile of power grid connecting end users. Moving from a traditional SDEPG to a smart SDEPG calls for a need to have reliable communication network which is affected by availability, bandwidth and latency. Unreliable communication results into an unmanageable power grid leading to uncontrolled failures that can negatively impact humankind. The nature of Software Defined Networking (SDN) offers flexibility, making it superior in enhancing communication network reliability. Currently, most research focuses on ensuring reliability in IP networks with wired technologies. However, SDEPG demands a combination of wired and wireless technologies. In this paper we propose an SDN based availability enhancement solution for SDEPG communication network that cuts across all layers. In case of Access Point (AP) failure, our results reveal that SDN seamlessly redirects users to a nearby AP while maintaining acceptable bandwidth, latency and availability.