Abstract
Smart Grids are becoming a reality all over the world. Nowadays, the research efforts for the introduction and deployment of these grids are mainly focused on the development of the field of Smart Metering. This emerging application requires the use of technologies to access the significant number of points of supply (PoS) existing in the grid, covering the Low Voltage (LV) segment with the lowest possible costs. Power Line Communications (PLC) have been extensively used in electricity grids for a variety of purposes and, of late, have been the focus of renewed interest. PLC are really well suited for quick and inexpensive pervasive deployments. However, no LV grid is the same in any electricity company (utility), and the particularities of each grid evolution, architecture, circumstances and materials, makes it a challenge to deploy Smart Metering networks with PLC technologies, with the Smart Grid as an ultimate goal. This paper covers the evolution of Smart Metering networks, together with the evolution of PLC technologies until both worlds have converged to project PLC-enabled Smart Metering networks towards Smart Grid. This paper develops guidelines over a set of strategic aspects of PLC Smart Metering network deployment based on the knowledge gathered on real field; and introduces the future challenges of these networks in their evolution towards the Smart Grid.
Highlights
The Smart Grid is recognized today as a revolutionary concept that, even with some of the problems associated to the lack of consensus over a unique and closed definition [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8], is in the process of being implemented in many electricity grids all over the world
Within the aspects that may be highlighted as standing within the consensus of the utility community in the Smart Grid definition, we find the addition of recent advances of electronics, and information and communications technologies (ICTs) applied on the distribution grid electricity assets, to get a better energy supply based on remote monitoring and metering of the existing assets, a better adjustment between energy production and consumption, the optimization of operation reaction times, and the improvement in the grid technical losses
This paper has covered the strategic aspects of Power Line Communications (PLC) systems applications over the electricity grid for the purpose of Smart Metering
Summary
The Smart Grid is recognized today as a revolutionary concept that, even with some of the problems associated to the lack of consensus over a unique and closed definition [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8], is in the process of being implemented in many electricity grids all over the world. (see reference [10]), are extensively covered by academic researchers With all this information, PLC technology has managed to progress and evolve into different system specifications that have subsequently been applied on real field to provide real services. Circumstance is the main reason of the slow and unequal adoption rate of PLC technologies in the different utilities The causes for these non-existing standard deployment guidelines include reasons such as application of the technology on real grids being far from academics, electricity grid being a transmission media that needs skilled technicians to be handled and that is not accessible to the general public (with the exception of the in-home segment), and PLC technology not being a conventional transmission media for telecommunication specialists. PLC systems for Smart Metering and Smart Grid applications; Section 6 provides specific guidelines for PLC-based Smart Metering deployments; Section 7 includes the challenges that will make PLC systems better serve the evolution of Smart Metering networks into Smart Grid networks; and Section 8 highlights the main conclusions of the paper
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