TCP/IP capabilities over NB-PLC for Smart Grid applications: Field validation

The Role of Power Line Communications in the Smart Grid Revisited: Applications, Challenges, and Research Initiatives

“…On one hand, the optimization of the network performance is a key aspect to make the most out of the current communication technologies. For this reason, some analyses have been developed to get the best configuration of the communication protocols in order to improve their efficiency and capacity at each scenario [132]- [135]. On the other hand, once the communication infrastructure of NB-PLC has been deployed for AMI, it can be used for additional applications other than metering.…”

“…On the other hand, once the communication infrastructure of NB-PLC has been deployed for AMI, it can be used for additional applications other than metering. In this line, two approaches to extend the possibilities of the PLC infrastructures are being studied: first, the IP-based data transmission in the PLC infrastructure, within the same frequency range used for Smart Metering [33], [132], [136]; and second, the use of the extended frequency range up to 500 kHz for advanced use cases [134], [137], [138]. In addition, PLC has been also recently connected with the backhauling required for the connectivity needs of 5G antennas [139].…”

“…The scenario, this is, the number of devices to be connected and the distance between them (which determines, in turn, the number and length of the branches of the grid) is a determinant aspect [132], [133], [135]. Besides, some studies have demonstrated the great influence of the grid topology in the communications performance, as it conditions the traffic profile and the latency of the communications [132]- [135]. Consequently, the capacity and latency values for two networks containing the same number of SMs, but with a different layout, may differ considerably.…”

Smart Grid Applications for a Practical Implementation of IP over Narrowband Power Line Communications

“…In [9], it was demonstrated by laboratory tests that IP can be implemented in the available channel of a NB-PLC system (specifically, PRIME technology), and in [50], measurements performed in a real environment demonstrated the viability of IP transmission over PLC. The measurements were performed in a real microgrid implementing a PLC-based AMI system consisting of 21 nodes.…”

“…A detailed description of the configurations and devices can be consulted in [50]. Aiming at testing a wide range of parameters, several configurations and scenarios were measured, as summarized in Table 2, and the results can be seen in a schematic way in Figure 2.…”