Smart Grid Communications Protocols
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Communications Overview Communications Overview the number of modems and concen- Each segment is interconnected trators needed to cover the entire through a node or gateway: a An electricity grid without adequate system can dramatically reduce infra- concentrator between the WAN and communications is simply a power structure costs. At the same time, NAN and an e-meter between the “broadcaster.” It is through the the selected technology must have NAN and HAN. Each of these nodes addition of two-way communications enough bandwidth to handle all data communicates through the network that the power grid is made “smart.” traffic being sent in both directions with adjacent nodes. The concentrator Communications enables utilities to over the grid network. aggregates the data from the achieve three key objectives: intel- meters and sends that information ligent monitoring, security, and load Communications networks to the grid operator. The e-meter balancing. Using two-way communi- and protocols collects the power-usage data of the cations, data can be collected from home or business by communicating Communications in the smart grid sensors and meters located through- with the home network gateway or can be broken into three segments. out the grid and transmitted directly functioning as the gateway itself. to the grid operator’s control room. Wide area network (WAN) covers Each segment can utilize different This added communications capabil- long-haul distances from the communications technologies and ity provides enough bandwidth for command center to local neighbor- protocols depending on the trans- the control room operator to actively hoods downstream. mission environments and amount manage the grid. Neighborhood area network (NAN) of data being transmitted. In addition The communications must be manages all information between to the architecture choice between reliable, secure, and low cost. the WAN and the home area network wireless and powerline communica- The sheer scale of the electrical using medium-voltage lines. tions (PLC), there are a variety of wireless and PLC protocols to choose grid network makes cost a critical Home area network (HAN) extends among (Table 1). consideration when implementing communication to endpoints within a communications technology. the end-user home or business. Selecting a solution that minimizes INBOUND OUTBOUND POWERLINE POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS COMMUNICATIONS AC LINE AC LINE MODEM MODEM DC-DC DC-DC SERIAL MULTIPROTOCOL OTHER METERS RS-232 RS-485 TRANSFORMER DRIVER WIRELESS COMPLETE RF TRANSCEIVER COMPLETE RF TRANSCEIVER WIRELESS ADC ADC DOWN- ADC ADC DOWN- LNA LNA ANTENNA CONVERTER CONVERTER ANTENNA SW SW UP- DAC UP- DRIVER DAC DRIVER CONVERTER MAXIM CONVERTER PA DAC SOLUTION DAC PA DC-DC DC-DC Maxim offers solutions for powerline, wireless, and serial communications. For a list of Maxim's recommended solutions, please go to: www.maxim-ic.com/communications. www.maxim-ic.com/smartgrid 25 Communications Overview Table 1: Smart grid communications protocols Network Protocol Advantages Disadvantages Recommendation WAN Wireless (2G/3G/LTE Extensive cellular infrastructure is readily Utility must rent the infrastructure from a Wireless usually works best cellular, GPRS) available; large amount of aggregated data cellular carrier for a monthly access fee; utility can be communicated over a long haul does not own infrastructure NAN Wireless ISM Long range; leaps transformers Currently proprietary; dead spots complicate Useful in some topologies, such as in the installation and maintenance U.S. IEEE® 802.15.4g Long range; leaps transformers Not yet an accepted standard Useful in some topologies ZigBee® Low cost; low power consumption allows Low data rate; very short range; does not Unlikely to be used in NANs battery operation; well-known standard penetrate structures well First-generation PLC Low cost Unreliable; low bandwidth Bandwidth and reliability inadequate for (FSK, Yitran, Echelon®) the smart grid Early-generation Better range, bandwidth, and reliability Does not cross transformers; does not coexist Not recommended for new designs due to narrowband OFDM than FSK with first-generation PLC cost and compatibility concerns Broadband PLC High data rate Does not cross transformers Increases infrastructure cost, making it too costly for most large-scale deployments G3-PLC Highly reliable long-range transmission; Not yet an accepted standard Excellent for NAN worldwide crosses transformers, reducing infrastructure costs; data rate supports frequent two-way communications; coexists with FSK; open standard; supports IPv6 HAN ZigBee Well-known standard that offers low cost Very short range; does not penetrate Well suited for communication between and low power structures well water and gas meters Wi-Fi® Popular technology with high data rates Medium range; does not penetrate cement Good for consumer applications, but no buildings or basements provisions for meeting utility objectives First-generation PLC Low cost Not reliable in home environments Unlikely to be used in homes due to high (FSK, Yitran, Echelon) levels of interference Early-generation Better range, bandwidth, and reliability Does not cross transformers; does not coexist Not recommended for new designs due to narrowband OFDM than FSK with first-generation PLC cost and compatibility concerns Broadband PLC High bandwidth Short range is not sufficient for NAN Good for consumer applications, but no provisions for meeting utility objectives G3-PLC Highly reliable; sufficient data rate; IPv6 Not yet an accepted standard Excellent for HAN worldwide enables networking with many devices The WAN is the communications path the network, so most implementa- consumption data with in-home between the grid operator and the tions use proprietary wireless or displays, or enabling a card-activated concentrator. The WAN can be imple- PLC technologies. Several standards prepayment scheme. The arrival mented over fiber or wireless media bodies are currently working with of electric/plug-in hybrid electric using Ethernet or cellular protocols, utilities and technology providers vehicles (EV/PHEVs) presents a special respectively. Cellular or WiMAX® is to define standards for wireless communications scenario for HANs. most commonly used between the and PLC protocols. The IEEE Standards bodies are defining PLC grid operator and the concentrator. 802.15.4g standard targets wireless; protocols for communicating with the IEEE P1901, OPEN meter, and vehicle charging systems. The NAN is the path between the ITU-T G.hnem standards are being concentrator and the meter. It uses developed for PLC (Table 2). In addition to supporting the data either wireless or PLC. Typically, the requirements for smart grid activities, concentrator communicates with The HAN is used by utilities to extend a HAN might also include: peer-to- anywhere from a few to hundreds the reach of their communication peer (P2P) communications between of meters, depending on the grid path to devices inside the home. devices inside the home; communica- topology and the communica- This network can support functions tions with handheld remote-control tions protocol used. Today, there such as cycling air conditioners off devices, lighting controls, and gas or is no standard for this portion of during peak load conditions, sharing water meters; as well as broadband 26 Maxim Smart Grid Solutions Communications Overview OUTSIDE THE WALL INSIDE THE WALL WAN NAN HAN NETWORK SMART GRID OPERATING SMART HOME NETWORK CENTER NETWORK 00000 MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ELECTRICITY METER RELAY 00000 CONCENTRATOR CAP BANK/ E-BRIDGE 00000 WAN Ethernet CDMA GSM 00000 SWITCH/ S-BRIDGE GAS METER 00000000 00000 00000000 The smart grid communications architecture. Table 2: Communication protocols under consideration around the world Region WAN NAN HAN North America Cellular, WiMAX G3-PLC, HomePlug®, IEEE 802.15.4g, IEEE P1901, G3-PLC, HomePlug, ITU-T G.hn, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Z-Wave ITU-T G.hnem, proprietary wireless, Wi-Fi Europe Cellular G3-PLC, IEEE P1901, ITU-T G.hnem, PRIME, Wi-Fi G3-PLC, HomePlug, ITU-T G.hn, Wi-Fi, Wireless M-Bus, ZigBee China Cellular, band-translated G3-PLC, RS-485, wireless to be determined G3-PLC, RS-485, Wi-Fi, to be determined WiMAX Rest of the World Cellular, WiMAX G3-PLC, HomePlug, IEEE 802.15.4g, IEEE P1901, G3-PLC, HomePlug, ITU-T G.hn, RS-485, Wi-Fi, Wireless ITU-T G.hnem, PRIME, RS-485, Wi-Fi M-Bus, ZigBee, Z-Wave www.maxim-ic.com/smartgrid 27 Communications Overview traffic. Protocols such as RS-485, provide a complete system-on-chip OFDM has been used in many ZigBee, Z-Wave®, and HomePlug (SoC) solution. In other cases, such as modern communication systems are used for this network. If there is a proprietary protocols, a digital ASIC such as digital radio and TV, Wi-Fi, separate home gateway, it is possible and an RF transceiver are used to and WiMAX, as well as early-gener- that additional protocols could be build the complete radio link. Maxim ation narrowband protocols such as used to communicate with appliances, has both standard RF transceivers PRIME. Today, OFDM technology is thermostats, and other devices. as well as custom ASICs that can be enabling exciting new functions and configured as transceivers. capabilities for PLC networks. Among Communications alternatives in the the most significant benefits, it gives HAN can often coexist, but utility Powerline communications the utility industry the bandwidth support will probably be limited to needed to build intelligence into the technologies