Smart grid

ADDIS ABABA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

COMMUNICATION STREAM

SMART GRID
Biruk Eyasu
December, 2013

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Smart grid

Introduction
There are many smart grid definitions, some functional, some technological, and some benefitsoriented. A common element to most definitions is the application of digital processing and communications to the power grid, making data flow and information management central to the smart grid. A smart grid is an upgraded electricity network to which two-way digital communication between supplier and consumer, intelligent metering and monitoring systems have been added. Various capabilities result from the deeply integrated use of digital technology with power grids, and integration of the new grid information flows into utility processes and systems is one of the key issues in the design of smart grids. Electric utilities now find themselves making three classes of transformations: improvement of infrastructure, called the strong grid in hina! addition of the digital layer, which is the essence of the smart grid! and business process transformation, necessary to capitali"e on the investments in smart technology. #uch of the moderni"ation work that has been going on in electric grid moderni"ation, especially substation and distribution automation, is now included in the general concept of the smart grid, but additional capabilities are evolving as well.

What are the main benefits of smart grids?

$mart grids are e%pected to: reduce greenhouse gas emissions enable secure functioning of the internal market &rid operators can manage the network more efficiently increase the share of renewable energy and distributed generation create conditions for efficient use of electricity in transport give the consumer the ability to adapt his consumption to benefit from the lowest prices offered during the day

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Enhance energy efficiency. onsumers can follow their actual electricity consumption. This provides them strong incentives for energy saving optimi"e management of the electricity grid enable centrali"ed and decentrali"ed generation to coe%ist boost technology development

Fi !re 1" $mart &rid

Features of the smart grid

The smart grid represents the full suite of current and proposed responses to the challenges of electricity supply. The following are the main features of the smart grid which address the challenges of electric utilities. Re#i$bi#i%& The smart grid will make use of technologies that improve fault detection and allow self-healing of the network without the intervention of technicians. This will ensure more reliable supply of

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electricity, and reduced vulnerability to natural disasters or attack. Although multiple routes are touted as a feature of the smart grid, the old grid also featured multiple routes. 'nitial power lines in the grid were built using a radial model, later connectivity was guaranteed via multiple routes, referred to as a network structure. (owever, this created a new problem: if the current flow or related effects across the network e%ceed the limits of any particular network element, it could fail, and the current would be shunted to other network elements, which eventually may fail also, causing a domino effect. F#e'ibi#i%& i( (e%)*r+ %*,*#* & )e%t-generation transmission and distribution infrastructure will be better able to handle possible bi-direction energy flows, allowing for distributed generation such as from photovoltaic panels on building roofs, but also the use of fuel cells, charging to*from the batteries of electric cars, wind turbines, pumped hydroelectric power, and other sources. lassic grids were designed for one-way flow of electricity, but if a local sub-network generates more power than it is consuming, the reverse flow can raise safety and reliability issues. A smart grid aims to manage these situations. E--icie(c& )umerous contributions to overall improvement of the efficiency of energy infrastructure is anticipated from the deployment of smart grid technology, in particular including demand-side management, for e%ample turning off air conditioners during short-term spikes in electricity price. The overall effect is less redundancy in transmission and distribution lines, and greater utili"ation of generators, leading to lower power prices. S!.%$i($bi#i%& The improved fle%ibility of the smart grid permits greater penetration of highly variable renewable energy sources such as solar power and wind power, even without the addition of energy storage. urrent network infrastructure is not built to allow for many distributed feed-in points, and typically even if some feed-in is allowed at the local +distribution, level the
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transmission-level infrastructure cannot accommodate it. -apid fluctuations in distributed generation, such as due to cloudy or gusty weather, present significant challenges to power engineers who need to ensure stable power levels through varying the output of the more controllable generators such as gas turbines and hydroelectric generators. $mart grid technology is a necessary condition for very large amounts of renewable electricity on the grid for this reason. M$r+e%/e($b#i( The smart grid allows for systematic communication between suppliers +their energy price, and consumers +their willingness-to-pay,, and permits both the suppliers and the consumers to be more fle%ible and sophisticated in their operational strategies. .nly the critical loads will need to pay the peak energy prices, and consumers will be able to be more strategic in when they use energy. &enerators with greater fle%ibility will be able to sell energy strategically for ma%imum profit, whereas infle%ible generators such as base-load steam turbines and wind turbines will receive a varying tariff based on the level of demand and the status of the other generators currently operating. The overall effect is a signal that awards energy efficiency and energy consumption that is sensitive to the time-varying limitations of the supply. At the domestic level, appliances with a degree of energy storage or thermal mass +such as refrigerators, heat banks, and heat pumps, will be well placed to /play/ the market and seek to minimi"e energy cost by adapting demand to the lower-cost energy support periods. This is an e%tension of the dual-tariff energy pricing.

Smart grid technology areas

The bulk of smart grid technologies are already used in other applications such as manufacturing and telecommunications and are being adapted for use in grid operations. 'n general, smart grid technology can be grouped into five key areas:

I(%e r$%e0 c*mm!(ic$%i*(.

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$ome communications are up to date, but are not uniform because they have been developed in an incremental fashion and not fully integrated. 'n most cases, data is being collected via modem rather than direct network connection. Areas for improvement include: substation automation, demand response, distribution automation, supervisory control and data ac0uisition +$ A1A,, energy management systems, wireless mesh networks and other technologies, power-line carrier communications, and fiber-optics. 'ntegrated communications will allow for real-time control, information and data e%change to optimi"e system reliability, asset utili"ation, and security.

Se(.i( $(0 me$.!reme(%

ore duties are evaluating congestion and grid stability, monitoring e0uipment health, energy theft prevention, and control strategies support. Technologies include: advanced

microprocessor meters +smart meter, and meter reading e0uipment, wide-area monitoring systems, dynamic line rating +typically based on online readings by 1istributed temperature sensing combined with -eal time thermal rating +-TT-, systems,, electromagnetic signature measurement*analysis, time-of-use and real-time pricing tools, advanced switches and cables, backscatter radio technology, and 1igital protective relays. Sm$r% me%er. A smart grid replaces analog mechanical meters with digital meters that record usage in real time. $mart meters are similar to Advanced #etering 'nfrastructure meters and provide a communication path e%tending from generation plants to electrical outlets +smart socket, and other smart grid-enabled devices. 2y customer option, such devices can shut down during times of peak demand.

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Fi !re 2" $mart meter technology P1$.*r me$.!reme(% !(i%. (igh speed sensors called 3#4s distributed throughout a transmission network can be used to monitor the state of the electric system. 3hasors are representations of the magnitude and phase of alternating voltage at a point in the network. 'n the 5678s, it was reali"ed that the clock pulses from global positioning system +&3$, satellites could provide very precise time signals to devices in the field, allowing measurement of voltage phase angle differences across wide distances. -esearch suggests that with large numbers of 3#4s and the ability to compare voltage phase angles at key points on the grid, automated systems may be able to revolutioni"e the management of power systems by responding to system conditions in a rapid, dynamic fashion.

A02$(ce0 c*(%r*#
3ower system automation enables rapid diagnosis of and precise solutions to specific grid disruptions or outages. These technologies rely on and contribute to each of the other four key areas. Three technology categories for advanced control methods are: distributed intelligent agents +control systems,, analytical tools +software algorithms and high-speed computers,, and
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operational applications +$ A1A, substation automation, demand response, etc. The Voltage $tability #onitoring 9 ontrol +V$# , software uses a sensitivity-based successive linear

programming method to reliably determine the optimal control solution.

Im,r*2e0 i(%er-$ce. $(0 0eci.i*( .!,,*r%

'nformation systems that reduce comple%ity so that operators and managers have tools to effectively and efficiently operate a grid with an increasing number of variables are available. Technologies include visuali"ation techni0ues that reduce large 0uantities of data into easily understood visual formats, software systems that provide multiple options when systems operator actions are re0uired, and simulators for operational training and :what-if; analysis.

Sm$r% ,*)er e(er$%i*(

$mart power generation is a concept of matching electricity production with demand using multiple identical generators which can start, stop and operate efficiently at chosen load, independently of the others, making them suitable for base load and peaking power generation. #atching supply and demand, called load balancing, is essential for a stable and reliable supply of electricity. $hort-term deviations in the balance lead to fre0uency variations and a prolonged mismatch results in blackouts. .perators of power transmission systems are charged with the balancing task, matching the power output of all the generators to the load of their electrical grid. The load balancing task has become much more challenging as increasingly intermittent and variable generators such as wind turbines and solar cells are added to the grid, forcing other producers to adapt their output much more fre0uently than has been re0uired in the past.

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Communication and net or!ing technologies for the Smart grid

ommunications systems play an important role in the electrical environment, such as the transmission of tele-control data from the power system to a remote control centre, voice and data communication between substations and the power generation plant, monitoring signals, alarms, remote surveillance, to mention a few. The communication re0uirements of electric utilities and other entities involved in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity are very important to dimension the re0uired communications infrastructure and to support the applications of electric utilities and their consumers. .ne of the key technology areas of the $mart &rid is two-way communications, which allows for dynamic monitoring of electricity use as well as for the automated electricity use scheduling. The $mart &rid is based on the concept that all components of the power grid are capable of communicating and supporting smart grid applications such as real-time energy consumption status, and remote controlling of appliances. To achieve this, the different subsystems that constitute the power grid have to be able to communicate with each other through a communications network. The adoption and use of standards-based networking technology brings a wide range of opportunities to the smart grid development. They enable electric utilities to integrate products from different vendors ensuring interoperability across intelligent electronic devices, networking technologies, and backhaul communication links endpoints. 'n addition, international, regional and national standards will enable the integration of e0uipment from multiple smart grid technology vendors.

3i0e $re$ (e%)*r+i( %ec1(*#* ie.

A <ide Area )etwork +<A), is the core of a utility network. 't shall support mission-critical operations, and cyber and physical security measures to protect the utility=s operations. 't also often serves as the backhaul infrastructure far substations automation and other advanced
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network applications. As the network core, it shall serve as the support for mobile data and voice. The <A) needs to be built up of high bandwidth fiber optics-based telecommunication technologies such as $.)ET*$1(, <1#*1<1#, satellite or microwave technologies, among many others. )e%t, the main wide area networking technologies that can be used in a smart grid environment are analy"ed.

Sonet"SD#
$.)ET +$ynchronous .ptical )etwork, and $1( +$ynchronous .ptical )etwork, are core transport digital networks that enable the integration of high-speed data services, which facilitate the deployment of large networks with comprehensive network management facilities. 2oth technologies define a common number of aggregate transmission rates, particularly at the higher rates! however they have significant differences at the lower multiple%ing levels. $1( has been widely used in carrier, as well as in electric utility networks to build their backbone transmission networks. 't offers carrier- class reliability with short restoration times less than >8 ms, in case of path failures. #odern $1( platforms are pointed to be a universal transport networks for all kind of T1#-based services like voice, data or electric utility specific applications. 'n addition, newly evolved standards let Ethernet l3 benefit from transport mechanisms $1( can offer, especially in <A) applications. $ince its introduction, $1( has been adopted worldwide by many electric utilities for fiber and microwave systems, offering the re0uested 0uality of service for demanding real-time applications and mission critical services.

WDM"DWDM
<1# +<avelength 1ivision #ultiple%ing, is a technology that permits to e%ploit the huge capacity of optical fibers by multiple%ing a number of high-speed optical data streams onto the same fiber using different optical wavelengths. 'n electric utility transmission networks <1# technology can be used for upgrading the e%isting $1( infrastructure. 1ense <1# +1<1#, technology, allows data transmission at more than one wavelength on each fiber pair of an
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optical fiber system. The 5? $ynchronous Transport #odule level or $T#-5? +5? % 5>>.>@8#bps A @.> &bps, is the transmission speed in the $1( hierarchy which is being most widely used today, can transmit $T#-5? signals at four +B % @.> &bps, or eight different wavelengths +B or 7 % @.> &bps, to give a total capacity of 58 or @8 &bps per fiber pair. 1<1#-based networks can transmit data in '3 AT#, $.)ET*$1(, and Ethernet formats. Therefore, 1<1#-based networks can carry different types of traffic at different speeds over an optical channel.

Satellite $SAT
$atellite communication is a technology that has been used in electric utility networks to provide connectivity for $ A1A and other applications such as voice, video or data to remote substation sites that cannot be reached by other communications technologies. urrently, satellite communications has evolved in improving performance reliability and reducing costs. $atellite networks provide two-way communications, they are built on '3, and support broadband data rates. 'n addition, advances in satellite communications and in particular Very $mall Aperture Terminal +V$AT, technologies have e%panded the range of potential applications within the $mart &rid. These systems use small antennas, '3-compatible terminal e0uipment, and better performance than traditional satellite systems. V$AT satellite networks provide fle%ible data rate performance, ranging from 5? kbps suitable for basic $ A1A connectivity to speeds of ' #bps and above to support voice, video and data applications. V$AT satellite systems can provide new solutions for remote monitoring and control of transmission and distribution substations providing e%tensive coverage. They also provide location and time synchroni"ation +import ant for successful use of 3#4s, based on a global positioning system +&3$,.

Micro a%e
#icrowave is a technology that is used in geographically difficult areas as an alternative transport technology for voice, data, and video applications. 't can be used to create complete networks or Cust to carry out the last mile connections of larger wired or fiber networks. <hen there is no infrastructure like optical fibers available, a solution is to install point-to-point

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microwave links. #icrowave technology is a fle%ible and cost-effective solution for transmission of voice, data, and video services in all parts of a fi%ed or wireless mobile network, including applications for backhaul or direct access services. Enhancements in wireless technology have also allowed higher order modulation schemes that offer better spectral efficiencies, permitting less bandwidth for the same capacity or higher capacities with the same bandwidth compared to older models.

Digital trun!ed radio

1igital trunked radio is a 3#- +3rivate #obile -adio, technology that uses unguided electromagnetic waves to propagate information, thus wireless transport of data. A trunked radio system is a comple% type of computer- controlled radio system. Trunked +resource sharing, systems use a few channels +the actual fre0uencies, and can have virtually unlimited talk groups. The control channel computer sends packets of data to enable one talk group to talk together, regardless of fre0uency. The primary purpose of this type of system is efficiency! many people can carry many conversations over only a few distinct fre0uencies. Trunking is used by many government entities to provide two-way communication for fire departments, police and other municipal services, who all share spectrums allocated to a city, county, or other entity. Trunking technology can be used in a smart grid environment to provide electric utilities networks with fleet management and disaster management.

I& Radio
'3 -adio, known as -adio over '3 +-o'3, is the new ne%t generation technology targeted for data transmission over microwave radio. 't is like trunked radio but with l3 addressing. As a result the primary traffic interface for l3 radio is Dast Ethernet. '3 radio networks can basically use any type of '3 infrastructure, whether it is the public internet, a private network +'ntranet,, or a local area network using Ethernet. '3 -adio provides a fle%ible way to e%tend the reach and improve the efficiency of two- way radio technology, avoiding new investments in '3 infrastructure. 'n addition, '3 radio allows two-way radios to communicate with desk and

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mobile phones providing interoperability Electric utilities can improve responsiveness during disaster situations or system failures, by using '3 radio technology.

P$ i( (e%)*r+.
3aging networks are radio systems for delivering short messages from the telephone system or 'nternet to*from small, remote, mobile terminals. 3aging systems use a variety of technologies, including microwave and satellite. Eike cellular systems virtually all of the paging networks use more than one transmitter to send a message over the entire paging service area to all base stations at a time. 3aging systems typically provide one or two-way communications over a variety of open standard gateways that have the ability to send and receive email, numeric pages, and $#$ messages.

Access '&(
Access 23E +2roadband over 3ower Eines, is a technology that carries broadband 'nternet traffic over medium voltage power lines. Access 23E systems carry high-speed data and voice signals over the medium voltage power lines from a point where there is a connection to a telecommunications network. This point of connection may be at a power substation or at an intermediate point between substations, depending on the network topology Access 23E systems can be used to provide high-speed 'nternet access and other broadband services to homes as well as providing electric utility companies with a means to more effectively manage their electric power distribution operations. &iven that Access 23E can be made available in conCunction with the delivery of electric power, it may provide an effective means for last mile delivery of broadband services and may offer a competitive alternative to 1$E, cable modem services and other high-speed 'nternet technologies.

Cellular )GSM"CDMA*
&$# +&lobal $ystem for #obile ommunications,, is the world=s most popular technology for mobile telephone systems. &$# is considered a second generation +@&, mobile phone system. &$# technology offers low-cost implementation of the short message service +$#$, which is
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supported on other mobile phone standards as well. 4sing the $#$ function of a digital cellular network can be used to provide low-cost substation automation to control and monitor, substation performance when small amounts of control information or monitoring data is needed. )ewer versions of the standard are &3-$ +&eneral 3acket -adio $ervice, and E1&E +Enhanced 1ata -ates for &$# Evolution,, for higher speed data transmission. 1#A + ode 1ivision #ultiple Access, is a cellular technology originally known as '$-6>, where data and voice are separated from signals using codes and then transmitted using a wide fre0uency range. 2ecause of this, there are more space left for data transfer for broadband access and the use of big multimedia messages. Dor the F& generation network, 1#A uses l% EV-1. and EV1V technologies.

RF Mesh
-D +-adio Dre0uency, #esh is a technology that allows meters and other sensing devices to access the network by securely routing data via nearby meters and relay devices. -D-based mesh networks have emerged as the leading )A) +)eighborhood Area )etwork, technology for smart metering applications. A mesh network forms a network topology by using mesh or star configurations. Any node not in direct communication range of its target destination will have its data relayed by another node in the mesh. The electric system shall support two-way communication between the meter and the electric utility )ew technologies based on -' mesh networking promise an ideal solution with high functionality and low cost. -D mesh networking of multiple sensors in a facility may enable industrial and commercial customers to reduce energy costs through profiling energy usage and developing plans that help to avoid demand charges, reduce energy consumption, and improve business processes such as instantaneous and efficient control of (VA and lighting systems.

WiMA+
<i#a% +<orldwide 'nteroperability for #icrowave Access, is a wireless technology that provides high-throughput broadband connections over long distances. 't can be used as pointto-point or point-to-point for providing mainly Ethernet*'3-based data-services as a shared
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medium to locations where neither copper nor fiber is available or mobility is re0uired. <i#a% can provide long distance communications beyond 5? km and in some instances beyond B7 km at data transfer rates of G> #bps. <i#a% using the 'EEE 78@.5? standard allows for seamless communication with multiple vendors. Also, <i#a% can communicate out of sight via 'EEE 78@.5?e and can communicate with moving trucks or cars. 't can serve as the backbone of a transmission and distribution communication system supporting <i-Di applications for substation or distribution automation, as well as provide a backhaul infrastructure for A#' systems.

C*(c#!.i*(
The $mart &rid concept has been foreseen as the integration of the electrical generation, transmission and 0i.%rib!%i*( (e%)*r+ and the data communications network. A smart grid is an upgraded electricity network to which two-way digital communication is added to the control and monitoring of the power system. It has so many available and expected benefits attached to it. Although, traditional communications interfaces, protocols and standards has been used in the electrical grid in an isolated manner, modern communications network is considered as the fundamental enabling technology within the future $mart &rid. #odern communications technologies, protocol architectures and standards can help to build a common communications network infrastructure for data transport between customer premises, power substations, power distribution systems, utility control centers and utility data centers. The $mart &rid will support traditional applications such as $ A1A, distribution automation +1A,, energy management systems +E#$,, demand site management +1$#, and automatic meter reading +A#-,, etc... as well as new applications like advanced metering infrastructure +A#',, substation automation +$A,, micro grids, distributed generation, grid monitoring and control, data storage and analysis, among others. To make this possible, the $mart &rid re0uires a two-way wide area communications network between different dispersed areas, from generation to distribution to consumer premises. 'n fact, i% will consist of many different types of communications networks such as wide area networks, local area network, home area networks, etc. This re0uires a new architectural approach to implement a common
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communications infrastructure that provides the reliability, scalability, security and interoperability to support multiple applications. 'n addition, open standards addressing interoperability, are key for the development and deployment of the $mart &rid as a true integrated network. A communications backbone is necessary to provide interoperability. To achieve the level of networking, interoperability and security that meets the technical re0uirements of the $mart &rid, its data communications network architecture must be built using standard, open protocols. 'nternet 3rotocol +'3, and broadband networks could form the backbone of this infrastructure, as they are fle%ible and resilient enough to meet the demand of the grid. The benefits of using '3-based networks include the maturity of a large number of '3 standards, the availability of tools and applications that can be applied to multiple smart grid areas, and the widespread use of '3 technologies in both private and public networks. 'n addition, '3 technologies are the link between applications and the underlying communication physical medium. They allow applications to be developed independent of both the communications infrastructure and the various communications technologies to be used, either wired or wireless. Drom a general point of view the main role of communication and networking technologies is to make the current electrical grid, smart. The $mart &rid will use many types of communications technologies such as public and private, wired and wireless, licensed and unlicensed, and standard and proprietary technologies. There e%ist a great number of communications and networking technologies that can be used to support smart grid applications, including fiber optics systems, cellular, satellite, trunked radio, <i#AH, power line carrier, broadband over power lines +23E,, and '3 as well as in-home technologies. 'n this work, an analysis of the most relevant communications and networking technologies applicable to the $mart &rid were presented.

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