Javier Matanza

Advanced metering infrastructure performance using European low-voltage power line communication networks

Power line communication has recently attracted the attention of energy companies as a useful and natural technology for building the advanced metering infrastructure. In this context, device language message specification/companion specification for energy metering (DLMS/COSEM) is an increasingly popular standardised application protocol for communication between utilities and their customers. This study analyses the communication performance that can be expected when using the power line communication technology, powerline intelligent metering evolution (PRIME), to send DLMS/COSEM messages. Physical phenomena - such as background and impulsive noise sources, channel attenuation and multi-path effect - are taken into account during the first step in the evaluation of this technologys communication performance in the physical layer. This metric is then used in upper layers to compute the packet error rate. An analysis is carried out at the application layer in terms of expected latency in different communication environments. Several simulations are performed in a European low-voltage topology to compute the number of metres that can be read within 15 min. These simulations were carried out using MATLAB and OMNeT++ software.

Cyber–Physical Modeling of Distributed Resources for Distribution System Operations

Cosimulation platforms are necessary to study the interactions of complex systems integrated in future smart grids. The Virtual Grid Integration Laboratory (VirGIL) is a modular cosimulation platform designed to study interactions between demand-response (DR) strategies, building comfort, communication networks, and power system operation. This paper presents the coupling of power systems, buildings, communications, and control under a master algorithm. There are two objectives: first, to use a modular architecture for VirGIL, based on the functional mockup interface (FMI), where several different modules can be added, exchanged, and tested; and second, to use a commercial power system simulation platform, familiar to power system operators, such as DIgSILENT PowerFactory. This will help reduce the barriers to the industry for adopting such platforms, investigate and subsequently deploy DR strategies in their daily operation. VirGIL further introduces the integration of the quantized state system (QSS) methods for simulation in this cosimulation platform. Results on how these systems interact using a real network and consumption data are also presented.

Performance evaluation of two narrowband PLC systems: PRIME and G3

The present work analyzes and compares two popular standards for data transmission over power line networks: PRIME and G3. A complete and detailed description of both standards is presented together with simulation results of their performance in a power line environment. In order to create an accurate analogy of the transmission channel, background and asynchronous impulsive noises are included using previous results from literature. Simulation results show how PRIME and G3 behave in several noisy environments. Finally, with respect to PRIME, a proposal is made to increase its performance in a hardly impulsive noise channel.

PRIME performance under impulsive noise environments

The presented paper addresses the problem of impulsive noise interferences in Power Line Communication (PLC) systems. In order to provide a realistic scenario, a popular narrow band PLC solution has been chosen: PRIME. Systems performance is evaluated under different impulsive noise environments. Simulations show how, even when the high-powerful time impulses hits a few signal samples, the noise energy corrupts most of the symbol in the OFDM spectrum. This affects directly the performance in terms of BER vs. SNR despite using the most robust communication mode in PRIME. Additionally, two common techniques are proposed to increase the performance under this kind of disturbances. The paper shows detailed figures with the improvement and a discussion of their usability.

Difference sets-based compressive sensing as denoising method for narrow-band power line communications

The present work analyses and compares two of the most popular specifications for data transmission over power line networks: PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution (PRIME) and G3-power line communication (G3-PLC). A simulation model has been built using Matlab software in order to evaluate their respective performances with special focus on impulsive noise environments. For this purpose, Middletons Class-A noise model was used in conjunction with measured noise parameters reported in the literature for the narrow-band spectrum. The performance is measured in terms of bit error rate versus signal to noise ratio. Simulation results show how G3-PLC outperforms PRIME when the channel is impaired by such type of noise. Moreover, although the use of compressive sensing to cancel impulsive noise in communications has already been proposed in other studies, this paper details a modification based on Partial Fourier Matrix indexing according to difference sets. Results from simulations report an almost complete cancellation of the impulsive noise effects. An advantage of this technique is that no redundancy is added to the message; therefore no decrement in the transmission rate is experienced.

Planning and Performance Challenges in Power Line Communications Networks for Smart Grids

The Smart Grid represents a revolution especially at distribution and customer levels, bringing monitoring and control capabilities, traditionally available up to the primary substations, down to the secondary substations, and beyond. Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications networks are key to enable managing the huge number of sensors and actuators distributed all over the low voltage and medium voltage networks. Such M2M communications networks must meet demanding requirements from the technical perspective (e.g., low latency, high availability), since eventually the stability of the grid may rely on them, and from the economic perspective (e.g., low deployment and operational costs), due to the huge volume of devices to be monitored and controlled. Thus, Power Line Communications (PLC) technologies are winning momentum in these scenarios because they represent a great trade-off between both perspectives. However, electrical networks also represent a harsh communications medium, mainly because they are not designed for data communications, but for power transmission. Consequently, although much research has been carried out on this topic recently, PLC networks still present technological problems and challenges. This paper highlights some of the most relevant challenges in this area and presents a set of cutting-edge software tools which are being developed to overcome them, facilitating the planning, deployment, and operation of this kind of networks.

A switch promotion algorithm for improving PRIME PLC network latency

This paper analyses the performance impact caused by the selection of a node to act as a switch in a PLC network using PRIME (PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution) standard. This performance is measured in terms of application data message roundtrip. Additionally, a decision algorithm is proposed in order to identify the most favorable switch, fulfilling a gap left open in the aforementioned standard. This decision is based on path cost information transmitted by the nodes. Moreover, a modification for the definition of these costs is proposed with the purpose of enhancing the algorithms accomplishments. In order to replicate the performance of a PRIMEs network, a co-simulation framework that combines Matlab and OMNeT++ has been used. This architecture allows for taking into account both physical phenomena and control and application message management. Simulated topologies emulate a general European low-voltage network. Results show that, by using the proposed algorithm and costs definitions, the overall network performance is enhanced.

Replicability Analysis of PLC PRIME Networks for Smart Metering Applications

Advanced metering infrastructures (AMIs) represent one of the first steps in the smart grid process, where power line communication (PLC) is emerging as the most cost-effective solution since it allows reusing electric infrastructures as communication channel. However, the performance of this technology is highly affected by the characteristics of the existing distribution network. This paper presents a thorough sensitivity analysis to assess the operating limits of smart metering applications for multiple representative configurations of low voltage networks based on a PLC simulation framework that integrates DLMS/COSEM and PRIME standards. The number of registered nodes and the time to read all meters have been defined as key performance indicators to assess the communication performance. The conclusions drawn from this paper provide useful information for the integration of smart meter applications that take advantage of AMI under different local conditions.

On-line evaluation and planning tool for Medium Voltage-Broadband over Power Line cells

Machine-to-Machine communications networks for Smart Grids must meet specific requirements from both technical and economic perspectives. Power Line Communications are indeed winning momentum in this area because they provide a great trade-off between both dimensions. In particular, Broadband Power Line Communications over Medium-Voltage distribution grids are of special interest to Distribution System Operators because they present advantages such as keeping the communications infrastructure largely under their control or reducing the number of required back-haul connections. However, both deploying one of these cells or an alternative solution and the design and planning of such cells involve complex decisions, so tools to support making them are required. This paper presents a novel tool which allows varying most of the technical parameters that influence such cells in a user-friendly-manner and observing the impact on their performance in terms of the Round Trip Time between each node of the cell and the so-called Gateway.

Smart Grid: ICT Control for Distributed Energy Resources

The fact that the electrical grid represents a critical and complex infrastructure has prevented it from experiencing major breakthroughs during decades. Therefore, some problems and inefficiencies have been carried around for a long while, up to the point that traditional electrical grid is far away from being prepared to face incoming challenges, such as properly integrating the foreseen high penetration of Distributed Energy Resources (DER), mainly intermittent and stochastic renewable generation, electric vehicles and energy storage, or proactively controlling the energy demand bymeans of the so-called Demand Response (DR) programs. As a result, the electrical grid is currently undergoing slowly but surely its inexorablemetamorphosis under the new paradigm of the so-called Smart Grid. This metamorphosis basically entails evolving from a highly centralized and static system, where few energy generators supply electricity to a huge number of consumption points without exchanging information in real time, into a highly distributed and dynamic system, with many low capacity, geographically distributed generators, which are able to communicate with the consumption points in order to coordinate and optimize their operation. Ensuring the balance and stability of the electrical grid under this new paradigm requires the deployment of a vast number of sensors and actuators which will generate an unprecedented huge amount of data. Thus, highperformance, reliable, secure, and scalable communications networks and Information Technologies (IT) systems play a central role in the Smart Grid, which is driving the next wave of research and innovation in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. The aim of this special issue was to gather high-quality cutting-edge research papers addressing the use of distributed sensor and actuator networks in SmartGrids, including topics such as novel ICT architectures, wireless and wired communications technologies, interoperability and conformance testing, big data and analytics, and cloud computing, and applications such as Advanced Metering Infrastructures (AMIS), Demand Response (DR), Wide Area Monitoring Systems (WAMS), or transportation electrification. The special issue has attracted the submission of 17 papers. After a thorough peer-review process, seven papers have been accepted for publication. The topics covered in these papers range from Advanced Metering Infrastructures and Demand Response to substation automation and smart lighting, including wireless and powerline communications networks and cybersecurity.