Generating realistic Smart Grid communication topologies based on real-data

Abstract

Today's electricity grid must undergo substantial changes in order to keep pace with the rising demand for energy. The vision of the smart grid aims to increase the efficiency and reliability of today's electricity grid, e.g. by integrating renewable energies and distributed micro-generations. The backbone of this effort is the facilitation of information and communication technologies to allow two-way communication and an automated control of devices. The underlying communication topology is essential for the smart grid and is what enables the smart grid to be smart. Analyzing, simulating, designing, and comparing smart grid infrastructures but also optimizing routing algorithms, and predicating impacts of failures, all of this relies on deep knowledge of a smart grids communication topology. However, since smart grids are still in a research and test phase, it is very difficult to get access to real-world topology data. In this paper we provide a comprehensive analysis of the power-line communication topology of a real-world smart grid, the one currently deployed and tested in Luxembourg. Building on the results of this analysis we implement a generator to automatically create random but realistic smart grid communication topologies. These can be used by researchers and industrial professionals to analyze, simulate, design, compare, and improve smart grid infrastructures.