Feasibility study of utilizing mobile communications for Smart Grid applications in urban area

Abstract

A reliable and resilient wireless communication technology is needed for Smart Grids. The chosen technology should enable seamless communication between grid devices, applications, consumers, and operators. In addition, it should guarantee adequate network resources for smart grid functions by fulfilling bandwidth, availability, QoS, and latency requirements. Energy companies have been seeking for a cost-effective and reliable communication technology to support their grid automation and control. Evolved cellular technologies, like LTE, have been found compelling, because they offer low latency, high throughput, commercial advantages of a global standard ecosystem, cost effective solutions in comparison to dedicated communication infrastructures, and rapid deployment. This paper presents the results of a feasibility study of using commercial networks, namely GSM, UMTS and LTE, for the remote control of medium voltage electric distribution networks.