Narrowband power line communications evaluation in complex distribution networks

A high performance Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is key to the adequate development of the Smart Grid. There are several technologies that can be used to deploy it, being PLC (Power Line Communications) the most extended, at least in western European countries. A PLC AMI is composed of a data concentrator and a number of meters, being restricted to a transformer substation due to the properties of current PLC technologies. However, this configuration is not suitable for other electrical networks (like American), where the number of meters per substation is very limited and the utilities are forced to install a high number of expensive data concentrators or to move to wireless technologies. To solve this problem, in this paper a new structure for PLC AMI networks, which take advantage of frequency band extension, is proposed and tested in a real environment in Colombia. Furthermore, the feasibility of deploying a metering network in this scenario is also evaluated through simulation. To this end, it is used the PRIME (PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution) standard, which is one of the most extended for PLC metering networks nowadays.