A hybrid W-BPL Smart Grid project in Greece — Lessons learnt and next steps

This paper discusses and presents in full detail the hybrid Wireless-Broadband over Power Lines (W-BPL) Smart Grid project deployed by Amperion Greece for the Public Power Corporation (PPC) of Greece in a rural area of the city of Larissa. The aforementioned hybrid W-BPL network provides the Smart Grid-related functionality required by the utility for the management, maintenance, and operation of the power grid, while at the same time supports provision of telecommunication services, such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony, internet access for the line crews, as well as assets surveillance through the use of security cameras. Finally, this paper shares with the Smart Grid community the lessons learnt during the shift from project design theory to project implementation practice and discusses the next steps ahead towards an efficient and intelligent grid.