Implementation of ZigBee/802.15.4 in Smart Grid communication and analysis of power consumption: A case study

Communication standards in Smart Grid intend to facilitate reliable exchange of critical data securely. But selection of suitable technology as per the application area is crucial. Communication standards being considered for establishing a network between various substations within the smart grid are WiMAX, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Bluetooth, GSM, PLCC, UMTS, etc. Smart grid profile requires monitoring of the power and controlling it as per the user demand. As ZigBee is primarily designed for low power, control & monitoring application; it is considered to be the most challenging competitor. This paper presents ZigBee (over IEEE 802.15.4) for smart grid application in Home Area Network (HAN), Neighboring Area Network (NAN) andWide Area Network (WAN). The comparative analysis for power consumption with other standard technologies viz. Wi-Fi & Bluetooth is illustrated. Topologies in ZigBee that support the case study applications are proposed and performance for each is evaluated. Also, the transceiver chip selection criteria on the basis of power utilization is studied and results are illustrated with the help of graphs.