Communication system for Smart Grids EE-576

M.ENGG. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAMME, FALL SEMESTER 2022

INSTRUCTOR: DR. SUNDUS ALI, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, TELECOMMUNICATION ENGINEERING, NED UET

Week 1 TOPICS:
1. Introduction to the course, Topics, and Assessment methods
2. Overview of Smart Grid System
3. Requirements of Smart Grid Communication Network

Email: sundus@neduet.edu.pk, sundus@cloud.neduet.edu.pk

Office Location: Telecommunication Engineering Building Faculty Offices
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Topics

 Overview of Smart Grid systems

 Elements of Communication Networking
 Communication Network Architecture for the Smart Grid
 Smart Grid Network Design Process
 Network Security
 WAN and FAN Technologies for the Smart Grid
 Smart Grid Data Management
 Communication Network Transformation
 Future Smart Grid Communication Networks
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Evaluation

Evaluations:
 Tests (02 x 05 Marks) 5th and 13th week
 Mid Term Evaluation (20 Marks) 9th week
 Assignment/ Presentation (10 Marks)
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Overview of Smart Grid System

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Conventional Electric Grid Model
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Communication System for Electric Grid

 Communication network technology introduced supported the

deployment of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
systems.

 These SCADA systems allowed operations personnel to remotely monitor

and control transmission and distribution substation equipment from utility
operations centers, enhancing operational efficiency.

 In addition, communication networks found use in the remote support of

automated circuit breakers known as tele-protection systems.
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Why need Smart Grid ?

 The need for clean energy with large-scale deployment of

renewable sources of energy

 Peak power reduction for environmental and economic reasons,

grid modernization, and consumer participation in energy
management are some of the motivations for the development of
the Smart Grid.
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Why need Smart Grid ?

 To help reduce harmful Green House Gas emissions, increased

incorporation of clean energy sources is one of the objectives of
the Smart Grid.

 Modernization of the grid is at the heart of achieving the promise

of the Smart Grid.

 Finally, active participation of consumers in their awareness of

energy usage and in their individual energy management is an
important part of the overall Smart Grid.
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Smart Grid Domains and Their Interconnections
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 Smart Grid evolution continues, a large number of new grid elements and
functions will be integrated into the grid like:
1. Renewable sources of energy -> distributed generation (DG)
2. Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), also known as “smart meters,”
3. SCADA connectivity will be extended, known as distribution automation (DA).
4. New measurement devices will be deployed throughout the transmission grid,
capable of measuring real-time flow of power including power flowing across
national boundaries.
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Smart Grid Future

 Communication networks used to support Smart Grid functions will be

expanded, modernized, and integrated with time.

 The “intelligence” of the Smart Grid relies upon the real-time exchange of
measurement and control data among a vast web of devices installed in
homes and businesses; within the distribution and transmission grids, at
substations, control centers, and generation stations, and other facilities.

 Thus, a high-performance, reliable, secure, and scalable communication

network is an integral part of the Smart Grid evolution.
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Objective of Comm. Sys. For Smart Grid

 Primary objective of the communication network for the Smart Grid is to support
traffic for all applications – both existing utility applications and planned and
future Smart Grid applications.

 The currently predominant practice of building individual network(s) to support

each new emerging application is not efficient and increases complexities in
building new networks as well as in operating multiple networks.

 With an integrated network, the additional capital and operation costs

associated with supporting new applications are minimal.
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Standards-based Networks

 The Smart Grid communication network must be based on well-

established communication networking standards.
 This allows the utilities to procure interoperable network products
from multiple vendors, thus reducing costs. Such products help
remove dependency on single-vendor solutions.
 Further, as standards evolve, it is easier to receive product upgrades.
 Network expansion also requires little modification or replacement of
the existing network assets.
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Internet Protocol (IP)

 IP is the most common network protocol used in data networks today. From its
inception, IP was developed to interconnect network endpoints irrespective of the
physical or logical connection technologies supporting such interconnections.

 With the widespread support of IP, there a large number of network products available
at competitive prices, and there has also been a concerted effort to develop new
standards, methodologies, and tools to increase efficiency in engineering, operations,
and management of the IP networks.

 SCADA networks from serial connections to IP connections conversion. It is expected

that IP will be the networking protocol of choice of the new Smart Grid applications.
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Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)

 IP does not address all the challenges of Smart Grid communication network. With MPLS, not only
can the integrated network support applications (like tele-protection) that cannot be supported
over the IP network at this time but the use of the MPLS services can also offer many other
advantages.
 MPLS services support isolation of traffic between “closed user groups” of applications and
application endpoints, a property that helps facilitate network security. Separation of the MPLS
control and data planes of individual services adds robustness to network security
implementation.
 MPLS affords additional network reliability with very fast recovery from network outages
 Legacy systems, interfaces (e.g. serial interfaces), and protocols can be supported with the
corresponding MPLS services.
 MPLS provides quality of service (QoS) capabilities in multiservice networks supporting different
protocols.
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Requirements of Smart Grid

Communication Network
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Support for Legacy Systems

 There are situations in which IP may not be the appropriate choice for some utility
network connections.
 Utilities may be required to support non-IP-based legacy applications, systems, and
protocols for a period of time to save replacement costs.
 In addition, utilities may opt to use legacy systems until their IP-based replacements can
be tested to meet their requirements.
 Another example is that a utility will not migrate its tele-protection applications to IP for a
long time, since the current IP network will not be able to support the stringent delay
requirements of the teleprotection traffic in a congested IP-only network.
 Therefore, the network must be able to support legacy applications, systems, and
protocols for a period of time. Using MPLS services, multiple protocols needed by multiple
sets of applications and endpoints are supported over the integrated Smart Grid
communication network.
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Network Performance

 In an integrated networking environment, the network must support the performance

requirements of the various individual applications.

 This is particularly the case for the end-to-end delay requirements for traffic carried over
the common network infrastructure. A network QoS design is required that will provide
the prioritization and delay performance needed to satisfy the end-to-end delay
requirements of each individual application during both normal operating conditions
and network outages.

 For example, a link connecting a substation router may carry traffic for synchrophasor,
SCADA, CCTV, and other applications located at that substation with their individual and
diverse requirements for delay, priority, and data rate on that link.
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Network Reliability

 Maintaining high power grid reliability and ensuring availability of power to consumers at all
times are the primary goals of utility operations.
 Communication networks help support these goals through real-time monitoring and control of
the grid. Therefore, maintaining high levels of network reliability is essential. Further, the
reliability requirements for some of the mission-critical grid applications are more stringent than
typical requirements for communication networks that support voice (VoIP) and business data
applications.
 For example, communication network availability of 99.96 % may be adequate for most
business data networks, whereas even 99.999 % (“5 nines”) reliability may not be enough for
supporting teleprotection applications. (The 99.96 % and 99.999 % reliability objectives translate
to the average network “downtime” of 210 min per year and 5 min per year, respectively.)
 The use of redundant network equipment and links and avoidance of single points of failure in
critical parts of the network are some of the normal solutions for increased network reliability.
 Additionally, reliable traffic routing design adds to network reliability. A related aspect of
reliability is disaster recovery of the utility locations.
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Network Security

 As with network reliability, network security is also of paramount importance not only for the
security of network operations but also for the integrity of the electric grid.
 Loss of electric power caused by cyber attacks on devices which monitor and control the
electric grid can have severe economic consequences. As a result, electric grids are
considered national critical infrastructure in many countries.
 Network security implementation should follow utility security policies including
implementation of hardware and software security controls such as access lists, firewalls, and
intrusion detection and prevention systems, as well as security operation policies and
procedures.
 The communication network design can also take advantage of networking protocols that
allow isolation of traffic between closed groups of endpoints and applications.
 In addition, applications may collect sensitive customer data from smart meters and other
devices. As a result, data privacy is also an important element of network security.
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Scalability

 The network architecture should be scalable in that introduction of new Smart Grid
applications should be possible with minimal changes in the physical network.

 As much as possible, introduction of new applications should require only minimal

network configuration changes. Often at the beginning of a new application
introduction, the utility may add only a few new endpoints.

 With proper planning, addition of a large number of application endpoints can be

accommodated through capacity management. Similarly, addition of only a few
network endpoints such as a substation, several DG locations, and smart meters should
require few changes in network configurations (except for the ones that affect these
new endpoints).
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Efficient Traffic Aggregation and Routing

 One advantage of an integrated IP network is that the network design takes a

holistic view of the network.
 To achieve scalability, traffic is aggregated at many points in the network based
on the locations of the endpoints and the volume of traffic generated.
 Thus, it is not necessary for the individual pairs of application endpoints to connect
over costly, inefficient, and exclusive circuit connections.
 Traffic routing determines the best path for data to travel from the source endpoint
to the destination endpoint over the network.
 Routing protocols have the ability to dynamically change these network paths
based on network conditions such as failure of a link or a network element.
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Secure Network-Based Data Management

 With new data management technologies, it is possible to

support secure network-based data management.

 The expected explosive growth in the volume of data collected

in the Smart Grid for use by a large number of applications
requires implementation of data management systems that are
secure, that provide low delays when the data is accessed, and
that provide data privacy based on utility security policies.
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Unified Network Management

 The Smart Grid network is an evolving network. To facilitate this evolution, the current set of
networks must first be transformed to an integrated network. It will further evolve as new
applications are introduced and endpoints added.
 The network will often be based on network elements (routers, switches) provided by
different vendors.
 As a result, to provide a unified end-to-end network management solution for network
provisioning and configuration, troubleshooting and alarm correlation, maintenance
workforce dispatch and management, capacity management, and network security, it is
advisable for utilities to deploy operations support systems (OSSs) that will work with the
element management systems from multiple vendors.
 Where possible, these OSSs should ideally also integrate with the utility’s grid operations
and management, asset management, and financial systems.
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Flexibility in Ownership of Network Segments

 There are many advantages to a utility owning all of its network assets and
operations.
 Similarly, there are some advantages to a utility using NSP networking services
in its network. Depending on the existing networking assets of the utility,
available resources for network transformation to meet the Smart Grid goals,
available and forecasted network technologies from NSPs, and networking
requirements, the resulting Smart Grid communication network may be a
combination of utility-owned network segments and network segments from
NSP services.
 It is important that the communication network architecture provide the
flexibility for the utility to decide on the best mix of utility-owned networks and
NSP networking services.