A Review of Communication Technologies forEfficient Communication in the Smart Grid of the

4IR EraAyokunle Damilola FAMILUACenter for Telecommunications,

Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering ScienceUniversity of JohannesburgJohannesburg, South Africa

familuaad@uj.ac.za

Abstract—The conventional radial topology of the electricalpower system poses a less reliable power system should therebe system failure, thus, resulting into the disruption of electricalpower delivery in the network. Increased security threats, theft ofelectrical energy, and current technological advancements in theinformation and communications technology (ICT) are factorsthat ushered in the advent of Smart Grid (SG). The SG, is amodernized electrical grid that utilizes digital or analog ICT tocollect and take action on information in an automated fashion toenhance the reliability, efficiency, economics, and sustainability ofelectricity generation and distribution. For accurate functionality,the SG system has different subsystems, amongst which is thecommunication subsystem. This subsystem plays an essentialrole in providing high-speed, reliable and secured real-timetransfer and communication of data amongst system devicesand other sub-systems interconnected in the SG network soas to effectively and intelligently manage the complex powersystems. This paper reviews communication technologies (wiredand wireless), that are strong prospects for deployment in a SG,while also highlighting their benefits and challenges.

Index Terms—Power Line Communication, Wired Commu-nication Technologies, Wireless Communication Technologies,Smart Grid,

I. INTRODUCTION

The traditional radial electrical power system isundependable and inefficient as a result of several inhibitingfactors such as: electrical energy theft, power system failure,inaccessibility of proficient monitoring system, fault analysis,automation and control, inflexible power grid (not allowingintegration of additional distributed energy sources) [1]. Thetraditional system is less reliable as a failure in a branch of thesystem will lead to electrical power delivery disruption. Ona global scale, there is an anticipated increased demand forelectricity, further putting a strain on the existing overstretchedpower system. This increased demand is anticipated to resultinto severe network bottleneck and further reduced powerdelivery.

The need for real-time power monitoring and control tocombat these challenges has led power utility companiesto adopt the integration of the physical power system with

ICT, resulting into an Intelligent Grid also referred to asSmart Grid (SG). The SG architecture offers flexibility byproviding a two-way exchange of power and informationas well as an intelligent, secured, dependable, efficient andsustainable power system. Real-time power monitoring as wellas the pervasive use of advanced sensing and control providesquick solution should disaster occur, thus, preventing poweroutage/disruptions and leading to identification of electricitytheft in the power system. Consequently, SG is referred to asa self-healing, cognitive and adaptive electrical power system[2]. The adoption of ICT in SG offers the following benefits:renewable energy sources are integrated into the existing grid,two-way transfer, two way information transfer, rapid isolationand restoration of power outages, and optimization of end-userenergy consumption.

A cost-efficient, reliable and superior data communicationinfrastructures are a necessity for classic SG use such as:energy demand management also referred to as demand sidemanagement (DSM) [3], [4], advanced smart metering [5],plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Several communica-tion technologies are prospects for adoption in the communica-tion sub-system of a SG [6]–[12]. This includes several wired(Fiber Optics, Broadband over Power Lines (BPL), Fixed Line,Power Line Communication (PLC) [6], Digital SubscriberLine (DSL)) and wireless communication (Cellular [7], Wifi[8], [9], Microwave, Wireless sensor network (WSN) [10],[11], Visible Light Communication (VLC) [12]) technologies.

The choice of either wired communication or wireless com-munication technologies in SG communication sub-system isdependent upon: the economical factor, geographical topology(such as, mountainous areas and buildings) [4]. In this reviewpaper, a description and review of communication technologieshaving strong prospects for possible adoption in SG commu-nication sub-system by power utility companies is presented.Furthermore, a juxtaposition of the benefits and challenges ofthese technologies are likewise presented. Subsequent sectionsof this paper are arranged as follows. Section II carries outa summary of Smart Grid and its distinguishing attributes.In Section III, potential wireless and wired communication

technologies available for adoption in SG is discussed. Anelaborate juxtaposition of this technologies is also carried out.In Section IV, concluding remarks are given.

II. SMART GRID OVERVIEW

The grid is a terminology utilized in power systems en-gineering to refer to an electricity system that deals withelectrical energy generation, transmission, distribution andcontrol to end-users. An electrical power grid lacking adequatecontrol, advanced sensing and communication attributes ismerely a power broadcaster. Embedding and adding pervasivecontrol and automation mechanism into a power grid througha full duplex communication makes the grid “Intelligent” or“Smart”. The SG offers environmentally friendly and greentechnique of generating electrical energy, reliable and effec-tive transmission and a pervasive control technique [4]. Theelectrical energy transmission network in SG is intelligent,having a two-way flow of electrical energy, data and info [4].A two-way communication assists power utility companiesto realize intelligent power monitoring through the use ofadvanced sensors, secured and dependable power delivery, andbalancing of loads.

The Smart Grid is otherwise referred to as an intelligent-, future-, intra- or inter-grid [4]. In SG, the utilizationof digitalized pervasive control system for the generation-to-transmission-to-distribution of electrical energy offersa completely automated electrical energy generation-to-transmission-to-distribution networks [4]. Fig. 1 presents ajuxtaposition of the traditional grid versus the SG.

Fig. 1. Traditional Grid vs Smart Grid distinguishing attributes.

The typical SG infrastructural design is made up of thethree following elements: the Smart Energy, the Smart Infor-mation and the Smart Communication Subsystems, with theconstituent elements shown in Fig. 2.

The following section discusses different candidate commu-nication technologies for Smart Grid deployment. A juxtapo-sition of these various candidate communication technologiesis also carried out, highlighting their pros and cons as well

Fig. 2. The Smart Grid infrastructure subsystems.

as risk profile to be considered before the adoption of any ofthese communication technologies.

III. CANDIDATE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FORSMART GRID

Having a seamless connectivity of end-user with the electri-cal power grid is indispensable in the Smart Grid, this enablesvaluable sharing amongst different Smart Grid subsystems,end-users, electrical power utilities, and other Smart Gridassociated applications. Extensive experimentation has beencarried out by industrialist and researchers to develop anappropriate network for the Smart Grid system through theadoption of wired and wireless communication technologies.A general consensus has been reached, that the network andcommunication technologies adopted in the provision of bi-directional connectivity in the SG system should be capable ofdelivering the following summarized targets. These targets, areattributes a communication network and technology in SmartGrid domain must possess for a dependable and effective SG.

� Quality of Service (QoS): should render requisiteQoS for critical data and information communica-tion/transfer [13], [14]. The backbone network (corenetwork) technologies need to guarantee the delivery ofdata/information that are critical and sensitive to delay,like the grid status info on a prioritized basis in scenarioswhere there is bottleneck over the shared network [4].

� Reliable: dependable and efficient data transmissionshould be provided by the communication network, evenin cases of unexpected failure in some system elementsor during network congestion.

� Secure: should have security protocols uniquely imple-mented to evade cyber threats and make data secure and

private. It must be able to handle attacks and preventunauthorized user penetration of the network in cases likea false-data injection attack [15], [16].

� Pervasive availability and scalability: smart grid end-users are widely distributed, thus, a high coveragerange is inevitable, to enable all end-users connectiv-ity at all times. Furthermore, the communication sub-system/network technologies should be able to cater fornumerical increase in substations and remote communi-cation and network devices efficiently [4].

A. Wireless Communication Technology Candidate for HomeArea Networks (HANs)

This section discusses the appropriateness of several shortdistance wireless communication technologies and protocolsfor SG HANs deployment. Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, 6LoW-PAN and Blue-tooth are candidate wireless communicationtechnologies suitable for HANs. There are sets of differentstandards stipulated by the IEEE for ZigBee, Bluetooth, andWi-Fi, where the physical layer (PHY) and media accesscontrol (MAC) layers are well-defined as follows. ZigBee(IEEE 802.15.4b), Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15.1a), and Wi-Fi(IEEE 802.11g). The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)have also stipulated the 6LoWPAN standard to realize an IPv6-based low power communication. This work aims at providinga juxtaposition of the main candidate wireless communicationtechnologies suited for HANs in a SG domain. Fig. 3 showsthe candidate wireless and wired communication technologiesto be discussed in this section and subsequent section.

Fig. 3. Candidate wired and wireless communication technologies for SG.

1) Zigbee: ZigBee is an efficient and cost-effective wire-less mesh network solution meant to conform to the IEEE802.15.4b low-rate wireless personal area network (LR-WPAN) standard. ZigBee finds relevance in its use for remote

monitoring, healthcare, home and building automation, devicecontrol and reliable messaging to mention but few. It offers alow power network solution as long as all system devices areinterlinked by the IEEE 802.15.4b LR-WPAN standard links,while utilizing Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS), aspread spectrum (SS) modulation technique. The approximatedtheoretical data-rates is 250 kbps/channel in a 2.4 GHz un-licensed frequency band, 40 kbps/channel for the 915 MHzfrequency band and a data-rate of 20 kbps/channel in the 868MHz frequency band. ZigBee’s coverage range for a point-to-point communication is 10-100 meters, it normally supports 30meters in an indoor environment, while also supporting unlim-ited distance should a mesh network be utilized. For a wirelessmesh network (WMN), every individual communication nodeis reachable through multiple links, while updates as well asoptimization of connections are dynamically performed. Thewireless mesh networks are decentralized, with each commu-nication node capable of self-management should there be achange in condition, and capable of self-routing dynamicallyin order to connect with new communication nodes as at whennecessary. These attributes provides scalability and a greaterlevel of system stability as well as tolerance in combatingnode or link failures. This benefits as well as its low-powerconsumption and low-cost of deployment enables ZigBee to bean eye-catching prospect for Home Area Network applications.

2) Wi-Fi and Wireless-Local Area Network (W-LAN): TheW-LAN communication technology is centered on the IEEE802.11g standard, utilizing SS modulation technique, allowingend-users to take occupation of the same frequency bands withminimal interference between them. Networks developed toconform to the IEEE 802.11g standard are best applicablefor Local Area Network (LAN) applications with allowabledata-rates of up to 150 Mbps and range of coverage of up to250 meters. This communication technology offers a robust,low latency, point-to-multipoint communication as well as apoint-to-point communication. Wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) con-forms to the IEEE 802.11b standard, using DSSS modulationtechniques at a 2.4 GHz frequency band, while offering amaximum permissible data-rates of up to 11 Mbps and havinga 3.217 milliseconds low latency. The IEEE 802.11a basedtechnologies utilizes OFDM at a 5.8 GHz frequency band,while enhanced wireless fidelity conforming to the IEEE802.11g standard operates at the 2.4 GHz frequency bandutilizing Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum technique, with animproved obtainable data rate of up to 54 Mbps. The wireless-networking standard IEEE 802.11n is capable of achieving a600 Mbps data rate through the use of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technique. WLANs security problems areaddressed by the advanced encryption standard proposed in theIEEE 802.11i (WPA-2) standard. WLAN and Wi-Fi are mostappropriate for applications where low data rates are requiredin a low interference setting.

3) Bluetooth: The Bluetooth communication technology isanother candidate wireless technologies suitable for HANs,where data are exchanged over a very short coverage area(distance). This technology utilizes short wave radio (SWR)

transmission in the ISM operational frequency band between2400-2480 MHz [17]. Bluetooth offers a low power consum-ing, quick data exchange and extensive availability. This tech-nology operates using the IEEE 802.15.1 standard. Bluetoothtopologies are classified into two: Scatternet and Piconet [17].A Piconet is developed based on a WPAN, where a particularuser mobile device acts as the master, while other participatinguser mobile devices are slaves. On the other hand, a Scatternetcomprises of multiple Piconets. Bluetooth communication isapplicable in communications amongst smart home devices,energy management systems and the smart meter. A maximumachievable data-rate of 1 Mbps, nominal coverage of up to 100meters, 79 radio frequency channels, and a 1 MHz channelbandwidth with maximum of eight nodes is permissible [17].Based on different range, the Bluetooth is classified into Class1, 2, and 3. Its use for smart HANs can be problematic dueto its very short range of coverage, should longer distancesbe involved. Number of nodes supported is limited, which aserious constraints when utilized in HANs application. Due toits operation at low power, strong noise could cause signal loss.Furthermore, interference problem with alternative wirelesscommunication technologies such as ZigBee and WirelessFidelity having identical system operational frequency is ex-perienced when Bluetooth operate at 2.4 GHz [17].

4) 6LoWPAN: The IPv6 over Low-Power Wireless PersonalArea Networks also referred to as 6LoWPAN, is a wirelesscommunication technology enabling the IEEE 802.15.4 (anIEEE standard for low-rate wireless personal area network)and IPv6 to function hand-in-hand, so as to realize an IP-basedlow-power networks of smaller devices such as controllersand sensors to mention but few. The 6LoWPAN is applicablefor home automation networks. It utilizes a wireless meshnetwork topology for high scalability, with the scalabilityinfluenced by the selection of routing protocols [17]. The useof hierarchical routing for instance is an example of routingprotocols that are often adopted in 6LoWPAN to enhancenetwork scalability [17]. The use of mesh topology likewiseprovides a self-healing capability to the network, since in thecase of a failed link, traffic could be rerouted. 6LoWPANoffers high interoperability as most present day technologiesare IP-enabled.

B. Wireless Communication Technology Candidate for Neigh-borhood Area Networks (NANs)

Communicating amongst electrical energy utilities, smartmeter, distributed energy resources (DER), HANs and otherSG entities demands a large network having suitable networkarchitecture and communication technologies. In this segment,the aim is to explore and juxtapose candidate communicationtechnologies appropriate for NANs applications.

1) Wi-MAX: The WiMAX is part of the IEEE 802.16 seriesof wireless broadband standards considered for Wireless-MAN(W-MAN), and aimed at the realization of a worldwide inter-operability for microwave access in the 2-66 GHz frequencyrange. WiMAX offers low latency (<100 milliseconds), goodsecurity protocols such as AES and AAA. Furthermore, it also

boast of low operational cost and deployment, scalability, andaccessibility of traffic management tools (such as QoS andtraffic prioritization). The deployment of WiMAX require thata utility-proprietary network be developed, with this networkin full control of traffic management, and being able to copeand handle regular and emergency situations [17]. Its utiliza-tion in NANs systems is as a result of its bandwidth and range.WiMAX are suitable for the following applications: wirelessautomatic meter reading (W-AMR), Real-Time-Pricing (RTP),Detection and Restoration of Outage, and Monitoring [17].

2) Cellular Network or Mobile Network: Long Term Evo-lution (LTE), 3G, 2.5G and 2G are candidate cellular wirelesscommunications technologies capable of supporting communi-cations in the SG. The evolution of this cellular technologies:2G-GSM, 2G-GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), 3G, 4G-LTE has seen data rates evolve from 14.4 kbps, to 56171 kbps,to 2 Mbps, to 50100 Mbps respectively [17]. The utilizationof pre-existing mobile networks is cost-effective on utilitycustomized communications backbone infrastructure, thus, al-lowing fast applications deployment. The enabling attributes ofcurrent cellular networks are adequate bandwidth, wide cover-age area, high data rates, lower cost of maintenance and robustsecurity. Communication amongst smart meter and utilities areenabled by an embedded network Subscriber IdentificationModule or General Packet Radio Service in a mobile radiounit. The benefits of the utilities focused on application andservices alone is based on the capability of the mobile networkoperator’s Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)or GPRS network to manage communication essentials for thesmart-meter network. Users identity and data are protectedby the GSM and GPRS together with user verification andsignaling protection for security [7], [17]. AMI communicationis supported by many cellular network operators across theworld. The development of SG communication network forelectric vehicles is made possible by utilizing GSM networkand SMS messaging ability of this cellular network [7], [18].

C. Wired or Wire-line Communication Technology Prospectsfor Smart Grid

1) Fiber Optics: There exist optical networks deployed ona large scale for terrestrial communication application [4].The pre-existing optic fiber networks provides a backbonenetwork for Smart Grid application [4]. The optical fiberoffers a high speed transmission medium and thus, is the mostsuitable as communication medium in the Smart Grid serviceshaving high latency requirement (e.g. video) [17]. For a singlewavelength transmission, the Optical systems offers up to abit rate of 10 Gbps, while a higher transmission rate of 40-1600 Gbps is achievable for wavelength division multiplexing(WDM) [17], [4]. To guarantee the dependability and securityof the electrical power system, the precise measurement ofelectric voltage and current values is inevitable [4]. Fur-thermore, an optoelectronic transducer offers an exceptionalsensing capability for precise measurement when comparedwith the electromechanical transducers [17]. Thus, deployingthe optoelectronic transducer together with the realization

of communication over fiber backbone networks will makeoptical fiber communication a prevailing prospect for SmartGrid communication sub-system network [4].

2) Power Line Communication (PLC) Technology: Inthe context of SG application, PLC technology offers alogical solution utilized for communication purposes inmonitoring and remote control applications [4]. This wiredcommunication technology offers a no addition of newwire technology enabling a reliable, secured, and ubiquitousconnectivity realized from current power line infrastructure[6]. PLC offers a pervasively available communicationnetwork using existing AC outlets for data communication.Reliable PLC systems for smart home, automated meterreading (AMR), home inter-networking, in-home LANs,smart grid and internet protocol television (IPTV) are nowreadily obtainable. PLC is categorized based on operationalfrequency into broadband power line communication (B-PLC)and narrowband power line communication (NB-PLC) [6].The NB-PLC class of PLC has been accepted as a themost suited prospect for Smart Grid related deployment,where low data rates are adequate (such as smart metering).The deployment and analysis of PLC for fault detection andlocation has been documented in the following literature [19]–[21]. The role of PLC technology in future SG applicationsstill remains an open question due to unresolved technicalitiesand regulative issues [4]. PLC technology offers extensivecoverage, a cost-effective solution, comparable deploymentcost when compared with its wireless communicationcounterpart.

Fig. 4 and Table. I show a juxtaposition of prospectivewireless and wired communication technologies that could beadopted for Smart Grid communication sub-system network.

IV. CONCLUSIONS

The smart communication sub-system is an indispensablecomponent in the Smart Grid system for effective real-timeelectrical energy control and management. This communi-cation sub-system constituting of both wireless and wiredcommunication technologies is the cornerstone of the SGsystem. In this paper, several prospective wireless and wired orwire-line communication technologies that are strong prospectfor Smart Grid deployment are highlighted, as well as thepresentation of the juxtaposition of these communication tech-nologies.

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TABLE IJUXTAPOSITION OF COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR RISK PROFILE.

Coverage Standards Regulatory Speed Latency Operational Cost Capital Cost DeployabilityWIRELESS

Cellular Low Low Low <100Kbps High High Low HighWi-Fi Medium Medium Low 2-30Mbps Medium Low Medium Low

Microwave Wide Low Low 10-500Mbps Low Low High MediumWIRED

PLC Medium Medium Low <100Kbps Medium Low Low LowBPL Medium High Medium 2-30Mbps Medium Low Medium MediumFiber Wide Low Low >Gbps Low Medium High High

Fixed Line Wide Low Low 2-30Mbps Low High Low MediumDSL Medium Low Low <3Mbps Medium Medium Low Medium

Fig. 4. Juxtaposition of prospective wireless and wired or wire-line communication technologies for SG communication sub-system.