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 7 TOPIC:
Communication Network Architecture for Smart Grid
Test 1

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

Office Location: Telecommunication Engineering Building Faculty Offices
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Core-Edge Architecture

 Generally, a utility’s core network is deployed in the portion of its service area where its data
and control centers, headquarters, and business offices are located.
 These utility endpoints as well as substations in the vicinity of the core network connect
directly into the core network. Deployment of Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) along the
transmission lines may potentially allow core connectivity to be easily expanded to a large
portion of the utility’s substations. The size of the utility core network will vary.
 Core networks for large distribution and transmission utilities may interconnect hundreds of
routers. Core networks for small distribution utilities, however, may only interconnect several
routers.
 In the utility community, the core network is called a Wide Area Network (WAN).
 Remote endpoints connect into the core network over one or more wireless and wireline
access networks. These access networks are called Field Area Networks by the utility
community.
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Core-Edge Architecture

1. Communication endpoints at a substation include SCADA IEDs and CCTV cameras. Depending on
the AMI technology used (such as RF mesh NAN), meter data concentrators may be located at
some of the distribution substations. In some cases, the distribution substation may also house data
concentrators for the DA IEDs deployed on the feeders.
2. A distribution “pole” carrying a feeder may carry DA IEDs. Some utilities may deploy solar panels on
these poles. Depending on the AMI technology, meter concentrators may also be deployed at
these poles.
3. Multiple IEDs may be deployed as needed at stand-alone DG, storage, or electric vehicle (EV)
charging station facilities.
4. Smart meters are deployed at each consumer location.
 Instead of connecting each endpoint at a location over its own FAN (as is predominant in utility
networks today), the architecture will provide aggregation of traffic for all endpoints at that
location. This aggregated traffic will be carried over a single FAN connection.
 The core network connects to external networks for communication with entities of other domains
such as in the wholesale energy markets, bulk generation, and service providers
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WAN Architecture

 The network design will dictate the placement of WAN Routers (WRs) and the
physical interconnections in the WAN. For network reliability, it is important that there
be at least two disjoint physical paths between every pair of WRs. Additional routers
called Interior Routers (IRs) may be deployed in the WAN (based on the design) for
shorter paths between pairs of WRs.
 Utilities may also have deployed microwave infrastructure to support point-to-point
links between endpoints in its service area.
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Wide Area Network

 The WAN interconnection described so far requires that the utility own and/or lease the individual
L1 and L2 links between the routers, so that the required IP connections can be configured. The
utility may also create a WAN by connecting the WRs to one or more NSP services.
1. Leased TDM Lines: The required WAN connections are realized by connecting the WRs over leased
TDM lines. If IRs are required, the WR–IR connections are also supported over the leased line. L2
and IP configurations as well as the network operations are the responsibilities of the utility. PPP (or
POS with SONET/SDH) can be used at the L2 level. Ethernet over SONET/SDH is another viable
option.
2. Frame Relay Service: NSPs are phasing out (“sunsetting”) FR service, giving way to other network
services such as MPLS services. Links between the WRs (and between WRs and IRs if IRs are
deployed) are FR PVCs with appropriate CIRs. All WRs (and IRs if deployed) connect to FR switches
over TDM connections. A utility can then configure IP over FR in the WAN.
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3. Metro Ethernet Service: Metro Ethernet service can provide point-to-point Ethernet connections
between the WRs (or between WRs and IRs). The available data rates are 1 and 10 Gbps. All WRs
(and IRs, if deployed) connect to Metro Ethernet service switches over fiber connections. If available,
Metro Ethernet service can provides direct Ethernet connectivity at very high data rates. A utility can
then configure IP over Ethernet in the WAN.
4. VPLS Service : If a Virtual Private LAN Service is available (which is an L2 MPLS service), it can be
used to provide Ethernet broadcast domain for the WRs (and IRs, if deployed). All WRs (and the IRs)
must connect to the VPLS service PEs over Ethernet connection over fiber or over TDM connections.
However, the L2 protocol between the WRs (and between the WRs and IRs) is Ethernet. A utility can
then configure IP over Ethernet for the WAN.
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5. VPRN Service: Virtual Private Routed Network service (which is an L3 MPLS service) can be used to
create a private IP network among the WRs (and IRs, if deployed) over the NSP service. All WRs
connect to the VPRN service’s PEs over TDM connections. PPP (or POS) is used as the L2 protocol
between a WR acting as the CE router of the VPRN service and the PE. Ethernet connection
between the WR (acting as the CE) and the PE is another option. VPRN service can be used to
create independent IP connections between the WRs, analogous to four NSP services defined
above, with each IP connection being a single VPRN.
Creating a private IP network of WRs has many advantages over the other four options of Fig. 6.5.
The utility does not need to manage the internals of the WAN. There is no need to deploy IRs. (We
are assuming that the VPRN service provides for the required reliability of connections between the
WRs.) Further, from the utility perspective, each WR is only one IP hop away from every other WR in
the private IP network (though, in reality, a packet from one WR to the other goes through at least
one PE router and possibly over multiple PE and P routers in the NSP’s MPLS network).
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Local Traffic Aggregation

 Endpoints connect to the WR over wireline or wireless Field Area Networks. Traffic for collocated endpoints
may be aggregated locally at a cluster router (CR) at that location. The CR, in turn, connects to a WR.
Examples of locations with multiple endpoints include substations and DCC locations. Local aggregation
reduces networking costs since only one FAN connection between the location (CR) and a WR is required. A
few examples of local aggregation using CRs are presented in this section.
 The substation internal network is similar to the substation architecture of process and station busses of Fig.
4.3, with the exception that at a transmission substation, PMU(s) may be present. Further, the “substation
router” in Fig. 4.3 is denoted as a cluster router in our network architecture.
 An example of traffic aggregation at a DG site such as at a large wind farm is shown in Fig. 6.7.
 There may be more than one IED at the DG site (and possibly, additionally a DG EMS) that must
communicate with utility systems. The cluster router aggregates traffic from the IEDs and EMS (if present).
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