Application of Power Line Communication and X10 to Reduce the Load Shedding Problems in Power Deficit Countries

Abstract

In this paper a model is proposed and explained in brief on how to manage loads efficiently from the utility end using Power Line Communications (PLC). The model employs the principle of PLC along with the industry based technology called X10 to serve the purpose. The loads at the user end are classified according to its importance and power consuming characteristics, and are allotted X10 device codes. Each power consuming utility is assigned an IP address, which aids in selecting a particular load or a group of loads as per requirements. A simple schematic diagram that illustrates the process is also provided. Moreover, since the used PLC scheme is the Narrow-Band PLC (NB-PLC), a simulation based result is also provided that defines a small segment of the entire NB-PLC frequency range that is suitable for the purpose.