Practical evaluation of telecoms for Smart Grid measurements, control and protection

Electrical energy networks are increasingly making use of Information Technology to enhance the way in which the electricity delivery infrastructure operates. A ‘Smart Grid’ can be understood as an electrical network which uses applications that are somehow dependent on the exchange of information to enhance its operation. This paper evaluates telecommunications delivery technologies that are appropriate to current power system messaging standards with an emphasis on Internet Protocol. Telecoms delivery technologies are reviewed according to their technical performance, namely throughput and latency, using practical experimental data. One of the technologies, WiMAX, is found to be potentially suitable for use in real-time protection schemes.