Last-mile communication time requirements of the smart grid

With the growing need for sustainable energy, different renewable energy sources as well as low carbon technologies, such as electric vehicles, are increasingly penetrating into the electric power system. The increased deployment of distributed energy sources leads to a decentralized power distribution. The smart grid relies on communication networks to support efficient and decentralized power distribution. To deploy appropriate communication infrastructure for the smart grid, its communication time requirements need to be clearly identified. In this paper, we investigate the last-mile communication time requirements of the smart grid. By closely observing the worst-case node voltage and cable load dynamics in a low-voltage (LV) power grid supporting a neighborhood that is composed of prosumer households, we are able to analyze the worst-case communication time requirements in controlling the LV grid.