High data rate, medium voltage powerline communications for hybrid DA/DSM

Distribution line carrier (DLC) systems for demand side management (DSM) applications such as automatic meter reading have been available on the market for several years. Most of these systems achieve limited data rates of up to 1 kbit/sec. Distribution automation applications require support of real-time communication and event-driven operation of end devices. These requirements call for higher data rates (about an order of magnitude higher than those of today's well-introduced systems) together with robustness with respect to topology changes due to DA switching of the distribution grid. For cost-efficiency, the use of one single communication system for both DA and DSM applications is mandatory. Furthermore, the communication system should protect investment of the user by adhering to open standards. This guarantees ease of integration in existing telecontrol systems and provides the opportunity to upgrade to evolving application protocols. This paper shows how the requirements for a hybrid DA/DSM power line communication system can be met. In particular, concurrent transmission of distribution automation commands and responses with demand side management is supported using a priority-based medium access protocol, where remote stations are classified according to their real-time requirements.