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Standards give superior monitoring in electricity supply
Smart Grid specs will link comms and
electricity networks
Geneva, 3 March 2011 – New
standards that will enable cost-effective smart grid applications such as
distribution automation, smart meters, smart appliances and advanced recharging
systems for electric vehicles have entered the final stage of approval at ITU.
The G.hnem standards (ITU-T Recommendations) address several smart grid
applications such as distribution automation, advanced metering infrastructure
(AMI), demand side management (DSM), grid-to-home communications, home/building
energy management, home automation, vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-charging
station communications.
In a standard power system, generation, delivery and consumption of electricity
all take place at the same time. This makes the control of supply and demand
uniquely challenging. The new standards provide the crucial link between
electricity and communications networks, enabling utilities to exercise a higher
level of monitoring and control of the grid.
G.hnem is an ideal platform for smart grid applications because of its support
of power lines as a communications medium that is under the direct and complete
control of power utilities. Since power line communications (PLC) exploit the
existing wired infrastructure, the cost to deploy a communications channel is
greatly reduced. In addition, because G.hnem supports popular protocols like
Ethernet, IPv4 and IPv6, G.hnem-based smart grid networks can easily be
integrated with IP-based networks.
Commenting on the
progress, Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary General, ITU said: “Smart Grid is a
dynamic addition to today’s energy networks, which will be capable of delivering
customizable services on a massive scale. To ensure an efficient global rollout,
global standards are a must.”
Malcolm Johnson, Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU, said:
“Many national stimulus plans have given smart grid significant backing, with
the need for standards also cited as key to the fast rollout of the technology.
The G.hnem standards now entering the final stages of approval can be applied
globally today, and are ready to give a much needed boost to power line
communications technology, making electricity distribution cleaner, leaner and
greener.”
The two G.hnem standards ITU-T G.9955 and G.9956 contain the physical layer
specification and the data link layer specification, respectively, for
narrowband OFDM power line communications transceivers for communications via
alternating current and direct current electric power lines over frequencies
below 500 kHz. These ITU-T standards support indoor and outdoor communications
over low voltage lines, medium voltage lines, through transformer
low-voltage to medium-voltage, and through transformer medium-voltage to
low-voltage power lines in both urban and long distance rural communications.
For
more information, please contact:
Toby Johnson
Senior Communications Officer
ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau,
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