Page 298 - Shaping smarter and more sustainable cities - Striving for sustainable development goals

mainly been deployed in the higher segment of electrical networks, typically involving generation
plants, HV transport and HV/MV substations. Such segments have often been served through the
use of ad hoc networks (mainly radio relays and in some cases fiber optic systems).
 Electric network supervision and alarms management (mainly in MV/LV substations)

– Mono‐directional (alarms + information) or bi‐directional (alarms + information + activation)
– Information transmitted
– Communications type – Wireline, wireless or Power Line Communications
– Bit rate, latency, others

 Remote metering
– Power Line Communication, Wireless

Smart grids
Future grids are expected to integrate a virtually unlimited number of sensors and meters in the
distribution segments, distribution energy resources (DER) sites and homes to support demand/
response, distributed generation and energy‐aware applications. This will produce a huge amount
of critical information for grid operation to be collected, exchanged and managed in a trustworthy
way, requiring bidirectional flows among different layers. The first initiatives in such directions are
the deployment of automated meter reading systems at the customers' sites, under the boost of
lowering management costs and the push from government institutions. The meter provides a
bidirectional communication channel:

 Control network;
 Metering network.

The Standardization Sector of the ITU (ITU‐T) Study Group 15 has developed home networking
Specifications under the title of ITU‐T G.hnem for smart electrical grid products. G.hnem is the new
project titled "Home Networking Aspects of Energy Management". The main objective of this
project is to define home network devices with low complexity for home automation, home control,
electric vehicles and smart electrical grid applications. Among the applications of smart electrical
grid that will benefit with the G.hnem are:
 Programs on demand response based on utilities through Internet broadband communications
or through AMI systems (advanced metering infrastructure);
 Remote repair to minimize costs;

 Support for systems on demand response in real time to compensate users according to their
use;

 Flexible control of devices to reduce power consumption during peak periods of consumption.
31
The Focus Group on Smart Grid collected and documented information and concepts that can be
helpful to prepare Recommendations on the smart electrical grid from the perspective of
telecommunications. Upon completion of its mandate, the Focus Group had produced five
documents. The Joint Coordination Activity on smart grid and residential network (SG & JCA‐ HN),
successor of the Focus Group, forwarded these documents to all Study Groups and Thematic Groups
and urged them to use these in preparing advice. Study Group 15 of ITU‐T (Transport and Access)
developed a number of Recommendations on electrical transmission lines to support the smart grid.

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31 The Focus Group on Smart Grid was created in February 2010 and concluded its work in December 2011.

288 ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications