Power Line Communications for Grid Disc...

Grid discovery and diagnostics refers to characterizing both the electrical and topological properties of the grid, and to monitor their evolution over time. It can beperformed using two technical approaches. The first approach employs a series ofelectrical meters that are directly branched to the network and specifically designedto sense different electrical quantities. The gathered information is then shared between the nodes or directly with a central unit using a separate communication device. The second approach exploits power line communications (PLC) both as sensing and communication technology. PLC transmitters generate signals according totheir specific communication standard, while the receivers, apart from the classicalcommunication function, exploit those signals to perform grid discovery and diagnostics. The sensing signals have a frequency range from few Hz to few kHz in thefirst approach, while in the second, as per PLC standards, the frequency range goesfrom few kHz to several MHz.