Load Profile and Communication Channel Characteristics of the Low Voltage
Grid
Abstract
Communication over the power line has become an opportunity for the power
distributors to implement new services both for the utilities and for their
customers. As the applications evolve, the requirements on the communication
system is increased. An efficient communication system should be designed
with respect to the characteristics of the power line communication channel
and hence, a knowledge of these characteristics is valuable. In this paper,
the properties/behavior of the power line communication channel is studied
by observing an existing system used on the low voltage grid in a typical
application (meter reading). Here we focus on large-scale variations of
the channel, e.g. how its quality depends on different time-windows, distances
and loads. This study is based on collected data representing communication
with 59 households, i.e. 59 communication channels are considered. To investigate
the influence of a specific load on the quality of the communication channels,
a moveable load was connected to several locations in the grid. Large variations
in the quality between the individual communication channels have been found.
Furthermore, a period of high energy consumption in the grid, typically
mornings and evenings, have a tendency to decrease the quality of the communication
channels.
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