Modeling of a Smart Grid Monitoring System Xsing

Power Line Communication

Hanane Hadlach1*, Hamid Touijer2, Mustapha Zahri3, Mohammed El alami4, Mohamed Habibi5
1,2,3,4,5
Laboratory of Electrical Engineering and Energy Systems, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, kenitra – Morocco
1
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
5
[email protected]

Abstract—This paper aims to analyze the dynamic operations Ethernet-based [8, 9] or GSM based systems [10, 11] by using
of the low-voltage Grid. The sample system is composed of a low- the proposed technique.
voltage grid, three-phase PI section line, three-phase transformer
as well as a load. In the Smart Grids, data transmission of The study given in this paper focuses on modeling a low-
various distributed energy resources and its communication voltage grid that we can replace it by a various distributed
infrastructure are put together in order to better control the energy resources. The transmission line with a length of 25 km,
system. Therefore, control requirements and communication the infrastructure of power line communication (PLC) is
structures of electrical grids that are developed via managed by binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modems.
Matlab/Simulink are examined in this paper. The distribution
line is modeled according to realistic parameters of transmission
In accordance with the difficulties encountered by the PLC
line. The proposed power line communication (PLC) which is systems that suffer from the noise created by channel and
part of this study is managed by binary phase shift keying devices connected to the power line network, to resolve this
(BPSK) modems. It is also developed using carrier recovery to problem we are used a carrier recovery and filters blocks that
reduce destructive effects of the channel via Matlab/Simulink. designed by Butterworth filters to reduce destructive effects of
the channel.
Keywords—Smart Grid; remote monitoring, Power Line
Communication, BPSK, carrier recover. II. POWER LINE COMMUNICATION (PLC)
In this study, a novel technique is proposed where the
I. INTRODUCTION electrical power lines used to transmit the measured data of the
Over the past few decades, energy has played an Grid. This concept also describes the main framework of a
increasingly important role in the technological and economic smart grid. The utilization of a power line as a transmission
development. The global electrical energy demand is seen to be channel prevents additional setting up costs to connect the
increasing in recent years and it is expected to be doubled in system Smart Grid.
the next 20 years [1]. In the most countries, it is difficult to
satisfy power demand all year long by one energy sources. Despite its relatively long history, PLC was not widely
Hence it is necessary to interconnect other renewable energy applied due to signal attenuation and severe noise until some
sources for reliability and consistence power supply. breakthroughs were achieved in twentieth-first century. In
Renewable energy sources offer a viable alternative to the recent years, PLC technology has been applied in more and
provision of power in rural areas [2].Wind and Solar PV are more fields, such as smart grid, industrial control, and home
two of the major alternative sources of energy being utilized in networks [4]. It means every device connected to the network
many parts of the world and the widely available energy on power line.
sources [3]. In order to control and monitor, the use of a power line
With the development of smart grid, the advanced communication (PLC) subsystem is a possible communication
metering infrastructure (AMI) system is continuously solution in a smart system. PLC is a technology that employs
promoted worldwide. The AMI system has become one of the infrastructure of electrical power distributed system as
important means for power companies to reduce line loss and communication medium, and it is a fast data communication
improve operation revenue. In the AMI system, the along with the security of wireless communication methods,
neighborhood area network between meters and concentrator and this technology usually uses for data communication
unit supports various communication technologies, such as medium and low voltage power lines [6].
radio frequency, Zig-Bee, and power line communication The PLC can also control the passivity and the activity of
(PLC). Among these communication technologies, PLC has the distribution lines. This is essential especially for substations
inherent advantages, for example, wide coverage (available as located in countrified areas where there is no any
long as there is a grid), and low construction [4], and it is communication infrastructure. On the other hand, there are
aimed at minimizing the additional monitoring costs such as some difficulties and disadvantages that hinder using PLC as
the various energy-monitoring techniques [5] that based on universal communication system. Indeed, in addition to the
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition SCADA [6, 7], interference problem created the radiation from power lines,

 
 



PLC systems suffer from the noise created by loads and power measurement information is supplied to modulator part
devices connected to the power line network [7]. of BPSK modem and that signal feed to distribution line by
coupling circuit is shown in Fig. 1.
III. DESIGN OF BPSK MODEM WITH PLC CHANNEL
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Modulation in a digital is a procedure which moves a
character which is in digital form having indicator appropriate The modulating data using BPSK technique in this study
to receive indication at destination end for held together are selected as the output data of the grid. The modulator
communication or unbounded stage of communication without output is coupled with line trapper circuit models
having data leakage. PLC_modem1 that are designed in Simulink as shown in Fig.2.
The length of the transmission path used is set to 25 km and the
With Binary Phase Shift Keying BPSK, higher modulated data are injected to line voltage by using two of
distance coverage can be achieved from the base station three phases neutral and phase. The demodulator part of the
cellular cell or fixed station to the mobile subscribers compare BPSK modem, which is located at the end of the line, is also
to another modulation like Quadrature Phase Shift Keying coupled with a trapper similar to the modulator side trapper
QPSK [8]. PLC_modem2 as shown in Fig.3. The simulation diagram in
Simulink of the proposed model with BPSK modem is shown
The BPSK modulation scheme is one of the most robust
in Fig.4.
digital schemes against to noise effects. Two different phases
that are generally separated by 180 or radians from each
other are employed in this mapping method.
The signal SBPSK is mathematically represented by the
following equation:
­ S Data1 (1)
SBPSK ® 1
¯ S2 Data0
Where 0≤t≤Tb

2E b (2)
S1 = cos2πf c t
Tb
Fig. 2. Power line communication modem transmitter side
2 Eb (3)
S2  cos 2S f ct
Tb
For this single set, there is a single basic signal:
2 (4)
M1  t  cos 2S f ct
Tb
The BPSK signal is given as:
­° E b M1  t  (5)
S BPSK ® Fig. 3. Power line communication modem receiver side
°̄  E b M1  t 
Where Eb=Energy per bit
Tb=Bit per Period
Fc=Carrier Frequency
As well as its level changes between -1 and 1. When the
value of the data is 1 then the phase of the signal will
be obtained as 0, otherwise the phase degree will be π.

Measured BPSK
Coupling
Power Modem
Power Line Fig. 4. BPSK Modem with PLC Channel for Data Propagation in Simulink
Communication
Channel The BPSK modulated data are supplied to the
Received BPSK demodulator, then the message signal received by the
Coupling demodulator BPSK system is filtered to reduce destructive
Data Modem
effects of the channel and then the demodulation process is
Fig. 1. Simplified Block Diagram of PLC with BPSK Modem also realized at the Carrier Recovery block, carrier frequency is
used at 4 kHz and data rate 1kbps. To obtain appropriate
The PLC with BPSK modems has the simplified block
diagram for intelligent micro grid as shown in Fig.1, the
results, a low-pass Butterworth filters utilized at the
demodulator structure Fig.5.

For simulation, we have considered the signal wave

block tools box as a source of signal of the measurement data
of the Grid.

The first curve depicts the output signal as measured

data Fig.5, while the second curve is the quantized data signal
of the BPSK modulator Fig.6. The third curve show the
demodulated data signal at the output of the BPSK
demodulator Fig.7. The Received and calibrated data at the end
of the transmission line as shown in the fourth and fifth curves Fig. 8. BPSK Demodulator Received Data
Fig.8 and Fig.9, respectively.

Fig. 9. BPSK Modem Calibrated Data

Fig. 5. Input Signal Source

As a result of our model, the calibrated outputs that
depicted in the last axis of figures shows that the monitoring
system by power line communication can be efficiently
utilized to monitor a various renewable energy sources
without the noise created by the transmission channel and
devices connected to the power line network using BPSK
modulator and demodulator with carrier recovery.
V. CONCLUSION
The proposed system focuses on transmitting and receiving
the measured data of the modeled PV in smart-grid system by
using the power line commutation (PLC) technique developed
with BPSK modulation via Matlab/Simulink. The modeled
Fig. 6. BPSK Modolator Modem with PLC
system has also been improved to enable the stimulation serial
connections of panels in the model.
The proposed PLC part of the study is based on coupling
the modulation and demodulation system using BPSK
technique which is an inexpensive technique and has ability to
control the data transmission for smart grid. The modulated
signals that contain the measured data of the Grid are
transmitted over the electrical power lines in three-phases.
After, the designed demodulator at the end of the transmission
line receives them with the Carrier Recovery block and filters
them to reduce destructive effects of the channel.

Fig. 7. BPSK Demodolator Modem with PLC REFERENCES

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