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A hypothetical migration analysis of the PLC based on IEEE 1901.2 standard

Abstract:

According to the Kyoto Protocol, the European Union 2020 strategy established the reduction of 20% of the 1990's carbon emission levels by 2020 as an objective. In this scenario, Smart metering plays a key role to achieve the mentioned objective. Italy and Sweden have already accomplished their national rollout, and other countries are implementing strategies to meet the requirements. From a technological point of view, Smart metering based on Power Line Communication (PLC) is the natural backbone and the first step toward smart grid applications. PLC's infrastructure serves to carry out several smart solutions including, among others, smart homes, smart cities, and electric vehicles. However, the technology is constantly evolving, and today there is a new generation of PLC technology based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM) which provides a higher communication bandwidth. Taking advantage of the existing PLC system in Italy, this paper analyzes a hypothetical scenario of migration from the current Italian distribution electric network toward the new IEEE 1901.2 standard with OFDM-PLC. Additionally, possible technological solutions for Smart meters and Concentrators adapted to the new standard are presented.