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May 1, 2007
Broadband Power Line Communications for Intelligent Grid Management, Public Power Magazine, May-June 2007
| For More Information |
Tim Blodgett
Hometown Connections
303-526-4515
tblodgett@hometownconnections.com
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Smart Grid & Broadband AMR
The electricity grid has remained essentially the same since the time of Thomas Edison. Generators and transformers perform better today but the basic structure and functions of the grid have not changed—until now. Increasing demand for electric power is driving utilities to implement innovative, clean technology solutions to improve operations and customer care. They are deploying broadband power line communications from MainNet to turn each point in the electric distribution network—including every meter and transformer—into an information source to boost service quality and reduce costs.
The BPL/PLC technology from MainNet Communications supports the migration from manual to automated operations. With real-time visibility into the electric distribution network as far down as the subscriber’s electric socket and anywhere in between, MainNet’s Power Line Ultimate System (PLUS™) offers public power utilities the digital information technology for a self-monitoring distribution network. PLUS enables intelligent broadband communication access and “Smart-Grid” applications over any electrical network. PLUS supports clean environment initiatives and energy-efficiency programs using a flexible and scalable product line, together with an intelligent network management system. American Public Power Association members may purchase equipment, software and services from MainNet at national group pricing arranged by Hometown Connections.
Powered by dynamic smart repeaters to overcome the noisy environment, as well as a self-learning feature that eliminates the need for pre-planning of the network architecture due to growth, MainNet’s intelligent plug and play, end-to-end system delivers broadband communication access, creating a robust two-way communication network that ensures instant communication with end users about when power will be restored. Data from, and instructions to, the meter are always available online. MainNet’s broadband BPL/PLC system can read meters, control appliances, route power, issue power outage/restoration notices in real-time, and enable broadband access and video surveillance services. MainNet’s broadband communication access capabilities also enable utilities and telecom companies to offer Internet and VoIP services. All of this is done using the existing electricity grid. MainNet’s PLUS is virtually maintenance free, handling all two-way data, voice and video traffic at a fraction of the cost of alternative solutions.
The MainNet PLUS system is an open communication platform using standard IP (Internet protocol), providing utility operators with a multi-application network that uses existing power lines without lag time in gathering information about the status of the distribution system. Multi-application translates into a network that can be used with any third-party manufacturer IP product. IP products are available for switches, capacitor bank controllers, video cameras, SCADA sensors and more. This platform can also be used for any load management and demand-side management application the utility deploys. With one purchase, the utility can add any grid application for low incremental cost.
“MainNet’s development of an IP-addressable platform was years ahead of the curve. PLUS enables serial interface meters to be used on the BPL network with full IP capabilities, as well as IP products now emerging from the metering, SCADA and other vendors,” said Mike Martin, general manager of Lebanon Utilities in Indiana. Lebanon Utilities provides electric power, water, sewer and telecommunications services. Martin and Randy Parsons, the utility’s manager of information and telecom technology, have been working to modernize the infrastructure and business practices of the utilities, and to extend the benefits of advanced technology to the community. They are overseeing the deployment of the MainNet broadband power line solution throughout the electric distribution system to support AMR/AMI, SCADA/ outage management, demand-side management, facility wide-area network, facility control, smart home applications, and Internet services. Lebanon’s MainNet deployment will benefit all city departments, including police and fire services.
“We no longer need to invest time and resources into separate systems for AMR and facility control/SCADA,” Parsons said.” We may use the same network to collect usage data and to turn off high power consumption devices of the end users so they may reduce peak demand and lower costs. The MainNet system also augments our SCADA capabilities, extending our data collection from the substation level to the transformer level. We can quickly locate outages and restore service without waiting for a call reporting the problem.”
“MainNet’s technology is stable, reliable, and very easy-to-install,” Martin said. “The MainNet staff understands the intricacies of utility operations and is very responsive to our needs. And, unlike other BPL vendors who target the largest utilities, MainNet allows us to purchase system elements à la carte. That’s a huge benefit for small and medium-size public power utilities with tight staffing and budget requirements.”
Joe Marsilii of MainNet recalled that in the late 1970s and 1980s, as electric industry regulators and end users focused on improving energy efficiency, utility managers invested millions of dollars in proprietary, single application demand-side and other load management systems to encourage end-users to modify their electricity consumption during peak demand periods. These systems communicate information by one-way, from the utility to HVAC and other devices on the customer premises. A goal, for instance, is for an A/C system to cycle off at an opportune time, coordinating with the spot market or other wholesale purchasing decision of the utility. But there is no feedback to the utility and no way to ensure the end-user takes certain actions at specific intervals.
More recently, utilities have invested in separate and proprietary AMR systems for efficiencies in collecting usage data and billing. MainNet’s BPL system and Smart-Grid applications provide two-way communications over a single, end-to-end platform for both load management and metering operations.
“Today, for the first time ever, utility operation managers may deploy a single, two-way broadband communication platform that is able to collect and distribute any kind of information between the utility and the end user that the utility can imagine, making possible the efficiencies and cost savings utility managers have sought for more than 30 years,” said Marsilii.
For more information, visit these links:
• MainNet Communications
• Hometown Connections
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