Broadband Power Line: History
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Contributor:
Jon González-Ramos
,
Noelia Uribe-Pérez
,
Alberto Sendin
,
,
David de la Vega
,
Igor Fernández
,
Javier Nunez
Broadband Power Line (BPL) communications are enlisted to play an important role in the development of new Smart Grid (SG) services and applications, due to the high-performance features that will be demanded in the transformation of the electrical grid model in the next few years. BPL communications are the most immediate and affordable answer to the SG challenge in the distribution grid. While Smart Metering has been instrumental to reaching the outer edge of the grid (i.e., the customer), the capability to deploy broadband communications through the grid is not just a question of the natural evolution of telecommunication technologies but is a requirement for accomplishing the SG evolution. In particular, BPL technologies are a key tool for the control and monitoring of secondary substations. They will also be essential in the distribution grid, in terms of PQ monitoring and distribution generation, especially considering the growth of solar and wind power sources and the progressive introduction of massive EV fleets, with hundreds of vehicles charging and discharging at the same time. In addition, BPL technologies have a great potential towards the diagnosis of the power grid and security assurance. The methods for cable health monitoring are mainly based on the topological parameters of the network, physical properties of the cable, and the measured Quality of Service (QoS) parameters, while other methods include simulations and diagnostics solutions.
  • Power Line Communications
  • BPL
  • Smart Grids

1. Introduction

Technologies for Power Line Communications (PLC) are the preferred alternative selected by the Distribution System Operators (DSOs) for the data transmission that paves the way for the development of the existing and prospective applications for Smart Grids (SGs). The main advantages of this technology rely on the fact that the grid is already deployed, avoiding the costs of new infrastructures or the dependency of third parties in the data transmission and management [1][2], while enabling Low Voltage (LV) and Medium Voltage (MV) grid automation within the SG concept.
The development of different Narrowband Power Line Communications (NB-PLC) technologies, which have emerged from different international industrial endeavors within several alliances, enabled the deployment of smart metering, the inspection of electrical signal quality, and the remote monitoring of the devices connected to the grid [3][4][5][6]. None of these applications require highly demanding features from the transmission technologies’ perspective. Future SG applications, in contrast, related to the integration of renewable energies, electric vehicle (EV) charging management, and energy demand response [1], among others, will need real-time responses from telecommunications devices, a higher bandwidth, the priority management of the data to be transmitted, in addition to greater cybersecurity requirements. Moreover, these new services will enable the evolution of a fully automated and distributed power grid architecture, where each node can be both a producer and a consumer at the same time, thus facilitating a fast and reliable communications system. Thus, the classical and hierarchical model of production-distribution-consumption will be transformed into a distributed and flexible architecture [7].

2. Organizations and Alliances Involved in the Development of BPL Technologies

BPL implementations were first developed as the result of two driving factors. First, the normal evolution of existing PLC systems, with the intention to provide higher data rates, and second, and more importantly, the application of techniques already present in other telecommunication scenarios, to the grid power lines [8].
Several organizations worldwide have been leading the development of BPL technologies, some of them promoting recommendations and technical standards, and others defining and proposing specific transmission technologies with a market-oriented focus. Broadband Forum is the main organization promoting technical standards, whereas the technologies oriented to the market have been developed (and mostly still are) by HomeGrid Forum, HD-PLC Alliance, HomePlug Alliance, and PRIME Alliance.

2.1. Broadband Forum

The Broadband Forum [9] is a communications industry consortium focused on endorsing standards, technical reports, and specifications about broadband technologies. It is an open, non-profit industry organization composed of broadband operators, vendors, consultants, and testing laboratories.
Projects supported by The Broadband Forum cover technologies for Connected Home, broadband (gigabit capable) access network, Software Defined Networking, Network Functions Visualization, and applications of 5G, such as autonomous cars, industrial Internet of Things (IoT), or smart communities [9]. These technologies and applications require specifications for multi-service broadband packet networking and service management. For this purpose, the forum is involved in the development of software data models, reference implementations, testing and certification programs, and specifications for interoperability.
In particular, the Broadband Forum has published, in collaboration with Home Grid Forum, a detailed testbed, together with a set of tests that enable a performance comparison between BPL products and technologies that can be independently verified [10]. Several categories of tests are included in this testbed, such as throughput performances, noise immunity, topology, traffic, security, and Quality of Service (QoS), among others. The testbed is aimed at providing the industry, operators, and test labs with a useful tool to verify a wide range of features for future deployments of BPL technologies.

2.2. HomeGrid Forum

HomeGrid Forum [11] is an industry alliance created to support the development and deployment of a specific broadband transmission technology, called Gigabit Home Networking (G.hn), based on standards developed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). HomeGrid Forum complements the activity of ITU to test the G.hn solutions, maintaining a comprehensive compliance and interoperability program to promote an ecosystem of silicon and final products based on the G.hn standards. The focus is on the definition, development, and control of the certification process to ensure the compliance and interoperability of products following the standards. Their activities have been mainly focused on the in-home environment, although last-mile access (specifically multi-dwelling environments) is also addressed.
HomeGrid Forum is making efforts to promote the role of G.hn for the SG evolution and to adapt G.996x, the set of ITU recommendations related to BPL, to specific application scenarios (see next sections). This implies the definition of appropriate configurations to support longer distances, noisy environments, and a larger number of nodes, as well as IEEE 802.1X authentication frameworks, as the latest ITU-T roadmap states [12]. Recently, E.ON joined HomeGrid Forum to further influence the progress of G.hn technology for the energy sector [13].
In addition, HomeGrid Forum issues certification testing through accredited companies. The testing procedure is designed to ensure that commercial products containing both G.hn silicon and production software/firmware comply with ITU-T G.hn standards and the HomeGrid requirements regarding interoperability and performance, as specified in the HomeGrid Forum Certification Test Plans.
HomeGrid Forum collaborated with The Broadband Forum to develop an interoperability program to verify the adherence of commercial products to the ITU standard, by means of a performance test plan [14]. In this activity, the HomeGrid Forum was in charge of applying the formal Compliance and Interoperability program for the ITU standard.

2.3. High Definition Power Line Communication (HD-PLC) Alliance

The High Definition Power Line Communication (HD-PLC) Alliance, founded by Panasonic, is a private organization that gathers different actors from the wireline technology segment [15] to spread the use of HD-PLC technology and improve the communication compatibility between products adopting this communication technology. HD-PLC technology supports applications on a large scale, such as building automation and smart factories, so that any existing cabling installation (and specifically power lines) can be turned into a high-speed network.

2.4. HomePlug Alliance

The HomePlug Alliance was founded in 2000, comprising 70 member companies, including Atheros Communications (ATHR), CISCO, and GE Energy, among others. Its main objective was to create specifications and certification programs for using power lines for reliable home networking and SG applications. The alliance enabled and promoted the HomePlug technology in collaboration with international standardization organizations, such as the IEEE, apart from using market development and user education programs [16][17].
HomePlug Powerline Alliance developed other specifications outside the pure broadband domain, namely HomePlug Command and Control specification and HomePlug Green PHY specification, in 2007 and 2010, respectively. The latter is for lower-cost Smart Energy solutions as a subset of HomePlug AV with peak rates up to 10 Mbps [18].
HomePlug alliance stopped its activities in 2016 [19].

2.5. PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution (PRIME) Alliance

The PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution (PRIME) Alliance, promoted by utilities such as Iberdrola, Naturgy, E-REDES, E.ON, Viesgo, and Energa, is focused on the development of an open, public, and non-proprietary telecommunication solution to support not only smart metering functionalities but also network control and monitoring applications [20]. PRIME is an open technology for NB-PLC, standardized by ITU (ITU-T G.9904), for SG in general, and for smart metering in its initial uses. One of the main efforts of the PRIME Alliance was to accomplish interoperability between equipment and systems from different manufacturers. This technology was adopted by several DSOs, which consisted of deployments of tens of millions of smart meters in more than 15 countries in Europe and the Middle East [20].
Beyond NB-PLC, in 2019, the PRIME Alliance created a BPL task force to address the standardization process of the overall architecture of a BPL solution, aiming at an open, interoperable, and broadband PLC solution. For this purpose, several chipset and communication device manufacturers also participate in the PRIME Alliance’s task force. In 2020, the existing alternatives used for in-home BPL, such as HomePlug or G.hn, were analyzed by this task force, to evaluate the adaptation, or the direct adoption, of its use in the electrical distribution grid. Some initial tests suggested that G.hn technology could be a good candidate to be adapted to new scenarios as the basis for the development of a PRIME-BPL technology. Currently, some field tests to evaluate the performance of the G.hn technology in the distribution grids have been carried out in Germany [21].

3. Fundamentals of BPL Technologies

The principal characteristics of the more relevant BPL technologies applicable to the LV distribution grid are described. These technologies are the technical basis for enabling the deployment of new functionalities in grid digitalization, such as distribution automation (telecontrol) and AMI.

3.1. Gigabit Home Networking (G.hn)

G.hn, standardized by the ITU-T, is a data transmission technology supported and promoted by the HomeGrid Forum Alliance for different propagation media (coaxial, phone line and optical fiber) within home networks, achieving data rates of up to 1 Gbps. Although originally developed for in-home communications, it was identified by some DSOs as an adequate basis for broadband communications in the distribution grid. Therefore, since 2009, they are trying to adapt to other markets such as smart metering [22], SG [23], and industrial networking ones [24].
The G.hn technology is described by a set of ITU-T standards (recommendations G.9960 to G.9964 [25][26][27][28][29]). G.hn includes the capability to notch specific frequency bands to avoid interference with amateur radio bands and other licensed radio services, as well as mechanisms to avoid interference with legacy home networking technologies.
The PHY layer is based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation for a frequency band schedule up to 50 MHz or 100 MHz, and a so-called Low-Complexity Profile (LCP) up to 25 MHz. This LCP is mentioned in [22] when discussing potential Smart Metering scenarios. Additionally, low-density parity-check codes (LDPC) are applied as a technique for forward error correction (FEC) to increase the robustness of the transmission.
The MAC layer in G.hn is based on Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA). The ITU-T SG15 published a Technical Paper in 2019 considering the use of BPL access in SG networks [22][24], and it has recently published a new Technical Paper focused on adapting the technologies described in the ITU-T G.996x standards to the new requirements of SG applications [23]. With this approach, four use cases were identified for the use of G.hn in LV distribution grids: smart metering, smart meter gateway, narrowband smart meter concentrator, and MV backbone. The improvements provided by G.hn technology in these use cases include the support of mesh and tree topologies, the routing functionalities to support a large number of nodes, and the support of the IEEE 802.1X authentication framework and management data models [12].
The Data link layer (DLL) of this technology is defined in Rec. ITU-T G.9961 [26], with the use of contention-free TDMA and contention-based Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) MAC, among other layer-2 mechanisms. The data management is described in the Rec. ITU-T G.9962 standard [27], whereas in ITU-T G.9963 the application of Multiple Input/Multiple Output (MIMO) procedures is specified [28]. Finally, Rec. ITU-T G.9964 [29] states the Power Spectral Density (PSD) limits for transmission devices as frequencies between 2 MHz and 30 MHz, without referring to other possible local or regional regulations.

3.2. IEEE 1901

The IEEE 1901–2010 standard [30], published in December 2010, derives from the work initiated by the IEEE P1901 working group in 2007, that selected a consolidated proposal by the HomePlug Powerline Alliance and the HD-PLC Alliance. Hence, the IEEE 1901 standard is a trade-off solution between the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)-based OFDM PHY defined for HomePlug AV and the Wavelet-based OFDM PHY used in Panasonic’s HD-PLC devices. Both options for the PHY layer are optional, but not interoperable. To solve this issue, IEEE 1901 defines an InterSystem Protocol (ISP) providing coexistence both among IEEE 1901 incompatible PHYs, but also with other systems (e.g., ITU-T G.hn [31]) and other grid segments (in-home and access). It is remarkable that legacy HomePlug AV and the current IEEE 1901 versions remain incompatible. Additionally, IEEE 1901 defines a Coexistence Protocol (CXP), so that non-IEEE-1901 conformant devices coexist to IEEE-1901-conformant devices or non-IEEE-1901-conformant devices. This standard enables high-speed communications, with data rates up to 100 Mbps, in the frequency range from 1.8 MHz–50 MHz.
In the full FFT-based 1901 mode, a 24.414 kHz carrier spacing is defined. In the operation bandwidth, up to 1974 carriers are employed, modulated with phase shift keying (PSK) modulations; Binary PSK (BPSK); Quadrature PSK (QPSK); 8 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (8 QAM), 16 QAM, 64 QAM, 256 QAM, 1024 QAM, or 4096 QAM. Moreover, three robust signaling schemes, ROBO-FTT OFDM modes, are also defined.
In contrast, the Single Channel Wavelet (SCW) specification offers robustness against selective frequency channels and narrowband noise, along with providing a very efficient utilization of the spectrum. Wavelet OFDM frames can be directly transmitted at baseband or modulated to a specific carrier. In the case of in-home and access applications, baseband transmission is mandatory, whereas modulated transmission is optional. For each operation mode, different characteristics are defined.
The baseband PHY utilizes 512 equally spaced carriers in the frequency band from 0 Hz to 31.25 MHz. This standard uses the frequency range from 1.8–28 MHz with an optional band of 30–50 MHz. Each carrier is modulated with 2-Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM), 4-PAM, 8-PAM, 16-PAM, or 32-PAM, when operating in the high-speed mode. The diversity mode, in contrast, uses 2-PAM modulation and further frequency diversity, so that the PHY layer can operate under adverse conditions. This Wavelet PHY layer includes Reed Solomon, convolutional Viterbi, or LDPC-CC encoders.
The modulated SCW PHY uses the same FEC and modulation schemes described in the baseband PHY to transmit the data through 1024 carriers in any band within the frequency range from 1.8–50 MHz.
Regarding the MAC layer, two types of service can be provided: connection-oriented services or connectionless services. In both cases, a TDMA scheme, providing a contention-free period, and a CSMA / Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) scheme, in which a contention period is provided, can be used.
In September 2020, a revision of the standard was carried out, publishing the IEEE 1901–2020 [32], where a Flexible Channel Wavelet (FCW) PHY option is included. This way, changes in the operation modes in different channels with different carrier spacing values are allowed. This enables high-speed and long-distance communications, which are considerably required in the currently highly demanded IoT applications. This PHY layer only considers frame baseband transmissions. Although, in general, it includes similar characteristics to the SCW PHY, it allows optional transmissions in the 31.25 MHz–62.5 MHz frequency range when the sampling rate is doubled, and up to 100 MHz if the sampling rate is multiplied by a factor of four. In addition, as wireless communication, it enables a plurality of channels, due to the subdivision into two or four channels provided by this Wavelet-based PHY layer.

3.3. HD-PLC

HD-PLC technology is structured in four generations [33]. The first two generations were designed to achieve a maximum data throughput of 190 Mbps and 210 Mbps, for transmissions in the frequency range from 4 MHz to 28 MHz and 2 MHz to 28 MHz, respectively; nevertheless, they did not end up in a standard.
The third generation was divided into two specifications: HD-PLC3 Complete and HD-PLC3 Muti-hop, applicable to different scenarios. HD-PLC3 Complete is based on the IEEE 1901–2010 communication standard, adopting the Wavelet-based PHY layer, which aims at accomplishing a maximum data transmission rate of 240 Mbps. Thus, while FFT-OFDM is mostly found in Europe and the United States, Wavelet-OFDM modulation is most common in Japan.
HD-PLC3 Multi-Hop includes hopping capabilities between network nodes, to overcome one-to-one communication capabilities. This version of HD-PLC refers to the IEEE 1901–2010 standard, combined with the ITU-T G.9905 standard. It is based on a so-called Centralized Metric-Based Source Routing (CMSR) protocol, which allows the data signal to progress among terminals connected to one master node in a tree-like structure. The maximum number of hops is limited to 10, in a network of up to 1024 nodes. The network topology is the main difference between the Multi-hop and the Complete Standards.
In the fourth generation (HD-PLC4) [34], the IEEE 1901–2010 standard was adapted to from IEEE 1901a–2019, including both the so-called FCW to accommodate smaller bandwidth channels (typical of access scenarios) and the option of an extended band (from 31.25 MHz to 62.5 MHz). The FCW offers 15 selectable channels; options considering wider bandwidths expand the data transmission rate up to a maximum of 1 Gbps, while others with smaller bandwidths may result in longer ranges (estimated up to 2.5 times with respect to IEEE 1901–2010).
The HD-PLC4 also considers an extended ISP (E-ISP), which was adapted according to the new features of other PLC systems in the market. This functionality was eventually consolidated in the IEEE 1901–2020. For a general robustness, the PHY layer includes the use of several forward error correction techniques, such as Reed–Solomon, Convolutional Codes, and LDPC codes [34].

3.4. HomePlug

The HomePlug 1.0 specification was published in June 2001 [35] and HomePlug 1.0.1 [36] in December 2001. This technology achieved a 14 Mbps maximum data throughput and it was eventually adopted as the TIA-1113 international standard within the subcommittee TR-30.1 of the Telecommunications Industry Association [37]. The activity in HomePlug continued with the HomePlug AV specification [38], which describes a PLC system operating at 200 Mbps. The PHY layer is based on FFT-OFDM multiplexing, in the frequency band of 2 MHz to 28 MHz, with modulation up to 1024 QAM and turbo convolutional codes as an FEC. The MAC protocol is a hybrid configuration of TDMA/CSMA/CA, similar to the protocol adopted by HomePlug 1.0.1.
In June of 2010, the HomePlug Green PHY specification [18] was published as a derivative of HomePlug AV. It uses the frequency band from 2 MHz to 30 MHz, allowing interoperability with HomePlug AV and IEEE P1901. In contrast to these previous systems, it only supports QPSK modulation with turbo convolutional code as an FEC. This restriction, together with the restrictive data rates supported by ROBO modes, limits the maximum bitrate to 10 Mbps [18].
The HomePlug AV2 specification was introduced in 2012 as HomePlug AV2 2.0 [39]. It claims to be interoperable with HomePlug AV and HomePlug GreenPHY devices, and it supports MIMO and a wider frequency band (1.8 MHz–86.13 MHz) to offer up to 1.5 Gbps PHY data rate throughput. HomePlug AV2 2.1 followed in February 2014 [40].

3.5. Open PLC European Research Alliance (OPERA)

A system based on Open PLC European Research Alliance (OPERA) specifications and applicable to different grids’ access scenarios was released in 2006 [41] and applied to SGs [42]. OPERA is the name for a European Commission-funded research and development project [43].
OPERA specifications [44][45] were mainly in the form of a PHY layer and a MAC layer. The PHY is an OFDM-based signal, with the purpose of achieving a maximum data rate of 200 Mbps. The PHY uses up to 1536 subcarriers with configurable bandwidths of 10 MHz, 20 MHz, or 30 MHz, and Amplitude Differential PSK(ADPSK) with up to 1024 points per constellation. Additional features include adaptive modulation, frequency notching, Reed–Solomon block codes-based FEC, and truncated four-dimensional Trellis coded modulation.
The MAC layer is a TDMA-based layer, where a time slot for transmission is assigned to each device. A head-end device, acting as a master, controls the use of channel resources to guarantee QoS, in terms of throughput and network latency.
The Universal Powerline Association (UPA), an international association working to promote global standards and regulations, collaborated and promoted this access standard [46][47], although it eventually became aligned with HomeGrid Forum [23].

3.6. KS X 4600-1

The ISO/IEC 12139-1:2009 [48] is a Korean system, initially defined as KS X 4600-1, and later adopted by ISO and IEC in 2009. The standard defines both PHY and MAC layers to support both IEEE 802.3 and serial protocols, using frequencies below 30 MHz.
The PHY uses a Discrete Multi-Tone (DMT) method in frequencies between 2.15 MHz and 23.15 MHz with a subcarrier spacing of 97.65625 kHz (25 MHz/256), and adaptive modulation of differential BPSK (DBPSK), DQPSK, or D8PSK, using Reed–Solomon and convolutional coding as FEC mechanisms.
The MAC layer uses CSMA/CA as access technique and IEEE 802.3 MAC addresses.

3.7. Coexistence between BPL Technologies

A coexistence mechanism between broadband power line technologies that was intended to avoid interferences between different standard-based BPL systems was standardized in 2019 [49]. This mechanism, based on Time Domain Multiplex (TDM) and Frequency Domain Multiplex (FDM), allows up to four non-interoperable communication systems to share time and frequency resources at a time.
Two different Extended TDM resource allocations are described in this international standard: the Extended TDM resource allocation, utilizing resource for an absent in-home system, and the Extended TDM resource allocation utilizing the resource for access system. The first of them extends the TDM general resource allocation map, defined in the IEEE 1901–2010 standard. Hence, from a situation where the in-home-W (IH-W), IH-O, and IH-G access systems are supported, another non-interoperable in-home system, IH-A, is included (the absence of one of the abovementioned systems is necessary for the use of this extended allocation). The mechanism is based on assigning the resources allocated to the first absent in-home system (in the order IH-W, IH-O, and IH-G) to the IH-A. In contrast, the option of the Extended TDM resource allocation is only allowed when there is no access system and no absent in-home system. In this case, the mechanism also begins with the TDM general allocation map; however, the TDMs of the access system are assigned to IH-A.

3.8. Comparison of BPL Technologies

Table 1. Comparison of technical specifications of main BPL technologies.
Technology Data Rate Frequency Band Codes Modulations Media Access Control
G.hn G.hn LCP 5–20 Mbps 2–25 MHz LDPC FFT-OFDM/QPSK TDMA
G.hn 1 Gbps 2–100 MHz FFT-OFDM/QAM
IEEE 1901 2010
FFT		 >100 Mbps 1.8–50 MHz Turbo Convolutional code FFT-OFDM/BPSK, QPSK, 8 QAM, 16 QAM, 32 QAM, 64 QAM, 1024 QAM, 4096 QAM TDMA,
CSMA/CA
2010
Single Channel Wavelet (Baseband)		 >100 Mbps 1.8–28 MHz
(optional 30–50 MHz)		 Reed–Solomon,
Convolutional code (Viterbi),
LDPC		 Wavelet-OFDM/2-PAM, 4-PAM, 8-PAM, 16-PAM, 32-PAM (high-speed mode)
Wavelet-OFDM/2-PAM (diversity mode)
2010
Single Channel Wavelet (Bandpass)		 >100 Mbps 1.8–50 MHz Reed–Solomon,
Convolutional code (Viterbi),
LDPC		 Wavelet-OFDM/2-PAM, 4-PAM, 8-PAM, 16-PAM, 32-PAM (high-speed mode)
Wavelet-OFDM/2-PAM (diversity mode)
2020
Flexible Channel Wavelet		 >100 Mbps 1.8–28 MHz
(optional 31.25–62.5 MHz)		 Reed–Solomon,
Convolutional code (Viterbi),
LDPC		 Wavelet-OFDM/2-PAM, 4-PAM, 8-PAM, 16-PAM, 32-PAM (high-speed mode)
Wavelet-OFDM/2-PAM (diversity mode)
HD-PLC 1st gen. 190 Mbps 4–28 MHz Reed–Solomon,
Convolutional code (Viterbi),
LDPC		 Wavelet-OFDM CSMA/CA
2nd gen. 210 Mbps 2–28 MHz
IEEE 1901–2010 (3rd gen. Complete) 240 Mbps 2–28 MHz
ITU-T G.9905 (3rd gen. Multi-hop) 240 Mbps 2–28 MHz
IEEE 1901–2020 (4th gen.) 1 Gbps 2–100 MHz
HomePlug 1.0 14 Mbps 4.5–21 MHz Viterbi
Reed–Solomon		 FFT-OFDM/DBPSK,
DQPSK		 CSMA/CA
AV 1.0 200 Mbps 2–28 MHz Turbo Convolutional Codes FFT-OFDM/DBPSK,
DQPSK, 16 QAM, 64 QAM, 256 AM, 1024 QAM		 TDMA,
CSMA/CA
AV 1.1 200 Mbps
AV 2.0 1.5 Gbps 1.8–86.3 MHz Turbo Convolutional Codes FFT-OFDM/DBPSK,
QPSK, 16 QAM, 64 QAM, 256 QAM, 1024 QAM,
4096 QAM		 TDMA,
CSMA/CA
Green PHY 10 Mbps 2–30 MHz Turbo Codes FFT-OFDM/QPSK CSMA/CA
OPERA 200 Mbps 2–30 MHz Reed–Solomon OFDM/ADPSK
Truncated four-dimensional Trellis coded		 TDMA
KS X 4600-1 Class A 24 Mbps 2.15–23.15 MHz Reed–Solomon
Convolutional Coding		 DBPSK, DQPSK, D8PSK CSMA/CA
Class B 200 Mbps
Table 1 shows the technological evolution of the proposed standards, as the latest versions of each technology are a forward leap in the technical features. This is accomplished with the use of high-order modulation schemes with a high number of symbols, achieving data rates up to 1.5 Gbps and 1 Gbps for HomePlug AV 2.0 and the 4th version of HD-PLC, respectively. It is noticeable that different bandwidths are proposed by all the technologies, which is directly related to the available data rate.
All the technologies shown in Table 1 use FEC techniques to increase the robustness of the communications by including redundant information at the transmitter and applying error detection and correction algorithms at the receiver end. As the electrical grid is a harsh propagation medium and the transmission losses are high in these frequency ranges, these coding techniques have become essential for the proper performance of BPL technologies. The most used codes include turbo codes, convolutional codes (bit level), Reed–Solomon (symbol level), and LDPC techniques. The latter have a wide range of configurations, reaching the highest levels of robustness.
Finally, it should be noted that TDMA and CSMA/CA are the medium access techniques selected by the BPL technologies. Therefore, the proper development of the technologies requires a high level of synchronization for data transmission between nearby communication devices.

5. Applications of BPL

5.1. Smart Metering

Four different use cases related to Smart Metering based on the specifications of BPL technologies can be outlined [23]:
  • A Smart Meter (SM) using BPL communication. In this case, the SM integrates the BPL functions for communicating with external data concentrators or head end systems. Hence, BPL technology enables high bandwidth for the smart meter’s communication, allowing Internet Protocol (IP) stack integration. Given the possibilities of the BPL technology, the meter can also encapsulate the traffic of water and gas meters, which can be connected through wireless M-Bus or serial local links to the SM. In this scenario, the AMI infrastructure is fully based on BPL technology, based on the SM.
  • A Smart Meter Gateway. In some scenarios, instead of integrating the BPL transmitter/receiver inside the SM, a device called a gateway behaves as a BPL node of the network. The gateway is connected to the SM through its serial connection, and it is in charge of encapsulating the metering traffic into the BPL network. This approach has the advantage of differentiating the devices of metrology and communication infrastructures in separated modules. The gateway may also behave as an intelligent device to connect water meters, gas meters, in-home displays, or even dynamic charges.
  • A BPL concentrator of NB-PLC SMs. NB-PLC technology has been proven to be effective at deploying smart metering infrastructures. Nevertheless, as they are low data rate shared transmission networks, in dense environments, the enhanced capacities of BPL can provide an important performance boost with respect to NB-PLC. A reduction in the number of nodes (the number of NB-PLC devices) of each NB-PLC subnetwork provides an effective communication speed-up, as the bandwidth is shared by a reduced number of nodes. Then, a special Gateway encapsulates the NB-PLC traffic into BPL within each centralization node, to provide connectivity to an external data concentrator or head-end system.
  • A Smart Metering MV BPL backbone. Once the SM data reach the secondary substation, the backbone connection of this secondary substation can be developed by means of BPL through the MV lines [50][51].
Recently, E.ON is promoting the use of G.hn technology for the energy sector [13], by means of Smart Meter Gateways with G.hn technology to connect energy services central offices with the smart meters located in the users’ homes.

5.2. Grid Automation

The grid automation concept consists of applying automated actions to allow a continuous power supply under circumstances that may cause grid failure. In a centralized grid operation context, it is based on the continuous supervision of the state of the grid via specific equipment (sensors) and the analysis of this information by one or more control centers through SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems, which may eventually send commands to grid actuators to reconfigure the grid.
Based on the specifications of BPL technologies, several use cases related to Grid automation can be outlined [52][53][54]:
  • Communications with Remote Terminal Units (RTU). The use of BPL in MV lines for SCADA access to RTUs has been used in environments where the use of other communication technologies was not feasible, mainly as a complementary communication technology for access to RTU equipment in remote areas. There are implementations using the 100 kHz–1 MHz frequency range with Spread Spectrum modulation. Later, applications moved to the traditional range from 2 MHz to 25–30 MHz, with OFDM modulations. There are also some implementations based on narrowband G3 PLC technology [52] or HomePlug [54].
  • The collection of measurements from grid sensors to control centers or adjacent substations. With the growing deployment of renewable energy sources, it has become necessary to transfer greater amounts of information between the DERs, e.g., PV or wind energy plants, and the substation, to control the injection of energy into the grid. The use of a higher number of sensors, to obtain a more complete and detailed information, demands communication technologies that allow higher data rates and lower latency times. BPL technologies are a good option for such scenarios.
  • Energy Control. The use of BPL for the control and monitoring of solar panels has also been applied, mainly for the remote control of the panel tilt to maximize the sun exposure. Real-time monitoring also enables maintenance monitoring, the detection of silicon degradation/need for cell replacement, weather conditions, theft detection, and power output/efficiency.

5.3. Electric Vehicle (EV)

The standard ISO 15118 [55][56] specifies a digital communication system between an EV and a charging station, with the purpose of securing the information exchange. It includes functionalities for automatic user authorization without requiring the driver to interact with the charging station, also referred to as Plug and Charge (PnC). It also provides a load management service, based on power schedules and tariff tables. For this purpose, the standard defines specifications for communication, automated authentication, and authorization.
Four use cases are supported by ISO 15118: PnC, smart charging, bidirectional charging, and wireless charging [55][56][57]. Smart charging is based on bidirectional communication between the EV and the charger to support load management. The standard enables load control for variable charging and the charging management of multiple EVs. Several EV manufacturers (Audi, Daimler, Ford, Lucid, Porsche, and VW) are now supporting ISO 151118 PnC [57].
Regarding communications, ISO 15118 defines, firstly, the use cases and requirements for the network, and secondly, the application protocols and the physical and data link layers, not only for wired interfaces [55][58][59], but also for wireless interfaces [56][60][61]. With respect to authentication, the standards describe how to exchange digital certificates to ensure secure communication. This standard is a step further in the communication between the charger and the EV with far greater capabilities than the DIN SPEC 70121 [62], which provides a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal to negotiate the status of the charge and power management.
Beyond all these functionalities, BPL is a transmission technology that may fulfil the requirements of many other use cases in the EV charging infrastructure, which could be more demanding than the point-to-point communication between the EV and the charging point for authentication and payment. In particular, when there are several EV chargers in the same parking space, they could communicate through new BPL technologies to behave as a collaborative community of consumers with a common power management system. Additionally, the Vehicle to Grid (V2G) functionality uses the energy storage of the EV as a DER, and this operation requires advanced automation and power exchange control functions. Moreover, BPL technologies could enable the communication between EVs as a LAN to route the data into the communication backbone. This is particularly useful for underground situations, where the lack of coverage hinders or even halts the communications of each EV charger with the rest of the grid.

5.4. Distributed Generation

Distributed generation is composed of small power generation equipment connected to a distribution system, with the purpose of meeting local peak loads and/or displacing the need to build additional (or upgrade) local distribution infrastructure [63], even operating in parallel to the distribution system [64]. A DER is any electric power source, including both power generators and electricity storage systems, that is not directly connected to a bulk power system and capable of providing power to cover local needs or exporting active power to the electric system. Hence, DERs refer to solar PV panels, small wind turbines, natural-gas-fired, fuel cells, biomass combustion systems, waste incineration systems, and even EVs, that may be installed to solve local energy needs, but also connected to the distribution grid as distributed generation sources.
The role of DERs in the electric power system is increasingly relevant and needs to be properly integrated into the grid in operational and regulatory terms. The management of distributed generation is a particular case of grid automation, which must consider aspects related to the interconnection and bidirectional power flow between the DERs and the power grid. As these elements are progressively integrated in the LV grid, the presence of reliable and highly performing telecommunications connectivity is not guaranteed, and thus BPL appears to be a very convenient solution [45].
The IEEE 1547-2018 [65] was defined with the purpose of defining the technical specifications for the interconnection and interoperability between electric systems and DERs, including testing procedures. Recently, a use guide of IEEE 1547 has been published [66], which focused on the interconnection of storage DERs with the electrical grid, such as EV charging stations with V2G ability or Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for off-grid use.
The interoperability defined in this standard consists of the capability of exchanging information in a secure and effective way between systems, devices, or applications involved in distributed generation. For this purpose, an interface that allows for communication with the DSO is a mandatory requirement for a specific DER, supporting one of these communication protocols: IEEE 2030.5 [67], IEEE 1815 [68], or SunSpec Modbus [69]. The exchanged information should provide data about DER characteristics, monitoring (operating conditions), configuration (including the ability to perform specific functions), and management (mode settings) [70]. The longest response time (maximum amount of time to respond to the read requests) determined by the standard is 30 s, and DER communicating interfaces should be continuously operating. Nevertheless, the decision to use the local DER communications interface, or by contrast, to incorporate it within a more general communications system, will be determined by the DSO.

5.5. Smart City Services

The concept of a Smart City aims at reconverting cities and urban spaces towards more sustainable, accessible, efficient, and inclusive places. In this context, information and communication technologies are a key tool for the development of collaborative businesses, advanced technologies, and new methods of consumption and networking [71].
Beyond traditional power grid services, BPL technologies can enable a wide range of services under the scope of the Smart City concept, since most of the assets that could be managed through BPL are already connected to the power grid (lights and traffic signaling) or potentially close to power sockets (parking and traffic flow). In these scenarios, BPL would provide a fast response time and high data rates, in contrast to some wireless low-cost solutions.
A representative example is the PLC-based management of urban lighting, already developed in some European cities. Based on this application, the power lines would act as the backbone for networked communications. Additionally, different types of sensors and control equipment could be installed for different purposes other than lighting (traffic monitoring and traffic light management, smart parking, waste management, and the fast signaling of urban services) and connected over the power lines. Then, the information could be transferred to a data/control center to be managed [72].
Some of the strong points of BPL with respect to other incoming technologies regarding future services in Smart Cities are the non-dependency of batteries, the performance of hundreds of Mbps, and response times of less than 50 ms [73]. Some pilot projects for BPL-based new functionalities related to power control and management have already been implemented. For instance, in the Smart City of Mannheim (Germany), which has integrated both renewable energy and energy storage into the grid through the use of BPL [73].
Another interesting alternative is the hybridization of BPL with RF mesh, which allows for the flexibility of selecting wired or wireless options depending on link availability, channel propagation conditions, or priority algorithms based on data types. Related experiences, such as the deployment of PLC-RF Gateways in the city of Bellingham, Washington, have explored the benefits of the integration of power line and wireless technologies to enable lighting systems to mix and match connectivity options managed through a single central management software [72].

5.6. Industrial Applications

The industry 4.0 is the evolution of product mechanization (Industry 1.0), the introduction of the electrification of mass production and assembly lines (Industry 2.0), and the adoption of automation, computers, and electronics (Industry 3.0), as a result of the adoption of communication technologies and the analysis of massive data. Five technologies can be considered disruptive for Industry 4.0 [74]: cyber-physical systems, pervasive connectivity, big data processing, advanced analytics, and smart applications and services.
The rollout of this approach must be supported by a broadband network able to provide high-speed (low latency), reliable (high robustness), and efficient (advanced coding and modulation schemes) data exchange. Additionally, the requirements for an effective broadband infrastructure in Industry 4.0 are simplicity, scalability, security, availability, and affordability [75]. In this challenging context, with high-demanding requirements, BPL technologies can play a decisive role.
The potential targets for the application of BPL technologies within the industrial context are, firstly, those demanding high data rates, such as surveillance and monitoring applications, video IP systems, and interactive panels, as well as internet service for the industry; secondly, those that require very low latency times, such as safety processes or manufacturing procedures; and lastly, communications in extremely noisy environments.

5.7. IoT Services

In many aspects, BPL in the IoT follows the same approach as in industry applications, but with a lower cost. According to a recent communication, the market for BPL in the industrial IoT (IoT) context could be more than 350 million ports in 2023 [76]. Wired deployments could be in the form of BPL-based data backbones, which deliver high-speed data to local networks that connect to IoT end-point devices through BPL, other wired assets (e.g., RS-485), or wireless technologies.
The ITU is addressing the adoption of BPL within the IoT paradigm through a specific working group (SG15). This is adapting the G.hn standard to IoT, under the name of G.iot, with the purpose of being fully interoperable with G.hn, as part of the same domain and with several coexistence mechanisms [77][78]. This proposal is being developed and aims at addressing domotics and industrial scenarios.
The objectives of this application are [79]:
  • Low cost and low consumption, in line with IoT-wireless approaches;
  • Low complexity, that is, easy deployments;
  • Noise immunity, which is especially important in industrial sites or in locations with high levels of interference;
  • Reliability, to guarantee communications at any time;
  • Very low value latency and jitter, increasing the availability and allowance of a very high number of nodes, and therefore maximizing the number of potential connected assets.
In addition, IEEE has recently developed the IEEE 1901.3 Standard for Power Line Communications for Internet of Things Applications (IoTPLC), which specifies both PHY and MAC layers. The IoTPLC standard uses wavelet OFDM, which presents better robustness against noise, and it allows higher data rates [80].
Another approach is the 6LoPLC, which adopts a PLC PHY and exploits MAC features of IEEE 802.15.4 devices, as well as 6LoWPAN. In contrast to previously commented solutions, 6LoPLC delivers low-rate PLC [81].

5.8. Grid Monitoring

The PLC signals are affected by the grid topology, the anomalies in the grid, and in general, by the performance of the distribution grid as a propagation medium [82]. As a result, PLC devices have been considered by several researchers as a good tool to monitor the status of the LV distribution grid. For instance, in [83][84], the two-way handshake of the communications is employed to acquire data of the grid topology. Similar information is obtained by [85] from the grid impedance. In addition, the channel transfer function (CTF) is used in [86] for fault detection, whereas in [87][88] it is used for monitoring the aging of the grid cable. The variations of the CTF are studied in [89] to detect anomalies in the grid used by comparing the CTF properties before and after an occurrence. In the same line, [90] analyzes the variability of the CTF of the reflected signal.
In recent years, some machine learning techniques have been used for grid sensing. As an example, the line impedance, the reflection coefficient, and the CTF are employed for detecting anomalies in [82] using these techniques. The researchers of [91] present a model based on machine learning to obtain channel information by means of the S parameters of a cable section, so that cable diagnostic solutions can be performed. The researchers of [92] propose algorithms to detect and identify grid faults autonomously that can be implemented in PLC devices.
A potential use beyond grid monitoring that is being investigated is intruder detection. It consists of analyzing variations of the CTF to detect grid intrusions [93][94]. As the CTF is dependent on the physical characteristics of the power line (line length, network topology, and the connected loads [95]), changes in any of these parameters can be used to detect and locate an intruder [96]. Since not all changes in PLC CSIs might be caused by intruders, some techniques such as machine learning can help to differentiate the cause of the change [97][98], and the use of neural networks can also help to improve the security diagnostics [99].

This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/s22124348

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