Broadband Power-Line Communication for Underground MV Distribution Networks: Evaluation in a Ring Topology

In this paper we present a performance analysis of the broadband power line communication (BPL) technology for underground medium voltage (MV) power grids with ring topology. The evaluated ring topology optimizes the BPL communication network in terms of resiliency, a fundamental requirement of Smart Grids. Exploiting an experimental small-scale prototype, we obtained satisfactory results on the powerline communication (PLC) interface of the modems for both uplink and downlink, even when a power line link failure occurs. We achieved transmission rates at the physical and ethernet communication interfaces between 70 and 75 Mbps when there is a direct connection; and 60 to 67 Mbps when link failures are introduced in the ring topology. This experimental analysis paves the way towards resilient underground BPL deployments.