Communications-based technology for smart grid test bed using OPNET simulations

Abstract

Smart Grid is a technology that allows an efficient power usage by collecting information concerning power consumption and the condition of power line through integration of ICT with power grids. Since it is often impossible for them to conduct experiments directly on a network or build analytical models for the complex systems, they rely on the simulations or the reduced test beds mostly. However, in most cases, designing a reduced-scale experiment that can replace a large-scale experiment with a fair degree of precision is highly unlikely as the results obtain from the alternative experiment could be false and it is possible that the errors will not be found until the protocols or the applications are actually used in an internet network. Thus, in this paper, we have first constructed a scalable platform by simulating the Zigbee- and WiMax-based Smart Grid environments, both of which have been used by the Jeju Island Smart Grid Institute, together with the PLC-based environment, which has become a major issue abroad, with the same scenario as the physical and data link layers for the test bed. As for the transport layer, RUDP has been proposed instead of TCP and UDP. The results of simulations shows that RUDP will be a suitable transport layer protocol for the future Smart Grids that support IoT-applied systems.