While many questions still surround the creation
and deployment of the smart grid, the need for a reliable communications
infrastructure is indisputable. Developers of the IEEE 1901.2 standard
identified difficult channel conditions characteristic of low-frequency
power line communications and implemented advanced modulation and
channel-coding techniques to help ensure a robust communications network
for the smart grid.
In Fall 2009, the idea for a new smart grid
communications standard, IEEE P1901.2, began taking shape. The concept
for IEEE P1901.2 came as the result of collaborative efforts between
numerous Tier 1 semiconductor manufacturers and global energy suppliers
who sought to develop a standards-backed utility communication solution
that was 100 percent reliable in all mediums, in all countries. A bold
and complex undertaking, the effort to make IEEE P1901.2 a reality
continues to require deft maneuvering by all involved.
The
standard's developers faced a daunting task - address both existing and
newly added current requirements, as well as forward-looking
requirements in the 10- to 20-year horizon. Furthermore, the standard
needed to compensate for critical challenges and obstacles such as the
harsh low-voltage, medium-voltage, and transformer-channel conditions
that have traditionally hampered high data rate, robust,
through-transformer Power Line Communications (PLCs). Reliable, efficient communications solutions were essential to successfully realize the smart grid.
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