A FIELD PROVEN TECHNOLOGY READY FOR SMART METERING

DEPLOYMENTS

• Mauro Colombo

• Technical Marketing Manager

• G3-PLC Alliance

• Italy

What’s G3-PLC?

Open technology without license fees

Reliable solution for PLC based on OFDM modulation

Worldwide standard specified in ITU-T G.9903

Protocol stack defined to interface IPv6 services and DLMS/COSEM application layer

Main technology adopted for new worldwide smart metering deployments

Alliance defining also certification procedures to guarantee interoperability

G3-PLC: Open Alliance

• Organization founded in 2010 to support and implement G3 technology in PLC applications

• Over 70 industry members : – Operators (utilities, DSOs,..) – Devices Manufacturers (Meters, Concentrators, HEMS,..) – Silicon and chipset Providers – System and platform integrators

• Open participation and standard availability • Achieved results:

– G3-PLC standard (PHY, MAC, 6LowPAN layers) definition and ITU-T (G.9903) acceptance

– Worldwide deployments in many PLC applications

G3-PLC technology main applications

Electric vehicules– communication with

electric charging stations

G3 – PLC is not limited in terms of applications, thus facilitating creation of new services :

Smart Grids : communication on MV network, wind energy

Smart cities : energy optimization, light

control, communication

Smart homes : energy efficiency, PV, internet of

things

Smart grids : communication on LV

network

G3-PLC: robust PLC technology

• G3-PLC is based on OFDM modulation – State-of-the-art technology

– Robustness and superior communication performance

– Adaptive tone mapping opportunity

• G3-PLC is defined over 3 different bandwidth

– ARIB band: [154-403] kHz

– FCC band: [154.7-487.5] kHz

– CEN-A band: [35.9-90.6] kHz

0.E+00 1.E+05 2.E+05 3.E+05 4.E+05 5.E+05

CEN-A

FCC

ARIB

Frequency [Hz]

G3-PLC as mature standard

• Interoperability ensured through international standard: ITU-T G.9903, available for free

• PHY, MAC and 6LowPAN layers definition

• Automatic network formation

DLMS Wrapper Layer (IEC 62056-4-7)

DLMS(COSEM App. Layer (IEC 62056-5-3)

Upper Application Layer -Control Function

TCP/UDP

IP

PHY, MAC layers

ITU-T G.9903

• Complete protocol stack interfacing DLMS/COSEM application layer

G3-PLC: certification process

• G3-PLC Alliance granted two official bodies (LAN, France and TUV, Japan) to certify compliant devices: – Platform (chipsets) – Products (meters and DCs)

• Two target functional modes 1. PAN Device 2. PAN Coordinator

• Three target bandwidth 1. CENELEC A 2. FCC 3. ARIB

► 73 devices certified

► 54 platforms

► 19 products

► 15 different vendors

G3-PLC main deployments worldwide

Pilot

Rollout

G3-PLC is attracting DSOs in a growing number of countries

Field tests

G3 deployment status: France, ERDF • Target network: 35 M Smart Meters 600,000 Data Concentrators

• Project time: 6 years (2015..2021)

• Leopard pattern roll-out

G3 deployment status: France, ERDF

• Meters installed (2016, March): 37000

• Results:

– Meters discovery success rate: 99 %

– Daily data collection rate: 99 %

– Meters SW upgrade (12 days interval): 99.5 %

– Remote operation success rate: 99 %

• SOGRID project, involving G3-PLC over MV network, still in progress

G3 pilot example: Turkey, CLK Enerji

• CLK-Enerji is piloting G3-PLC among other communication technologies

• 4 DSOs involved

• 1 500 G3-PLC installed

• Pilot timeframe: 1 year

G3 pilot example: Dubai, EAU

• Complete smart metering project involving G3 (PHY, MAC, 6LowPAN) and DLMS application layer

• 100,000 meters roll-out

• Latest daily data:

– 800 meters/day registered

– 1000 meters/day read data out

G3 pilot example: Malaysia • Deployment through star topology (i.e. No repeaters

between DC and meters)

• Meters grouped in separated clusters

• Optimization on G3 OFDM Subcarriers modulation

• Results:

≤ 5s

≤10s

≤15s

≤20s ≤30s

BILLING COLLECTION TIME AVERAGE

ROBO DBPSK

DQPSK

D8PSK

OFDM MODULATION

ROBO DBPSK DQPSK D8PSK

G3 Field tests example: South Korea • Tests in both residential and rural areas, in

wide region

• Communication end-to-end tests (Ping)

• Tests results: near 100%

B

C

G E

D

I A

F

H

J

0.00%

20.00%

40.00%

60.00%

80.00%

100.00%

day 1 day 2 day 3 day 4 Mean

Ping (100Byte) Success Rate

G3-PLC over MV: SOGRID project

• G3-PLC enabling the end-to-end integration from Smart Meter to Smart Grid – Increased granularity in grid observability with Smart Sensing (LV/MV)

– Full real time supervision and grid management (both LV/MV and LV)

• Field experiment schedule – Toulouse, France

– 1 000 locations

– November 2015 – June 2016

MV LV

SOGRID Field Tests: MV PLC

• Key test targets: – PHY link must allow a data rate that will guarantee Smart Grid functions

– Link quality must be quite stable over time for continuous data exchange

• PHY test results: – The utilized chipsets enabled reliable communication using different G3

modes up to 8PSK differential and coherent

• UDP test results: – Endurance tests have shown stable network performance and link

quality over time

Summary

• G3-PLC is a mature technology – Standard definition validated and accepted by ITU-T

– Certification procedure active, more than 50 solutions granted

– Electrical specifications covering all countries requirements

• G3-PLC is showing worldwide reliability – Main roll-out project: France, ERDF, 35 M meters

– Many pilot projects: outstanding performance worldwide

– Incoming field tests: first technology taken into account

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Visit us at http://www.g3-plc.com/

C6 booth at AUW, Cape Town, 17-19 May 2016

Mauro Colombo

Technical Marketing Manager

G3-PLC Alliance - STMicroelectronics

Italy

Serghei Druta

Software R&D Manager

G3-PLC Alliance – ADD Grup

Moldova