Smart Grid Communication Infrastructures

5Design and Analysis of a Wireless Monitoring Network for Transmission Lines in the Smart Grid

In this chapter, we design a monitoring network for the transmission lines in the smart grid, taking advantage of the existing utility backbone network. We propose several centralized power allocation schemes to set the benchmark for deployment and operation of the wireless sensor nodes in the monitoring system. A distributed power allocation scheme is proposed to further improve the power efficiency of each sensor node for realistic cases with dynamic traffic. Numerical results and a case study are provided to demonstrate the proposed schemes.

5.1 Background and Related Work

5.1.1 Background and Motivation

The power transmission line is an important part of the power grid. It is critical for the control center to monitor the status of the transmission line (e.g. the working status of the key components, the voltage and phase of the power, etc.), and its surrounding environment (e.g. the temperature, the humidity, etc) so that necessary actions can be taken in time to prevent disastrous outcomes. However, monitoring the transmission line is not an easy task for a traditional power grid, because of its vast expanse as well as because parts of it are deployed in remote areas, such as deserts and mountains.

The smart grid, which integrates an advanced communication system to the traditional power grid [4, 6–8, 10, 34, 82–84], makes it possible to install and upgrade the monitoring equipment ...