NEXANS
Paris, November 4, 2014 - Nexans demonstrates its smart grid power line communications (PLC) solutions at European Utility Week this week. Attendees will be able to see how PLC is currently being employed as part of the SoGrid project, which is seeking to develop solutions for a smarter grid.
As power grids become more intelligent and integrated, there is a growing need for grid applications and components to be able to communicate with each other. However, the existing power grid cannot be ripped out. SoGrid, a collaborative project supported by the French government which brings together industry and academia, aims to develop and test an end-to end solution for an easy retrofit of any distribution network into a smart grid.
Nexans contribution to the SoGrid project includes solutions such as medium voltage smart accessories like devices to facilitate G3-PLC transmission from low voltage to medium voltage networks as well as electronic devices for local data management and transfer along medium voltage networks. Nexans will also provide the G3-PLC couplers and high precision voltage and current sensors, which are already available on the market.
The SoGrid test project in the Toulouse region of France was started in 2013 and will run until 2015. A comprehensive chain of devices will be deployed on ERDF's (Electricité Réseau Distribution France) Midi-Pyrénées network in Toulouse in order to demonstrate the performance of G3 PLC during real-time control of the grid.
G3-PLC for smarter grids
The key component of the SoGrid project is G3-PLC, a new protocol for power lines communications (PLC) technology. G3-PLC uses existing power cables to transmit data, allowing all the components within the smart grid to communicate with each other. G3-PLC uses transformers supporting IPv6 protocol to provide two-way links between different applications in the grid via power cables. SoGrid is using G3-PLC to develop a chain of sensors and communication devices for the retrofit of existing distribution networks. These devices will allow for advanced metering, dynamic state estimation and control, fault detection, and remote operation of breakers.
G3-PLC represents an easy solution to make the existing grid smarter without the need to dig new communications paths through obstacles such as large building and local landmarks. It is also very secure as it uses infrastructure owned and managed by utility companies.
Alain Robic, President of Nexans Power Accessories said "PLC is a technology whose time has come. The G3-PLC protocol provides an efficient, cost-effective and elegant mechanism for data communications in a smarter grid and we're excited to be able to showcase this technology at European Utility Week."
Nexans will be at booth 4.F10. It will also be possible to find out more about G3-PLC at booth 1.A60 where the G3-PLC Alliance will be exhibiting.
European Utility Week
Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 4-6, 2014
Booth 4.F10
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