Transcript - IEEE ISPLC

BPL / PLC
A Market Perspective…
2006 ISPLC Conference
March 27, 2006
The State of BPL / PLC
 Retail broadband offerings and utility applications have been
implemented successfully
– Broadband competitive with DSL and Cable offerings
– Utility applications like Automatic Meter Reading, DLC, and outage
detection gearing up for deployment
– Worldwide recognition of both applications
 Regulatory climate is more and more supportive
– Texas provided the framework for the US, California coming next
– FCC certification for US deployments beginning, other markets moving
 Commercial deployments are growing
– Cinergy and TXU pioneering in the US
– Europe and Asia growing everyday
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An Ecosystem of Support for BPL / PLC
Utilities
Government
Vendors
Strategy & Implementation Support
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CURRENT Communications Group is a vertically-integrated
broadband powerline (BPL) communications multi-system operator
SERVICES
CURRENT Communications deploys
and operates BPL systems for both
residential and business customers.
It can also function as a complete
Internet Service Provider (ISP).
EQUIPMENT
CURRENT Technologies invents,
engineers, and builds state-of-the-art
BPL equipment and software that
transforms electric distribution lines
into a broadband network for data,
voice and video.
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BPL/PLC Market Dynamics
 “BPL / PLC” is in the eye of the beholder:
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In-Home:
In-Network:
In-Building:
In-Control:
LAN replacement / Broadband connection sharing
Broadband to customers / DSL and cable competitive
LAN / WAN connectivity inside or to building
Home appliance automation
 DSL, Cable companies driving “In-Home”
 Europe and Asia dominated by “In Building”
 US more focused on “In Network”
 Consumer electronics companies driving “In Control”
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Current’s BPL solution for “In-Network” Architecture
CT View® Network
Management System
Internet
Voice over IP
Current Node
CT Coupler® &
CT Backhaul-Point®
Current Node
CT Coupler &
CT Backhaul-Point
Carrier
POP
Fiber or wireless
backhaul
Metro Area Network
Distribution-Point
CT Coupler &
CT Bridge®
Medium Voltage
Primary
CT Coupler &
CT Bridge
Medium Voltage
Primary
Low voltage lines
Low voltage lines
Modems at Premises
Current Communications Group
Confidential Information
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“In-Network”: The Broadband Services Component
Broadband Data
10+ Mbps
Features
Truly Plug-and-play
Just plug in to any electrical outlet
Low-Latency + Symmetrical
Quality of Service applications;
Ideal for new Internet usage patterns
Instant Local Area Network
All electrical outlets become ports for
broadband access and local-area
networking; simple wireless overlay
and integration
Services
Voice
Voice over IP (VoIP)
Video
Video on Demand
Video Instant Messaging
IP Television
Gaming
On Demand & Online
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CURRENT Broadband™ for Homes & Businesses
“In-Network”: The Utility Applications Component
Four Key Smart Grid “Data-Ecosystems”:
 Device Based: AMR, DLC
 Transformer Based: Voltage, Current, Power
 Grid Based: Outage, fault, vegetation, maintenance
 Sub-Station Based: Automation and monitoring
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CURRENT Broadband™ for Homes & Businesses
“In-Network”: The Utility Applications Component
Device Based: BPL Enabled AMR
 Two-way, high speed Internet-style
communications over the CURRENT™ BPL
infrastructure
 Comprehensive functionality, including
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15 minute reads
On demand reads
Remote software upgrade capability
Proactive alarming and flagging of “unusual”
events
 TOU, CPP and RTP pricing capability
 Gas and water AMR functionality under
development
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“In-Network”: The Utility Applications Component
Device Based: BPL Enabled DLC
 DLC units concurrently installed with BPL
AMR units to demonstrate real time
verification and quantification of kW shed
 Complete two-way functionality
 Immediate verification that unit was
contacted
 Systematic monitoring of unit to verify
availability
 Systematic monitoring of unit and home
usage to verify savings potential from shed
event
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“In-Network”: The Utility Applications Component
Transformer Based: Secondary Voltage
 Monitors both legs of the transformer
 Allows for user-defined data collection and
analysis
 Proactive alarming and reporting
 1% Accuracy
 Record by Exception (with settable
parameters)
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“In-Network”: The Utility Applications Component
Grid Based: Outage Detection
 All BPL devices are managed elements
 CURRENT BPL equipment includes
“dying gasp” functionality which notifies
back office systems when power has
been cut
 Algorithms and analysis can be done to
isolate and determine locality of outages
 Outage restoration notification
automatic as devices come back on line
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“In-Network”: The Utility Applications Component
Sub-Station Based: BPL Camera
 Allows utility’s security organization to
monitor assets remotely as part of the NERC
1300 Cyber Security requirements
 BPL has plenty of bandwidth to operate
camera in real time
 Camera gives the utility the ability to zoom
in on critical assets
 Potential user benefits (DVR, motion
sensing, zoom, infrared scanning, etc.) are
limited by the choice of camera, not the BPL
network
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“In Network / In Building” Worldwide Deployments
Electricité de France
France, Europe
Endesa S.A.
Spain, Europe
Singapore Power Telecommunication Ltd
Singapore, Asia
Energie Baden-Württemberg AG
Germany, Europe
Lyse Kraft
Norway, Europe
Entreprises Electriques Fribourgeoises
Switzerland, Europe
Reykjavik Energy
Iceland, Europe
PowerCom Network Hong Kong Ltd
Hong Kong, Asia
Turku Energia
Finland, Europe
Countries with CURRENT PLC installations
Compañia General de Electricidad
Chile, South America
Kuopion Energia
Finland, Europe
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“In Network” Worldwide Deployments
Switzerland
- main city and villages in the area of Fribourg
- over 3’000 commercial low voltage access users
- MV technology used as backhaul as well as distance extension
- strong competitor against traditional DSL and Cable providers
- voice integration part of future project enlargement
Finland
- two major cities covered via Turku and Kuopio Energia
- total 6’000 homes covered with PLC
- backbone provided by local telecom operators
- 20 cells backed up via MV technology for lower backhaul costs
Malaysia
- official Ascom partner acts as local integrator in strong relationsship with utility
- countrywide PLC deployment in preparation / planification
- complete End-to-End installation concept providing Voice and Data services
- urban and rural areas to be covered
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“In-Building” Worldwide Deployments
Hungary
- 450 apartments commercial operation
- 7 to 9 floor buildings with 4 apartments/floor
- Deployment with 1 to 3 Masters per building
- Wireless Backbone connectivity, Ethernet-bridge to PLC
- Less than 2 months from project start to commercial
operation
Hong Kong
- High risers with average 30 floors per building 8 apartments per floor
- More than 50‘000 CPE’s deployed
- Multiple master set-up
- 1 master covers approximately 8 floors
- Optical Fibre Backbone to the buildings
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Technology Opportunities
 Continued support and consolidation of standards efforts
– IEEE P1901,1675, and 1775 efforts
– Homeplug, Opera, UPA
 Further development in fault and predictive maintenance
– Underground cable fault detection / signatures
– Vegetation management / detection
– Pin-pointing noise increases over baseline
 Continued improvement of chipset technologies to adapt to
both MV and LV environments
– Noise dominated vs. attenuation
– BUZZ vs. HISS noise
– Ranging over 2 - 50 MHz
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