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A Survey on Communication Networks for Electric
System Automation
V. Cagri Güngör†
Frank C. Lambert‡
†Broadband & Wireless Networking Laboratory
School of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
Tel: (404) 894-5141 Fax: (404) 894-7883
Email:gungor@ece.gatech.edu
‡National Electric Energy Testing, Research, & Applications Center
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
Tel: (404) 675-1855 Fax: (404) 675-1820
Email:frank.lambert@neetrac.gatech.edu
Abstract— In today’ s competitive electric utility marketplace,
real-time information becomes the key factor for reliable delivery
of power to the end-users, profitability of the electric utility and
customer satisfaction. The operational and commercial demands
of electric utilities require a high-performance data communi-
cation network that supports both existing functionalities and
future operational requirements. In this respect, since such a
communication network constitutes the core of the electric system
automation applications, the design of a cost-effective and reliable
network architecture is crucial. In this paper, the opportunities
and challenges of hybrid network architecture are discussed
for electric system automation applications. More specifically,
Internet based Virtual Private Networks, power line communi-
cations, satellite communications and wireless communications
(wireless sensor networks, WiMAX and wireless mesh networks)
are described in detail. The motivation of this paper is to provide
a better understanding of the hybrid network architecture that
can provide heterogeneous electric system automation application
requirements. In this regard, our aim is to present a structured
framework for electric utilities who plan to utilize new com-
munication technologies for automation and hence, to make the
decision-making process more effective and direct.
Index Terms— Electric System Automation, Internet based
Virtual Private Network, Power Line Communication, Satellite
Communication, Wireless Se