Smart Grid Communication Infrastructures

Smart grid (SG) offers multi‐way communication among energy generation, transmission, distribution, and usage facilities. This chapter sheds light on the communication challenges and requirements for SG and describes most suitable communication architecture and technologies including wired and wireless technologies. Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) with the employment of smart meter and communication techniques is crucial to manage the SG. AMI is used for financial benefits, enhanced services, and opportunities for taking into account environmental concerns. The chapter summarizes the challenges and characteristics of communication needed for SG applications. SG communications have certain conditions from technical and economic standpoints, such as quality of services, scalability, flexibility, interoperability, and security. The communication infrastructure in SG should support its expected functionalities and meet its performance conditions. Wired and wireless communication technologies are usually implemented in the SG. Choosing a communication technology is predicated upon many aspects, for instance, users or devices, network architecture, data type, environmental conditions, and price.