Wireless Networking for the Smart Grid Narasimha Chari

Wireless Networking for the Smart Grid Narasimha Chari Chief Technology Officer © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc.

About Tropos • Technology and products company • Outdoor mesh routers and network management software • 800+ customers in 50 countries • 40+ patents • Founded in 2000 • Headquarters in Sunnyvale, CA © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 2

Smart Grid requires broadband communications Demand Response Renewable Integration Automated Metering SMART GRID Field Data Applications Outage Management © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 3 PHEV Management Distribution Automation and Control Power Quality and Planning

Smart Grid bandwidth needs growing Other applications representing higher traffic include: • Substation Video • PHEV Station • Mobile GIS • AVL …and more in the future © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 4

Tiered view of Smart Grid communications © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 5

Tropos architecture components © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 6 • Wireless IP Mesh Routers • PTMP and PTP Radio Systems • Centralized Wireless Network Management

Grid. Com: Distribution-Area Network © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 7

Distribution Area Network requirements • Availability • Survivability • Coverage • Performance: Bandwidth & latency • Qo. S • Security • Manageability • Interoperability © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 8

Reliability challenges at utility-scale • Very large service territories Mix of urban, suburban and rural areas Diverse application mix with different requirements Stringent requirements – Mission-critical apps need very high availability networks (4 or 5 9's) – Need for highly survivable networks to aid in service restoration following outages – Sub-cycle latencies (<20 ms) for DA Most utilities do not own licensed spectrum • Wireless is hard • • © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 9

Techniques for high-reliability wireless • Hardware – – • Architecture – – – • High-performance radios Ruggedized outdoor-optimized hardware Backup power options MIMO techniques Resilient mesh architecture (path and route diversity) Opportunistic use of multiple bands (frequency band diversity) Distributed channel coordination (channel diversity) Combination of mesh and PTMP topologies Fault detection and isolation Cognitive radio techniques – Adaptive modulation – Transmit power control – Adaptive noise immunity © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 10

High Reliability Mesh Routers • • Reliable • • Self organizing fully redundant mesh >99. 99% system availability • -40ºC to 55ºC operating range • IP 67 weather tight (NEMA 6+) • Available battery backup • IEEE 1613 compliant Secure • • • Manageable • • Multi-layer security – 802. 1 x, IPSec, AES FIPS 140 -2 certified Monitoring, configuration, upgrades, fault management, security Multiple Applications • • • High bandwidth: up to 15 Mbps Low latency: 3 -5 ms per hop Application Qo. S: 802. 11 e, 802. 1 p, VLANs © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 11

Mesh architecture Tropos mesh software leverages redundant paths, channels, frequencies, and backhaul locations to create the most robust network possible © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 12

Cognitive Radio Techniques for High Reliability • Mesh architecture: inherently capable of routing around interference through leveraging path diversity • Multi-band radio technologies can efficiently and adaptively exploit multiple frequency bands, with failover and loadbalancing between them (e. g. , dual-mode 2. 4/5 GHz) • Dynamic frequency selection: ability to detect interference or elevated noise levels and dynamically switch channels • Transmit power control and adaptive modulation: techniques for adapting radio transmission parameters in real-time to maintain link reliability © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 13

Private Network Architectures: Mesh and PTMP Advantages Mesh Advantages Large coverage area Resilient high-availability architecture Compelling economics for sparse areas Ideal solution for NLOS environments, dense urban areas Easy to deploy High system capacity PTMP Challenges Mesh Challenges LOS is challenging in urban areas Requires pole-top mounting assets Expensive site acquisition, construction Economics for sparsely-populated areas Hub-and-spoke architecture with single point of failure Management of many distributed assets © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 14

PTMP and Mesh are Complementary • PTMP and Mesh are complementary technologies for the DAN layer – PTMP is very cost-effective rural deployments – PTMP is suitable for mesh capacity injection in denser areas, especially where there isn’t utility-owned fiber – Mesh is well-suited for urban/suburban areas providing resilience and higher capacity • Optimal combination of Mesh and PTMP leverages the strengths of both – – Mesh extends coverage range of PTMP and improves reliability Architectural resilience through mesh failover capabilities Unification of mesh and PTMP components through Tropos Control Combined deployment achieves • • Economics optimized for mix of urban/suburban/rural areas Meets requirements for multiple DAN applications © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 15

What Optimal Technology Mix Looks Like Data Center(s) Fiber Tier 1: Fiber (SONET, Gig. E), Microwave, MPLS Core Tropos Gateway (GW) Routers Installed at Tier 1 Core Sites Tropos Node (ND) Routers Distribute Tier 2 Capacity Across Urban/Suburban Service Areas Microwave Sp Tier 1 / Tier 2 Tier 1 Topology Implemented with Path Diversity Where Possible GW GW GW Smart Grid Devices Connect via Wired or Wireless Ethernet to Tropos Mesh Nodes Rural Subscribers Served via P 2 MP Demarc to Mesh Gateways Decreasing Mesh Density Tier 3 (NAN) Tier 4 (HAN) ur Tropos Control Dense Urban © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc. | Page 16 Urban Suburban Transition to Wi. MAX/P 2 MP/LTE Rural / Ultra Rural Mesh Used in Rural to Overcome P 2 MP Propagation Obstacles

Thank you! © 2011 Tropos Networks, Inc.