Smart grid architecture for rural distribution networks: application to a Spanish pilot network

This paper presents a novel architecture for rural distribution grids. This architecture is designed to modernize traditional rural networks into new Smart Grid ones. The architecture tackles innovation actions on both the power plane and the management plane of the system. In the power plane, the architecture focuses on exploiting the synergies between telecommunications and innovative technologies based on power electronics managing low scale electrical storage. In the management plane, a decentralized management system is proposed based on the addition of two new agents assisting the typical Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system of distribution system operators. Altogether, the proposed architecture enables operators to use more effectively—in an automated and decentralized way—weak rural distribution systems, increasing the capability to integrate new distributed energy resources. This architecture is being implemented in a real Pilot Network located in Spain, in the frame of the European Smart Rural Grid project. The paper also includes a study case showing one of the potentialities of one of the principal technologies developed in the project and underpinning the realization of the new architecture: the so-called Intelligent Distribution Power Router.Postprint (published version

A survey on OFDM-based elastic core optical networking

Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is a modulation technology that has been widely adopted in many new and emerging broadband wireless and wireline communication systems. Due to its capability to transmit a high-speed data stream using multiple spectral-overlapped lower-speed subcarriers, OFDM technology offers superior advantages of high spectrum efficiency, robustness against inter-carrier and inter-symbol interference, adaptability to server channel conditions, etc. In recent years, there have been intensive studies on optical OFDM (O-OFDM) transmission technologies, and it is considered a promising technology for future ultra-high-speed optical transmission. Based on O-OFDM technology, a novel elastic optical network architecture with immense flexibility and scalability in spectrum allocation and data rate accommodation could be built to support diverse services and the rapid growth of Internet traffic in the future. In this paper, we present a comprehensive survey on OFDM-based elastic optical network technologies, including basic principles of OFDM, O-OFDM technologies, the architectures of OFDM-based elastic core optical networks, and related key enabling technologies. The main advantages and issues of OFDM-based elastic core optical networks that are under research are also discussed

Optimisation of connections to a fibre network

Stronger competition together with the development of new technologies have forced the Telecom Service Providers (TSP's) in the Netherlands to look for sophisticated optimisation methods to reduce the costs of their communication services especially for new areas such as the application of fibre technology.Fibre is being considered as the transmission medium of the future because fibre deadens the signals much less than the traditional media such as copper and coax, a lot of data can be transmitted at the same time and there are only a few failures. Another advantage is that fibre cables are thin and light so that they can be put into the ground rather easily.This article describes optimisation models with the objective to minimise the costs of constructing and managing a fibre network.The optimisation models have been developed to support decisions about the design and use of a fibre network and are based on the practical situation at Enertel being one of the new TSP’s. For Enertel a national backbone was already realised. The main problem to be solved concerned the optimisation of the access to the fibre network.

Future broadband access network challenges

Copyright @ 2010 IEEEThe optical and wireless communication systems convergence will activate the potential capacity of photonic technology for providing the expected growth in interactive video, voice communication and data traffic services that are cost effective and a green communication service. The last decade growth of the broadband internet projects the number of active users will grow to over 2 billion globally by the end of 2014. Enabling the abandoned capacity of photonic signal processing is the promising solution for seamless transportation of the future consumer traffic demand. In this paper, the future traffic growth of the internet, wireless worldwide subscribers, and the end-users during the last and next decades is investigated. The challenges of the traditional access networks and Radio over Fiber solution are presented

Datacab: a geographical‐information‐system‐based expert system for the design of cable networks

Telecommunication networks have evolved over time as a result of technological advances, and network topologies and equipment have become increasingly complex. Expert systems are being successfully applied to the management of telecommunication networks. However, applying expert systems to network design is another especially beneficial yet still not very common approach. In this paper we propose a rule‐based expert system called Datacab. Datacab was developed at Enditel Endesa in collaboration with the Electronic Technology Department of the University of Seville, for the automatic design of hybrid fibre coax (HFC) cable networks. Using data from a geographical information system as input, it automatically generates viable HFC network designs