PCN Technology

Future Proofing Communications with PCN Technology

(Taken from http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/article_324.html)

At a time when Chartwell reports that the percentage of utilities planning installations of advanced metering systems (AMR) doubled in 2007, what happens next? How does a utility smarten the rest of its infrastructure? What is the integrating function? In our feature article in this edition, we focused on service-oriented architecture (SOA) as the IT integrator. Yet, we know that what makes a meter smart and what will make the rest of the grid smart, is two-way communication. The integrating technology is communications. However, what kind of communications technology should you be considering? What will work in the home, at the meter, over the powerline? What works when nothing is working?

PLC Communications that work when nothing else does

As the 2007 winner of the Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation and the 2007 Austin Clean Energy Venture Summit “The Most Outstanding Smart Grid Venture,” as well as, selected as one of the Top 40 Technology Companies of California by the California Technology Showcase”, SGN thought it was time to talk to PCN’ Technology’s Dan Drolet, Vice President of Business Development and one of four co-founders. PCN Technology’s (PCN) innovative technology addresses a utility’s need for powerline communications (PLC) that transmit data over many miles in small packets. PCN’s patented technology will transmit when the grid has lost power, unlike other powerline communication technologies. At this time PCN is engaged in rolling out commercial pilots with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), system integrators and utilities.

PCN’s solution, called Adaptive Line Carrier (ALC) only requires a conductive medium. Powered by batteries, PCN’s solution works when nothing else does. PCN’s embedded products become the “glue” or middleware solution holding all of the intelligence together. PCN has a proprietary algorithm analyzing the electrical properties of the medium to determine the best signal to noise ratio and characteristics 500 times every second. PCN’s technology then places the signal in the “sweet spot” of the line to transmit around the noise and through transformers to other embedded nodes. PCN’s network can either be a point-to-point, point to multi-point or an overall mesh network scheme.

Does your AMI deployment work with the grid of the future?

As Drolet explained, PCN’s products are “open architecture” and provide different ALC capable embedded solutions for each segment of the grid. In addition, PCN’s products are interoperable across data and wireless protocols. These same products can be integrated with water and gas meters. What does all this mean? A one-stop solution that can be completely integrated easily into either a digital meter or energy management sub-systems for a completely integrated communication infrastructure for the “grid of the future.”

Why change communications technology now?

Since many utilities have made communication choices such as the 200+ utilities that use TWACSTM from DCSI or those who have decided on Broadband over Power line (BPL) or wireless, why would a utility change in midstream? According to Drolet, there are three reasons for considering this:
► First, with a targeted bandwidth of 250 kbps over many miles, the PCN ALC technology offers utilities with a powerline communication solution that is “future proof.”

► Second, with the ability to communicate past transformers PCN products reduce the overall cost of deployment and ownership as compared to BPL.

► Third, and perhaps most importantly - communications are available when power is lost - when you need it most.

Complete communications solution

Since PCN relies on power lines to communicate, radio frequency (RF) may have some advantages when the powerline is ‘down’ and cannot conduct the signal. Further, as SGN discovered from Fred Fletcher at the City of Burbank, mobile repair crews receiving RF signals to pick up faults was an important consideration for Burbank choosing wireless as its communication technology. When SGN discussed this with Drolet, he responded, “Absolutely, Fred is correct, PCN knew that we had to provide a true heterogeneous networking solution and have added a RF application layer within our embedded modules to ensure for overall network connectivity from generation, substation, meter, thermostat and back.”

RF is vulnerable according to NERC

Readers familiar with NERC’s Top 10 Vulnerabilities of Control Systems know that NERC discourages wireless for critical control applications (Vulnerability #5) and therefore encrypted hard wire communications such as TWACSTM, BPL or PCN’s ACL could provide superior security. RF as a redundant communication technology improves the overall control schema.