Communication Systems and Study Method for Active Distribution Power systems

Due to the involvement and evolvement of communication technologies in contemporary power systems, the applications of modern communication technologies in distribution power system are becoming increasingly important. In this paper, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) reference seven-layer model of communication systems, and the main communication technologies and protocols on each corresponding layer are introduced. Some newly developed communication techniques, like Ethernet, are discussed with reference to the possible applications in distributed power system. The suitability of the communication technology to the distribution power system with active renewable energy based generation units is discussed. Subsequently the typical possible communication systems are studied by simulation. In this paper, a novel method of integrating communication system impact into power system simulation is presented to address the problem of lack of off-shelf research tools on the power system communication. The communication system is configured and studied by the OPNET, and the performance of an active distribution power system integrated with the communication system is simulated by EMTDC/PSCAD.