IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT, VOL. 62, NO.
9, SEPTEMBER 2013
Medium Voltage Smart Grid: Experimental Analysis
of Secondary Substation Narrow Band Power
Line Communication
Giovanni Artale, Antonio Cataliotti, Member IEEE, Valentina Cosentino, Dario Di Cara,
Riccardo Fiorelli, Pierluca Russotto, and Giovanni Tinè Member IEEE
Abstract—This paper is focused on the possibility of employing
narrow band power line communication (PLC) in medium
voltage (MV) distribution networks. The topic is investigated
by means of both simulations and experimental tests, which
were carried out in the distribution network of Ustica Island.
In detail, a two-way MV communication was tested between two
secondary substations connected by an MV cable power line.
Each substation has a by-pass connection at MV bus-bars and
an MV/LV oil filled power transformer. In this paper, the MV and
the PLC systems under test are described and the experimental
tests are presented, which were carried out to evaluate the
parameters of the simulation model. The aforesaid model is
described and a comparison is shown between simulation and
results of experiments, which were carried out in the presence of
voltage net, i.e., 24 kV. Finally, the possibility is investigated of
a reliable communication and the faster achievable bit-rate; the
analysis is performed by means of further experimental results
of several communication tests, which were carried out with
different modulation techniques.
Index Terms—Attenuation, communication equipment testing,
communication systems, narrow band power line communica-
tion, power system communication, power system measurements,
smart grids.
I. Introduction
T HE evolution of measurement and communication sys-
tems represents a key step for the real development of
smart grids and the integration of distributed generators (DGs)
by renewable sources. In fact, in the smart grid viewpoint,
measurements play a crucial role, not only for the known
functions of the smart metering, but also for sensing, automa-
tion, protection, and control functions and advanced system
Manuscript received November 11, 2012, revised February 1, 2013,
accepted March 21, 2013. Date of publication July 9, 2013; date of current
version August 7, 2013. This research was supported in part by Linea di
intervento 4.1.1.1 del POR FESR Sicilia 2007-2013 - REGIONE SICILIANA
Progetto “REIPERSEI” (Reti Elettriche Intelligenti per la Penetrazione delle
Energie Rinnovabili nei Sistemi Elettrici delle Isole minori) CUP under
Grant G53F110000200004 and by STMicroelectronics. The Associate Editor
coordinating the review process was Dr. Carlo Muscas.
G. Artale, A. Cataliotti, V. Cosentino, and P. Russotto are with the Depart-
ment of Energy, Information Engineering and Mathematic Models (DEIM),
Universitadi Palermo, Palermo 90139, Italy (e-mail: giovanni.artale@unipa.it;
acataliotti@ieee.org; cosentino@dieet.unipa.it; pierluca.russotto@unipa.it).
D. D. Cara and G. Tinè are with the National Research Council (CNR),
Institute of Intelligent System for Automation (ISSIA), Palermo 90139, Italy
(e-mail: dicara@pa.issia.cnr.it; tine@pa.issia.cnr.it).
R. Fiorelli is with the ST Microelectronics S.r.l., Agrate 20864, Italy (e-mail:
riccardo.fiorelli@st.com).
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TIM.2013.2270924
0018-9456 
2391
operation and management. [1]–[9]. Such advanced measure-
ments capabilities require also the presence of a proper two-
ways always on communication infrastructure, which should
be able to meet the needs of management and remote control of
DGs and networks. This would allow the participation of DGs
to the grid regulation (by means of proper control strategies for
voltage and power factor regulation and production shuttering),
thus avoiding critical situations, such as grid instability and
control problems or the operation in unwanted islanding con-
ditions. As regards this, currently there are several limitations
because of the limits of the existing interface devices (IDs)
of DGs and the lack of proper communication systems for
information exchange between the utility and DGs. Even the
standardization in the field is not complete. At international
level, IEC and IEEE have introduced some standards for IDs,
requirements and testing conditions for islanding detection and
DGs disconnection, normal voltage and frequency operation
ranges, and so on [3]. At national level, some standards have
been published recently in different countries; they concern
the reference technical rules for the connection of active and
passive users to the low voltage (LV) electrical networks
[10]–[11]. For example, they provide some thresholds for
the disconnection of DGs (in terms of over/under voltage
and frequency) and the possibility for the utility to remotely
command the disconnection of the DGs or to modify the
aforementioned thresholds, in order to avoid the operation in
islanding conditions.
Therefore, an important issue for the development of smart
grids is the capability of transferring data concerning the
status of the medium voltage (MV) grid among substations
within the grid itself. The development of such communication
infrastructure, especially in the presence of DGs, would allow
to implement a number of smart functions for automation and
remote control, fault location and isolation, service restoration,
voltage regulation, power quality monitoring, anti-islanding
protection, system diagnostic and so on.
As regards the communication protocols, the IEC 61850
protocol is already used for automation systems in primary
substations [12]. It could also represent a good platform for
the development of the target applications, with particular
respect to the implementation of control and protection func-
tions at secondary substations level [13]–[14]. Moreover, the
employment of this protocol is also considered in some
c 2013 IEEE
2392 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT, VOL. 62, NO. 9, SEPTEMBER 2013
standards, as in [10]. On the other hand, substations at the MV
level are not equipped with such communication capabilities.
A large variety of communication technologies can be involved
in the realization of smart grid infrastructures, each one having
its own advantages and drawbacks: wire lines and fiber-
optic cables, wireless communication (CDMA, GSM, GPRS,
UMTS, WiMAX, HiperLAN etc.), radio communication, and
wireless local area networks (WLAN, WiFi, ZigBee, etc.)
[15]–[17]. Among them, power line communication (PLC) is
the only wire line technology that has cost comparable to
wireless, since the communication lines are already present
(i.e., the power lines), and they have no service cost. Moreover,
for the aforesaid applications, the communications require
a relatively low-speed connectivity, which can be obtained
by using PLC capabilities [16], [18]. In this sense, some
solutions could be suitable for the urban territory, which
is already covered by the new generation networks (as the
broadband); on the other hand, they could be inappropriate
for rural areas, where the access to such technologies is
limited and the distances between the various connection
points are significant. A solution could be a multilevel archi-
tecture, which can use different technologies, at the various
level, (PLC, wireless, radio communications), creating a low
cost network infrastructure. In this perspective, wireless and
radio communications solutions need an economical agree-
ment between the electrical utilities and the communica-
tion providers; on the contrary, the PLCs are intrinsically
cheaper since the electrical utilities usually own the electrical
networks.
At the light of the aforesaid considerations, it is important
to fully investigate the potentialities of PLC technology and
to overcome its present limits, in the perspective of its use
and integration into smart grid communication networks. In
different countries (as in Italy), PLCs are already used for
supporting automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced
metering infrastructure (AMI) [18] in LV networks. These
applications make use of different transceiver solutions, which
are based on single carrier modulation [frequency shift-keying
(FSK), binary phase shift-keying (BPSK), quadrature phase
shift-keying (QPSK) and 8 phase shift-keying (PSK)] up to
30 kbps [18]–[19]. For these applications, low data rate narrow
band (NB) PLCs are used, operating in the CENELEC bands
(3–148.5 kHz) [20]. This is the only standardized available
band for PLC in the whole world and in some countries the
use of other frequencies is not allowed. Nevertheless, the PLC
technology application in the MV network is still under study.
In literature, different studies have been presented on the
high frequency behavior of both HV and MV overhead lines,
LV cables [20]–[23] and the signal propagation through MV
power transformers [24]. Other open issues are the realization
of reliable MV couplers and the signal propagation through
power transformers. As regards this last aspect, it is a common
opinion that the transformer impedance, seen from the MV
terminals, is so high that the signal remains confined in the
MV network [22]. For the aforesaid reasons, the PLCs are still
not widely used in MV systems and different communication
technologies are currently employed (as GSM or Wireless),
which entail extra services and equipment.
In previous papers, the authors have carried out some
studies in the field of the PLC technology applications in MV
networks. Firstly, in [25]–[26], an MV cable model in the PLC
frequency range was presented and experimentally validated.
Secondly, a complete PLC system model was experimentally
validated both in laboratory and on-field preliminary tests
[27]–[29]; the model was developed in the case of MV cables,
including also the transformer model proposed in [24]. In [30],
the PLC system was studied in the case of MV overhead lines.
In [31]–[32] a new MV/LV power transformer model was
presented, in order to study its influence on signal transmission
and to investigate the possibility that the PLC signal can cross
the power transformer itself.
In this paper, the possibility to employ narrow band power
line communication (PLC) in MV distribution networks is
furthermore investigated by means of experimental tests,
which were carried out in the distribution network of the
Island of Ustica. In detail, a two-ways MV communication
was tested between two secondary substations connected by
an MV cable power line. Each substation has a by-pass
connection at MV bus-bars and an MV/LV oil filled power
transformer. The experimental tests were carried out in the
presence of voltage net, i.e., 24 kV. The experimental results
are compared with the simulation results, which were previ-
ously obtained by implementing the model of the considered
test system [33]. Moreover, the faster achievable bit-rate is
investigated, by means of the results of several communication
tests, which were carried out by using different modulation
techniques.
In this paper, firstly, the MV network and the PLC system
under test are described; secondly, the development of the
simulation model of [33] is recalled. Thirdly, the experimental
results on the considered PLC test system are compared with
the simulation results, in order to verify the developed model
and to determine the best transmission frequency. Finally,
further experimental tests with different modulation techniques
are presented and discussed, showing the faster achievable bit-
rate and the transmission success rate.
II. MV Network and PLC System Description
A possible proposal for PLCs in an MV distribution network
is presented in Fig. 1, where the communication among
primary and secondary substations is obtained by means of
power line transceivers and a proper coupling system. They
are installed at both sides of the by-pass connection, which is
typically present in the substations themselves. The proposed
solution allows one to maintain the communication link also
when switches are open, thanks to the presence of a transceiver
at both the beginning and the end of each MV feeder. In the
case of cable lines, the core-shield signal injection is generally
preferred to the core-core one, because of the easier coupling
modality [33]. In the core-shield configuration, the signal is
injected between the core of one cable and the shield, which
is connected to earth at the ends of the line. The signal can
be injected by means of capacitive or inductive couplers. In
the case of CENELEC band applications, capacitive coupling
device are preferable and available [34].
ARTALE et al.: MEDIUM VOLTAGE SMART GRID 2393

Fig. 2. Picture of Ustica Island in Sicily, Italy. Route of the medium voltage
cables, connecting the two substations Sidoti and Spalmatore, can be localized
in the figure.

Fig. 1. Proposed solution for PLC between primary and secondary MV

substations. MV couplers with power line transceiver are represented by gray
circle (•).

The case study presented in this paper is a portion of

the MV distribution network of the Island of Ustica, in the
Mediterranean sea. Two secondary substations are considered,
named Sidoti and Spalmatore, which are connected by a
1.4 km long cable line, as indicated in Fig. 2.
Fig. 3. Spalmatore Substation. MV switchboards and PLC transmission
The line is made up of three unipolar MV shielded cables station.
of type RG7H1R with aluminum core of 25 mm2 cross-
sections. A 20/0.4 kV/kV power transformer is installed in
and line driver for a scalable future-proof, cost effective
both Sidoti and Spalmatore substations, with a rated power
single-chip narrow-band power line communication solution.
of 100 kVA and 160 kVA, respectively. Each substation can
The embedded PHY layer is hosted in a DSP engine and
be configured in both by-pass and terminal configuration.
it implements two different modulation schemes: a B-FSK
The PLC system is based on core-shield configuration. The
modulation up to 9.6 kbps and a multimode PSK modulation
signal is transmitted and received in each substation by
up to 28.8 kbps with channel quality estimation, dual channel
a STMicroelectronics ST7580 N-PSK powerline transceiver,
receiving mode and convolutional coding. In Table I, the
which is connected to a commercial phase-to-earth capacitive
available modulation techniques are reported, together with
coupler (produced by ADD Production S.r.l.). For example,
the corresponding baud rates and bit rates.
the Spalmatore substation is reported in Fig. 3, where the MV
switchboards and the PLC transmission station are shown. In
both substations, the capacitive coupling device is connected
in parallel to one phase of the power transformer, as shown in III. Model of MV Network and PLC System
Fig. 4 (for the Sidoti substation). The MV cable power lines, the power transformers, and the
The ST7580 is a flexible power line networking system- presence of the earth were already modeled and experimentally
on-chip (SoC), which combines a high performing physical characterized in previous works [28]–[32]. As regards the
layer (PHY) digital signal processer (DSP) core and a protocol ST7580 transceiver, its model was developed starting from
controller core with a fully integrated analog front-end (AFE) the specifications provided by the manufacturer [19].
2394 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT, VOL. 62, NO. 9, SEPTEMBER 2013

Fig. 5. Circuit model of MV phase-to-earth capacitive coupling device.

TABLE II
Capacitive coupling device model parameters

Fig. 4. Sidoti Substation. Capacitive coupling device connected in parallel

to one phase of power transformer.

TABLE I
ST7580 Available modulation techniques

In order to develop a circuital model of the capacitive

coupler, the EN 61334-3-21 standard was considered, together
with the data sheets provided by the manufacturer (ADD
production S.r.l.). The circuit model of the MV phase-to-earth
capacitive coupling device is shown in Fig. 5. The connectors
1, 2, and 3 represent the medium voltage, the low voltage, and
the ground terminals, respectively. The circuit parameters were
obtained from the data sheet and the impedance measurements,
which were performed with a ZVRE Rodhe & Schwarz vector
network analyzer. In Table II, the obtained values of the Fig. 6. (a) Test set-up for LV-to-MV frequency response measurement of
parameters of the MV coupling device are reported [33]. To capacitive coupling device. (b) Simulation and experimental results [33].
verify the behavior of the model, the frequency response of
the coupling device was experimentally evaluated. The test
HP 34401A multimeters. The frequency response was obtained
benches are shown in Figs. 6(a) and 7(a), for LV-to-MV and
by computing the attenuation at different signal frequencies,
MV-to-LV measurements, respectively. An Agilent 33220A
by means of the following expression:
signal generator was connected to the input. A 50 ohm was
connected to the output. The input and output amplitude Vout
voltages (V out and V in , respectively) were measured by two attenuation = 20 log10 . (1)
Vin
ARTALE et al.: MEDIUM VOLTAGE SMART GRID
Fig. 7. (a) Test set-up for MV-to-LV frequency response measurement of
capacitive coupling device. (b) Simulation and experimental results.
Fig. 8. Schematic representation of on-field measurement test set-up.
The measured and simulated frequency responses are com-
pared in Figs. 6(b) and 7(b), in LV-to-MV and MV-to-LV
cases, respectively. In both cases the simulation and experi-
mental results were compatible, thus confirming the reliability
of the developed model.
Finally, the complete model of the MV system for power
line communication was implemented in MATLAB environ-
ment; it was presented in [33], where a schematic representa-
tion of the simulated system is also reported.
IV. Simulation and Experimental Results
Simulations tests were performed by transmitting a signal
from one of the MV couplers connected to the MV bus-bars of
each substation. The attenuation between the transmission and
reception stations was evaluated for different frequencies (in
the frequency range of 50–145 kHz) and for different network
configurations [33].
2395
Fig. 9. Sidoti Substation. PLC transmission station, signal generator, and
multimeter for transmission channel frequency characterization.
Fig. 10. Simulation and experimental results when both substations are
in by-pass connection. Signal is transmitted from Sidoti and received by
Spalmatore.
To verify the model performances, on-field experimental
tests were carried out in the described MV portion of the
Ustica Island MV network; in this way the best transmission
frequency was evaluated for the considered case study. The
tests were performed in presence of voltage net, i.e., 24 kV.
The measurement bench of Fig. 8 was used to measure the
transmission channel attenuation between the two secondary
substations. The signal was generated by a signal generator
Agilent 33220A and it was injected in the MV capacitive
coupler installed in one of the two substations. The signal
amplitude is measured at the capacitive coupler input by means
of a HP 34401A multimeter. The received signal is measured
at the input of the other capacitive coupler (in the other
substation) by means of a second HP 34401A multimeter.
The test bench is shown in Fig. 9 (Sidoti substation). The
signal frequency was also measured, together with the RMS
voltage value; this was made in order to verify that the RMS
measurement was referred to the test sinusoidal signal, thus
avoiding an erroneous measurement. The tests were carried
out in different network configurations, by modifying MV
2396 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT, VOL. 62, NO. 9, SEPTEMBER 2013
Fig. 11. Simulation and experimental results when both substations are in
by-pass connection. Signal is transmitted from Spalmatore and received by
Sidoti.
Fig. 12. Simulation and experimental results when Sidoti substation is in
by-pass connection and Spalmatore substation in terminal connection. Signal
is transmitted from Sidoti and received by Spalmatore.
switchgears at MV bus-bars of the two substations. For exam-
ple, some simulation and measurement results (attenuation vs
frequency) are shown in Figs. 10 and 11; they refer to the cases
when both substations are in by-pass connection. In particular,
Fig. 10 refers to the case when the signal was transmitted
from Sidoti and received by Spalmatore, while Fig. 11 to the
case when the signal was transmitted from Spalmatore and
received by Sidoti. A second network configuration was tested,
by opening one MV switchgear at Spalmatore substation.
Thus, Spalmatore substation became a terminal substation,
while Sidoti was again in by-pass connection. In this case,
the simulation and measurement results are shown in Figs. 12
and 13. As can be seen from the figures, the trends of the
simulations are always in agreement with the measurement
results, with a maximum error of 3 dB between measurement
and simulation results, thus verifying the PLC developed
model. From the experimental results, it can be observed that
the transmission channel attenuation depends on the frequency
of transmission and the network configuration. Moreover, the
attenuation trend is similar in both network configurations, but
a better transmission behavior was observed when the signal is
transmitted from Sidoti than from Spalmatore. This different
behavior is reasonably due to a slight difference of the two
capacitive coupling devices. As expected, the results obtained
in the case of terminal connection were better than those in
by-pass connection; in fact, in this last case the level of the
Fig. 13. Simulation and experimental when Sidoti substation is in by-
pass connection and Spalmatore substation in terminal connection. Signal is
transmitted from Spalmatore and received by Sidoti.
TABLE III
Transmission success rate at different frequencies with both
substations in by pass connection
received signal is reduced, due to the presence of two nodes
one in transmission and one in reception. Unfortunately, by-
pass connection is the most frequent net condition. Finally,
the frequency dependent behavior of the attenuation values is
due to the frequency band of the chosen coupling device and
the cable line behavior. In the frequency range between 80
and 110 kHz the cable line length has a positive effect on the
signal transmission [28].
In order to verify communication feasibility and to evaluate
the best transmission frequency in the case under examination,
a second experimental test campaign was performed by using
two ST7580 powerline transceivers, connected to the capac-
itive coupling devices. Different modulation techniques with
different bit rates were considered, as reported in Table I. Two
center frequencies were taken into account, 86 and 110 kHz.
The transmission performances were evaluated considering the
success rate, which is the percentage of received information
bit packets, with respect to the transmitted ones. The experi-
mental results are reported in Table III. A 100% success rate
was obtained with low bit rate modulation techniques (FSK,
BPSK-coded and QPSK-coded) while a lower success rate was
obtained when the bit rate was increased (QPSK and 8PSK).
Furthermore, the best transmission frequency was 86 kHz.
These results are in agreement with previous attenuation
results, because the increase in the bit rate implies a wider
frequency band and, as previously observed, the attenuation
ARTALE et al.: MEDIUM VOLTAGE SMART GRID
get worse outside the frequency band 80–100 kHz. Moreover,
this result is also in agreement with the simulation results and
the frequency behavior of the used capacitive coupler. Finally,
also in this case a better transmission behavior is always
obtained when the signal is transmitted from Sidoti than from
Spalmatore (as previously observed for the attenuation results),
thus showing measurement reproducibility.
V. Conclusion
In this paper, an experimental performance analysis was
carried out, in order to evaluate the possibility to employ
the power line communication (PLC) in a medium voltage
(MV) distribution network, in the most common case of by-
pass connection at MV bus-bars of secondary substations.
The obtained experimental results confirmed the possibility to
employ the PLC in the case of by-pass connection secondary
substations. They were also in agreement with the simula-
tion results, showing the correctness of the proposed model.
Furthermore, the obtained results confirmed the frequency
behavior of the used capacitive coupler. Thus, to increase the
success rate it was necessary to improve frequency design of
the coupling device. In a general case, the proposed model
and the channel characterization procedure allow us to choose
the best transmission frequency and bit rate in order to define
the most suitable modulation technique.
Acknowledgement
This research was supported by the grant PO FESR 2007-13
Sicily, Line 4.1.1.1, Project: REIPERSEI Title: “Reti Elettriche
Intelligenti per la Penetrazione delle Energie Rinnovabili nei
Sistemi Elettrici delle Isole minori” (Smart grids for the
exploitation of renewable energy sources in the little islands
of the Mediterranean Sea), CUP G53F110000200004. The
authors would like to thank Eng. S. Russotto of Impresa
Elettrica D’Anna e Bonaccorsi s.n.c.for his support during field
tests.
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Giovanni Artale received the M.S. degree in electronic engineering from the
University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy, in 2010, where he is currently pursuing
the Ph.D. degree in electronic and telecommunication engineering.
His current research interests include power line communications, digital
signal processing and measurement, and communication systems for smart
grids.
Antonio Cataliotti (M’01) received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical
engineering from the University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy, in 1992 and 1998,
respectively.
In 2000, he was appointed an Assistant Professor, and since 2005, he
has been an Associate Professor in electrical and electronic measurements
at the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Telecommunication Engineer-
ing, University of Palermo. His current research interests include electrical
drive control and diagnostics, digital signal processing, testing of electrical
machines and drives, power quality measurements, detection of sources of
disturbances in power systems, power line communications, and smart grids.
Valentina Cosentino received the M.S. and the Ph.D. degrees in electrical
engineering from the University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy, in 2001 and 2005,
respectively.
From 2005 to 2010, she was a temporary Research Fellow at the Depart-
ment of Electrical, Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering (DEIM),
University of Palermo. She is currently an Assistant Professor in electrical
and electronic measurements at DEIM. Her current research interests include
power, energy and power quality measurements, detection of sources of dis-
turbances in power systems, digital signal processing, virtual instrumentation,
and smart grids.
Dario Di Cara received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering
from the University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy, in 2005 and 2009, respectively.
From June 2009 to July 2010, and from July 2010 to June 2012, he
was a Post-Doctoral Student at the National Research Council—Institute
of Intelligent System for Automation (CNR-ISSIA) of Palermo and the
DIEETCAM (now DEIM) of the University of Palermo, respectively. He is
currently a Researcher at the CNR-ISSIA of Palermo. His current research
interests include power quality measurements, characterization of current
transducers in nonsinusoidal condition, harmonic power measurements, power
line communications, and smart grids.
Riccardo Fiorelli was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy, in 1980. He received
the bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering from the Politecnico di Milano
University, Milan, Italy, in 2003.
In 2003, he joined STMicroelectronics, Agrate, Italy. ST. Since 2005, he
has been an Application Engineer for industrial products. He is an expert in
the power line communication system and application field.
Pierluca Russotto received the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from the
University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy, in 2011, where he is currently pursuing
the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering.
His current research interests include power systems modeling, measure-
ment, and communication systems for smart grids and smart metering.
Giovanni Tinè (M’04) was born in Palermo, Italy, in 1961. He received
the Ph.D. degree in electronics, computer science, and telecommunications
engineering from the University of Palermo, Palermo, in 1994.
He is currently a Researcher with the National Research Council—Institute
of Intelligent System for Automation, Palermo. His current research interests
include electromagnetic compatibility of power electrical drive systems,
power-line communications, and smart grids.