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TI Home > Applications > Smart Grid > Grid Infrastructure

Smart Grid

Smart grid solutions with a broad portfolio of systems products, software and tools for grid infrastructure, utility metering, communications and home or building automation development.

Applications

Smart Grid Infrastructure - Overview

The worldwide electric-power infrastructure is a set of interconnected assets for power generation, transmission, conversion and distribution commonly referred to as "the Grid." As demand for energy accelerates, governments, power producers, distributors, equipment providers and other stakeholders are working together to modernize this outdated and taxed infrastructure to add intelligence, communications, and decentralized control.

The automated metering infrastructure (AMI) and automated meter reading (AMR) provide the necessary means to measure, analyze and communicate energy usage to a central database for billing, troubleshooting and analyzing. Since it would not be practical for all meters to directly communicate with utility servers, data-concentrator applications are an important node in the AMI network. Data concentrators at several points in the infrastructure securely aggregate data from a manageable number of meters and send the information to the utility servers.
Data Concentrator System Solution

Smart Grid Solutions Guide What's New for Smart Grid

Smart Grid Solutions Guide Smart Grid Solutions
Guide - Newly Revised for 2012


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Data Concentrator Solution for PLC and RF connectivity-enabled systems

Automated metering infrastructure (AMI) and Automated meter reading (AMR) provide the necessary means to measure, analyze, collect energy usage, and communicate that data to a central database for billing, troubleshooting, and analyzing. It would not be practical, technically as well as economically, for all meters to directly communicate with utility servers. Data concentrator applications are an important node in the AMI which is networked with several utility meters and central utility servers and enables communication of the data between the meters and the utility servers. Data concentrators at several points in the infrastructure securely aggregate data from a manageable number of meters and send to the utility servers.

The communication mode largely depends on the power infrastructure and can be either wired or wireless communication. Wired communication is comprised of Power Line communication (PLC) and in some cases with serial or Ethernet based communication where PLC is not suited for the infrastructure. The wireless communication comprises of mainly low power RF (IEEE 802.15.4g protocol) communication and in some cases the existing cellular medium. The communication from the concentrator to the utility servers can be via Ethernet, GSM, GPRS, WiMAX or telecom networks.

  

TI PLC Data Concentrator Platform

TMDSDC3352 – Data Concentrator Evaluation Module