PLC in Energy Markets

Power Line Communication in Energy Markets Page 1 of 15
Published in Industrial Control DesignLine (http://www.eetimes.com) August 2011

POWER LINE COMMUNICATION IN ENERGY MARKETS
By Antonio De Lima Fernandes, and Pooja Dave, Product Marketing Engineer, Cypress Semiconductor Corp.
What is Power Line Communication?
Power Line Communication (PLC) is a communication technology which enables sending data over existing power cables.
This means that, with just power cables running to an electronic device (for example) one can both power it up and at the
same time control/retrieve data from it in a half-duplex manner.
PLC Market: Overview
Segments
For the purpose of understanding, PLC can be broadly viewed as
1. Narrowband PLC
2. Broadband PLC
Narrowband PLC works at lower frequencies (3-500 kHz), lower data rates (up to 100s of kbps) and has longer range (up to
several kilometers) which can be extended using repeaters. Broadband PLC works at higher frequencies (1.8-250 MHz), high
data rates (up to 100s of Mbps) and is used in shorter range applications. Recently, narrowband Power Line Communication
has been receiving widespread attention due to its applications in the Smart Grid. Another application that narrowband PLC
has been used in is smart energy generation, particularly in micro-inverters for solar panels.
Broadband PLC, in contrast, is mainly found acceptance as a last-mile solution for internet distribution and home networking.
With its high data rates and no additional wiring, broadband PLC is seen as an exciting and effective technology for multimedia
distribution within homes. This optimism in the markets is reflected by the recent acquisitions of Intellon by Atheros,
Coppergate by Sigma, DS2 by Marvell and finally Gigle by Broadcom, all in the Home Area Networking (HAN) segment.
There is another way to classify Power Line Communication and that is as
PLC over AC lines
PLC over DC lines
Whilst most companies are currently geared towards providing AC-PLC solutions, PLC in DC lines also has applications. Two
such applications are PLC over the DC-bus in distributed energy generation, and PLC in transportation (electronic controls in
airplanes, automobiles and trains). This reduces wiring complexity, weight and ultimately cost of communications inside
vehicles. However, in this article, we will be dealing mostly with narrowband PLC over AC lines.
Competition
The narrowband PLC market is seeing healthy competition, with a large number of PLC suppliers joining the fray.
Cypress Semiconductor
Echelon
ST Microelectronics
Yitran
Texas Instruments
Maxim
Semitech Semiconductor
Ariane Controls
ADD Semiconductor
Microchip

Power Line Communications in Energy Markets Page 2 of 15
The some of the companies in the broadband PLC segment are
Atheros
Sigma
Marvell
Broadcom
Lantiq
Maxim
Plugtek

PLC Technology: How does it work?
PLC is like any other communication technology in which a sender modulates the data to be sent, injects it on to medium, and
the receiver de-modulates this data to read it. The major difference is that PLC does not need extra cabling - it re-uses existing
wiring. Considering the pervasiveness of power lines, this means with PLC, virtually all line-powered devices can be controlled
or monitored!
When discussing communication technology, it is often useful to refer to the 7-layer OSI model. Some PLC chips can
implement only the Physical Layer of the OSI model, whilst some chips integrate all 7 layers of the OSI model. One could use
a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) with a pure software realization of the MAC and an external PHY circuit, or an optimized
System-on-Chip (SoC) solution, which includes the complete PLC MAC and PHY. The Cypress CY8CPLCXX series is an
example of the latter, with a ready-to-use Physical and Network layer, and a user-programmable application layer.
Before moving on to the applications of PLC, let us first understand the various aspects of the Physical layer by viewing it as 3
segments on the basis of data rate.
Table 1. PLC technology classification on the basis of data rate
Low Data Rate Medium Data Rate High Data Rate
Data Rate 0-10kbps 10kbps-1Mbps >1Mbps

Modulation BPSK, FSK, SFSK,
QAM
PSK+OFDM PSK+OFDM
Standards IEC 61334, ANSI/EIA
709.1, .2, UPB
PRIME, G3, P1901.2 G.hn, IEEE 1901
Frequency range Upto 500kHz
frequency
Upto 500kHz In MHz
Applications Contol and Command Control and
command, Voice
Broadband over
powerline, home
networking

Modulation Schemes
A variety of modulation schemes can be used in PLC. Some of these are Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM),
Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK), Frequency Shift Keying (FSK), Spread-FSK (S-FSK) and proprietary schemes too (for
example Differential Code Shift Keying (DCSK) from Yitran). In the table below, BPSK, FSK, SFSK and OFDM are compared
on the basis of two important criteria bandwidth efficiency and complexity (cost).
Table 2. Comparison of Modulation Schemes
Modulation Scheme Bandwidth efficiency Complexity

BPSK Medium Low
FSK Medium Low
SFSK Low Medium
OFDM High High
OFDM in particular offers high data rate but requires computational horsepower to churn out Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT)
and Inverse-FFT (IFFT) as required by the scheme. On the other hand, BPSK, FSK are robust, simple but offer lower data
rates. The current trend is to move towards OFDM with PSK modulation (G3 and probably P1901.2). Such heavy computation
will require DSP capability, whereas FSK, PSK and SFSK can be accomplished by a microcontroller.
Standards
Various standards have been developed in order to ensure reliable communications and inter-operability, especially for the
smart grid and home networking. Examples of such standards are
Table 3. Specifications of narrowband PLC standards
Standard Technology Frequency band Bit rate (kbps)
G3-PLC OFDM 36-90.6kHz 5.6-45
PRIME OFDM 42-89kHz 21.4-128.6
IEEE P1901.2 OFDM 9-500kHz Coming Soon
ANSI/EIA 709.1,.2 BPSK 86, 131kHz 3.6-5.4
KNX S-FSK 125-140kHz 1.2
IEC61334 S-FSK CENELEC-A 2.4

These, along with the organizations that govern them like CENELEC, FCC, ARIB, Homeplug Power Alliance specify ranges for
operation of PLC. If a worldwide standard for PLC were to be established, this would have a positive impact on adoption of
PLC. So far, the G3-PLC standard is touted as the most robust scheme available, and the IEEE 1901.2 working group is
committed to developing a universally acceptable standard.
Frequencies
Different regions of the world have different frequency bands allocated to narrowband PLC. The table below summarizes the
different frequencies available for narrowband PLC communication in the respective region.


Table 4. Narrowband PLC frequency ranges for various regions
Region Regulatory
Body
Frequency
Band
Note
Europe CENELEC 3-95kHz
95-125kHz
125-140kHz
140-148.5kHz
A Energy providers
B Reserved for users
C Reserved for users, regulated CSMA access
D Reserved for users
Japan ARIB 10-450kHz
China EPRI 3-90kHz
3-500kHz
Not Regulated
USA FCC 10-490kHz

Where
CENELEC - European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization.
ARIB Association of Radio Industries & Businesses
EPRI Electric Power Research Institute
FCC Federal Communications Commission
Applications
Earlier, we saw that PLC is widely used in the Smart Grid and in micro-inverters. As the market gets familiar with this
technology, PLC should see wider adoption in other applications like lighting (e.g. Traffic light control, LED dimming), industrial
(eg. UPS communicating to a network device, irrigation control), machine-to-machine (eg. Vending machines, a hotels
reception-to-room communication), telemetry (eg. Offshore oil rigs), transport (e.g. Electronics in cars, trains and airplanes)
and indeed, applications of PLC are only limited by ones creativity. In this article, we will find out a little more about PLC in
energy generation and conservation markets.
Energy Generation and Consumption:
Today, Smart Energy has become a much-publicized buzzword. It could describe anything from energy production, to efficient
use of that energy. As we will shortly see, PLC plays a vital role in making our energy practices smart.
PLC in Energy Generation
Renewable energy is growing at a brisk rate, having showcased a growth of 35.2% in 2010. A bulk of this growth came from a
near doubling of Photovoltaic (PV) installations around the world. Further contribution came from increase of installed wind
energy capacity; for instance in 2010 China grew its installed capacity by 64%.
In order for a Distributed Generation (DG) system to supply the grid power, its DC output must be converted by an inverter into
clean, reliable AC power. Thus a typical DG system consists of the Energy production device (for e.g. the solar panel, the wind
turbine, an electric vehicle), the inverter, the cabling and the communications. If we consider the specific case of solar power
generation, until recently, most PV installations used central inverters or string inverters, in which case the performance of the
system could be monitored with a few say, Ethernet connections to the inverters.


Figure 1. Roof-top solar panel installation with micro-inverters
Today, there is a growing trend towards micro-inverters and power optimizers. These function at the individual solar panel
level, and most suppliers provide monitoring capability for each of these modules. This provides vital performance statistics
over the lifetime of the solar panel, and this can be used to detect and pinpoint performance issues. To implement such
monitoring capability, one could use wireless Zigbee, Wi-Fi, RF, and Bluetooth; or wired PLC, RS-485, RS-232, Ethernet
amongst others. In the case of micro-inverters, the implementation of a wireless solution can be challenging because of
Its line of sight requirement micro-inverters are generally located behind a solar panel
More complicated installation
EMI problems
Alternatively, other wired technologies involve extra cabling and thus greater installation and maintenance costs. PLC can be
both simpler and more economical.

MPPT DC-DC DC-AC
I SLAND
DETECT
Solar Photovaltaic (PV)
Array
DC-DC conversion raises the
incoming PV voltage; MPPT
will adjust its output for
greatest efficiency
DC-AC conversion for
feeding power into the home /
grid
Maximum power point
tracker; Dynamically adjust
the DC bus voltage of the
solar array to its optimum
value as sunlight and
temperature conditions vary
Communication interface
between micro-inverter &
central control unit (in home /
office)
Detect when power from the
electric utility no longer
present; micro-inverter stops
supplying power to grid
Home / Grid
REG.
CHECKS
Regulatory checks
(UL/IEEE/IEC requires that
the inverter operates within
certain parameters)
EMI
Fi l t er
Aux i l i ar y
Power
Suppl y
LCD
Di spl ay
and User
I nt er f ac e
PLC

Figure 2. Block Diagram of a Micro-inverter
Above we see the typical building blocks of a micro-inverter. The CY8CPLCxx chip, complete with PHY, network protocol and
programmable application layer, has additional resources that allow for taking external sensor input. Thus vital parameters like
temperature at each module, maximum power point, potential faults, and power generated can be monitored. Through the
power line, these statistics can be viewed locally on an LCD display, or even remotely via the web. In case of faults, each
micro-inverter can be switched off individually. Under-performing units can be repaired or replaced. Importantly, with PLC,
installation and maintenance is simple and economical because of no additional sockets/wiring required - just plug and play.
From the point of view of an equipment manufacturer, designing PLC into the system is straightforward because of Cypress
certified and tested reference designs.
PLC in Energy Consumption market
It is estimated by 2020, Europe will have 80% coverage of smart meters and the rest of the world is expected soon to follow
suit. PLC is the predominant communication method in Automatic Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and also is being rapidly
adopted in other applications. In this section we will discuss the energy consumption market from two perspectives, namely
1. Smart Grid AMI, Smart Appliances and V2G
2. Other applications Two examples will be discussed here Data center power distribution and Lighting control.
Smart Grid
Mr. Carnegie, waiting for his flight at the San Francisco international airport, browses through his inbox on his smart phone,
when he receives a mail from the local energy provider informing him about peak pricing coming into effect in the next four
hours, back home in Dallas. He knows that his Air Conditioning will turn off automatically during this time. Knowing the
electricity rates at this hour, he decides to check up on his solar panels by just a touch on his smart phone screen. While this
may seem to be science fiction, smart grids, empowered by PLC solutions, are making it a reality.
The Smart Grid is essentially modernization of the transmission and distribution aspects of the electrical grid. This intelligent
power distribution infrastructure enables two-way communication between the consumers and the utility. The consumers use

home networks to communicate with their smart meter, which further communicates with the utility (Advanced Metering
Infrastructure-AMI). The Smart Grid definition does not stop at energy utilization; supply of energy to the grid from Distributed
Generation (DG) sources like solar and wind fall into the same category. The DG system also includes Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) -
bi-directional sharing of electricity between Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Plug-in Electric Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs) and the
electric power grid. In this article, we will talk about AMI, Smart Appliances and V2G.
Concentrators
SolarPanels
WindTurbines
CorporateOffices
CallCenters
MeteringDatabase
ManagementCentre
SmartMetering
PowerLines
GenerationandDistribution
Substations
ElectricVehicle Office/Home

Figure 3: The Smart Grid
Advanced Metering Infrastructure:
The whole measurement and collection system that includes meters at the customer site, communication networks between
the customer and a service provider, such as an electric, gas, or water utility, and data reception and management systems,
that make the information available to the service provider, are referred to as AMI.
The Smart Meters transmit the collected data through commonly available fixed networks such as Power Line
Communications (PLC), Fixed Radio Frequency (RF) networks, and public networks (e.g. landline, cellular, paging) which is
aggregated by a concentrator, sent to the utility and then to a Meter Data Management System for data storage, analysis and
billing (see Figure 3). Studies show that Narrowband PLC is best suited for AMI with over a 100 million NB-PLC devices
installed to date.
Utilities are investing billions of dollars in AMI systems. PLC solution for data transmission needs no new infrastructure, unlike
wireless, as it uses the existing power cables. Power line carrier systems have long been a favorite at many utilities because it
allows them to reliably move data over an infrastructure that they control. Utilities may also use public cellular as the backhaul
for the AMI data due to its footprint, zero implementation cost and low monthly fee. But on many occasions they may not be
able to provide 100 percent coverage of a utilitys entire customer base. Alternatively, using wireless networks, RF solutions or
PLC for data transmission will solve this issue. Rural utilities or the utilities located at challenging locations (for e.g.
mountainous terrains) which are ill-served by wireless will have a difficulty communicating with the consumers. Additionally,

wireless and RF solutions have reduced data rates in presence of interference like Bluetooth devices, cordless phones,
concrete objects, hills and even trees. PLC can communicate to any location connected via the powerline and has no line-of-
sight requirement for data transmission. One of the most important considerations, due to the volume of network traffic
inherent to the smart grid network, is congestion mitigation. As compared to wireless solutions based on ZigBee or Wi-Fi, PLC-
based AMI have a proven track record of being better suited to avoid network congestion in emergency situations. Another oft
cited requirement is that of redundancy in the communication channel with the ubiquity of power lines, deploying a redundant
channel becomes more economical.
Various applications would include remote monitoring, outage management (which includes fault detection of MV equipment),
Demand Response (i.e. managing customer consumption of electricity in response to grid supply conditions), island detection
(i.e. ensuring that local grids are not being powered by the DG system when there is no power present from the electric grid)
and fraud/theft detection.

Figure 4: Advanced Metering Infrastructure
Smart Appliances:
A Home Area Network (HAN) is a communication-enabled home where all electrical appliances are connected in a mesh
through Wireless, RF or PLC. Electrical appliances, today, are connected in a network with two-way communication enabled,
with each other as well as the substation. These Smart Appliances allow automation and control from single or multiple access
points.

$3,542
$2,693
$2,236
$1,354
$1,166
$0 $1,000 $2,000 $3,000 $4,000
ClothesWasher
Refrigerator
ClothesDryer
Dishwasher
Freezer
SmartApplianceGlobalRevenue(2011)
USMillions

Figure 5: Smart Appliances Global Revenue
In the chart above (Figure 5) you will observe the estimated revenues (US $M) in 2011 made by Smart Appliances (Source:
Zpryme Research & Consulting) and is projected to grow with a CAGR of 49% from 2011 to 2015.This gives an insight to the
potential that this industry holds.

Talking about applications, PLC has made Load Control a reality in many EU Countries. Home appliances, like washing
machine, dryer, dishwasher, oven and stove, refrigerator, freezer, air conditioner and water heater, talk to the Smart Meter,
(Refer to previous section for details) which gathers information of peak pricing hours from the utility through PLC. The
appliances can then switch OFF/ON according to the price variations. This is a win-win situation for the consumer who saves
on the electricity bill, and the utility which can better manage peak demands. PLC also enables appliance monitoring and
HVAC control leading to further energy awareness and savings.
Home automation potentially focuses on the following applications:
Lighting
Appliance/Device Diagnostics and Monitoring
Security Access
AMI
Home health monitoring


Figure 6: Cypress PLC in HAN
In the figure above (Figure 6), the sensors on the appliance side are connected to the Monitor via the Power Line. Any
changes on the appliance end will be reflected on the LCD Display which can be viewed and changed as required. Consumers
will literally have control of their entire house at their fingertips.
PLC is a considerably more effective in home networks. HAN being realized by Wireless/Zigbee, will need new infrastructure
to be installed. Moreover, penetrating physical barriers like walls within one floor, or reaching out to different floors is a
challenge for Wireless. Wireless networks often face performance issues, like mentioned in the previous section, due to RF
interference caused by devices like microwave oven, cordless phones or even Bluetooth devices at home. PLC on the other
hand can reach out to every node connected via the power line. It converts virtually every socket in ones home into an access
point, in many ways incorporating the best of wired and wireless communication.
Vehicle-to-Grid Communication:
Plug in electric vehicles (BEVs and PHEVs) communicate with the power grid, both, to charge itself and to deliver electricity
into the grid.
Different versions of V2G would include a Fuel-cell vehicle, a battery powered vehicle or a solar vehicle. In all cases, the
vehicle provides power to the grid at peak load conditions and charges itself at night, when the demand is low.
A variety of data like vehicle identification, current battery status, maximum allowed charge current and number of phases,
charging times (e.g. delayed charging start) and overall 'charged' electricity amount with associated costs is needs to be
exchanged with the EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment). PLC has a distinct advantage here because an unambiguous
physical association between the vehicle and a specific EVSE can be established - this aids in authentication and security.
This is clearly something that is not possible to accomplish with wireless solutions even if short range. PLC further connects
the EVSE to the meter and the smart grid. This technology is still in its infancy with no existing standards but promises to be
an exciting trend to watch out for in the next decade.
Other Applications

In order to give readers a glimpse of the enormous potential of PLC in the energy consumption market, 2 applications will be
dealt with in detail. PLC in data center power distribution networks, and PLC in Lighting.
Smart Power in Data Centers:
The Problem:
With the rise of cloud computing and internet services, data centers and collocation facilities continue to show consistent
double digit growth. Data center downtime is completely unacceptable due to loss of revenue and reputation that it causes.
Such downtime is primarily caused by UPS battery failure, UPS overloading, and circuit breaker failure. Another critical
concern for data centers is energy efficiency of devices because of rising unit electricity costs and additional cooling costs.
Simultaneously, companies who outsource their computing requirements want access to all performance metrics of their
systems including power at various levels. Adding communication between devices is a challenge, because wireless cannot
work reliably in the data center environment whilst wired communication would exacerbate the problem of cable clutter.
Network
Devices
Monitoring

Figure 7. Monitoring the cloud

Consider traditional power distribution architecture in a data centre a highly simplified diagram is shown below for the
purpose of understanding:
PSU 1
UPS 2
PDU 2
Network
device 2
PSU 2
PSU 1
UPS 1 PDU 1
Network
device 1
PSU 2
Redundant supply
Live supply
OUT1
OUT2
OUT1
OUT2
AC MAINS

Figure 8. Power distribution topology in a typical data center
AC supply from the grid first flows through the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), then the Power Distribution Unit (PDU),
then converted to DC power at the Power Supply Unit (PSU) and then finally to a Server, Switch, Network storage device or in
general, a network device. In such configurations with redundant power provisioning, UPS load rarely exceeds 30% of its rated
capacity. This is largely because the power topology down-stream from a UPS is not clearly visible at the UPS it is difficult to
trace which/how many Network Devices are connected to that UPS. Shown below is the typical efficiency curve for a UPS.

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
E
f
f
i
c
i
e
n
c
y
Load (% of full load)
Rapid drop of
efficiency below 30% Nominal efficiency
Typical range of
operation of UPS

Figure 9. UPS Efficiency versus Load
In order to avoid costly downtime due to overloading, the data center would prefer to over-design the system operate the
UPS at low loads, at the cost of energy efficiency. From the above curve, it is evident that the UPS is not working in its most
efficient range.
The solution:
Now consider a PLC-enabled system as below. The UPS, PDU, PSU and Network devices can communicate with each other
via PLC. Consequently, at every stage in the power distribution, the device will have a clear map of power topology
downstream and upstream from it. For ex. UPS 1 knows that it provides power to PSU 1 of Network device 1 and 2. Now,
since the devices connected to it are visible, their power requirements are known precisely, and hence the load of the UPS
can be safely increased to an optimum level.

I2C
PLC
Power
Ethernet/RS232
PSU 1
AC MAINS
UPS 2 PDU 2
Network
Device 2
PSU 2
PSU 1
UPS 1 PDU 1
Network
Device 1
PSU 2
OUT1
OUT2
OUT1
OUT2

Figure 10. PLC-enabled Power distribution topology in a data center

Thanks to PLC, UPS overloading, battery failure and circuit breaker failure will be reduced, or diagnosed prior to downtime.
Thus, introducing PLC in such power distribution architectures will not only increase efficiency of the system, but provide many
other benefits including ease of diagnostics and redundancy in communication for mission critical data centers. And all this,
without the messy wiring that data centers dread.
LED Control:
One of the predictions for the energy sector in the next decade is the gradual phasing out of incandescent bulbs and their
replacement by LEDs. LEDs offer an advantage over both CFLs and incandescent bulbs in being fully dimmable, having a
longer lifetime, being mercury free, and providing options for adjustable color temperature.
The problem:
Take for example, the case of street lighting. A city spends 30-40% of its budget on illuminating the city. The old system of
street lighting makes no provision for dimming of lights, color temperature control or intelligent switching. Moreover, workers
are hired for maintenance patrol i.e. Detecting and reporting failed street lights. Very often, street lights are repaired after
complaints are lodged. Millions of dollars could be saved and millions of tons of carbon emissions could be reduced with minor
adaption in the streetlight usage pattern.
The solution:
Now consider a street lighting system which is PLC enabled say, every LED street light has a PLC device mounted on it.
This would allow for monitoring and control of each street light. The advantages of such a system are numerous.
According to time, traffic, weather and other factors, the street lights can be turned off/dimmed as optimally as possible.
This could generate energy and cost savings in excess of 40% - a huge number for any city. A corresponding reduction in
carbon emissions is results thus helping cities comply with Kyoto protocol guidelines. Additionally, dimming will increase
the lifespan of the LED lamps thus providing another benefit.
Lamps which reach the end of their life cycle can be replaced before they fail, with reduced maintenance costs.
Information of mortality cycle, energy consumption and other factors can be sent to the remote monitoring site and this
used to diagnose problems.
With the appropriate solution, color temperature of the streetlights can be dynamically adjusted providing better
aesthetics and safety.
Moreover, all this is done with no additional wiring, no need to dig up roads or build towers PLC is the most suitable and
affordable solution for such an application.


Figure
11. Cypress' PLC solution for street lighting
Above is a block diagram of such a PLC solution specifically tailored for High Brightness (HB) LED control. Cypress PLC
Solution provides a Powerline optimized Network Protocol which enables individual lighting fixtures or groups of lighting
fixtures to be controlled using the existing Powerline infrastructure. Combined with Cypress EZ-Color solution this can be
used for intelligent dimming and timed turn-off of HB-LED fixtures.


Challenges
PLC, of course has its challenges. Firstly, Power lines were not designed to carry data, and actually behave as low pass filters.
Modeling the PL channel is difficult it is a very harsh and noisy transmission medium, frequency-selective, time-varying, and
is impaired by colored background noise and impulsive noise. Thus maintaining signal integrity over power lines requires
robust signaling techniques and hardware. Secondly, the structure of the grid differs across and within countries and the same
applies for indoor wiring practices. There is no universal standard either for PLC or the grid; steps to ensure interoperability of
devices need to be taken. Thirdly, questions are being raised today about the digital security of personal information that is
sent over the power lines because these can be tapped into. Thus establishing privacy safeguards and equally important -
convincing the public of these is another large-level issue that is being addressed. Lastly, PLC faces competition from other
means of communication - both wired and wireless, and ultimately the choice of technology will be decided by a mix of cost,
complexity and feasibility. Today, the major competing technologies to narrowband PLC are Zigbee, Wi-Fi, GPRS and RS-
232.
Conclusion
In the above article, we introduced Power Line Communication, both as a technology and as a market. The various types of
PLC, modulation schemes, standards, frequencies in use today were discussed. Finally, we presented the various applications
of PLC in energy generation, the smart grid, data-center power distribution networks, and, in LED lighting. Finally, the
challenges of PLC were briefly highlighted.
We have seen how, in its current applications, PLC has added intelligence into previously dumb power networks. And this is
just the tip of the iceberg. With the increased emphasis on developing PLC technology and standards, we can be confident
that in the future, Power Line Communication will continue adding smartness to our lines.

Cypress Semiconductor
198 Champion Court
San J ose, CA 95134-1709
Phone: 408-943-2600
Fax: 408-943-4730
http://www.cypress.com

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Power Line Communication in Energy Markets Page 1 of 15

Published in Industrial Control DesignLine (http://www.eetimes.com) August 2011

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