Development of a monitoring system for assessing the condition of low-voltage cables based on broadband powerline communication

Abstract:
The demands on the electricity grids of the future are increasing due to the transformation from a centralized to a decen-tralized energy supply. This decentralization not only requires data exchange between generation units for regulation purposes, but also with consumers for possible control in order to ensure optimal operation of the electricity grids. This requires adequate communication networks for data exchange between decentralized systems and grid operators. By using the communication network via broadband powerline (BPL), the NExt STeP research project is collecting data on signal quality and analyzing it to draw conclusions about cable conditions. The NExt STeP research project is developing a monitoring system for low-voltage grids based on BPL communication with the aim of enabling cost-effective and effi-cient real-time monitoring of low-voltage grids. This publication provides an overview of the NExt STeP research project and presents the main objectives and approaches for implementation.