Communication in Smart Grids: A Comprehensive Review on the Existing and Future Communication and Information Infrastructures

Advanced information and communication infrastructures are essential to successfully operate smart grids (SGs) and provide efficient, reliable, and sustainable electricity to the customers. After providing the background of the communication paradigm in SGs, a comprehensive survey of the major issues related to the architectures, the key technologies, and the requirements of the SG communication infrastructure are analyzed in this article. The role of cloud computing and Internet of Things in SGs is also discussed. Finally, the standardization, potential applications, and future fruitful research issues of the communication infrastructures of the SGs are classified and discussed.