Modeling and analysis of noise in power line communication for smart metering

Power line communication (PLC) has been widely used in the Smart Grid environment as it represents a low cost communication solution for distribution networks and more recently smart metering. However, its instability under noisy channel conditions requires careful simulations and modelling before implementing any PLC-based solution. Modelling physical characteristics of PLC using different simulation tools has been investigated in the past and is an ongoing research challenge. In this paper, the suitability of PLC for smart metering is tested in terms of scalability and performances under different noise conditions, by using discrete event simulations for a PLC model previously validated with experimental results under the EU-funded project HiPerDNO.