The Influence of Spread-Spectrum Modulation on the G3-PLC Performance

The smart grid is a fertile ground for conducted Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) between the power and the communication circuits. This paper shows the detrimental effect of spreading the switching spectrum (Spread-Spectrum modulation) on the performance of G3-PLC, which is counterintuitive to be a mitigation technique. An experimental setup is built to emulate an in-situ coupling situation between both circuits. Finally, tests are performed with different operating scenarios, and the results are discussed in the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) framework.