1. D2-01_08 Approaches to Smart Grid Communications Networks in Japanese Electric Power Companies Naomasa Takahashi Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. Japan Naomasa_Takahashi@kyuden.co.jp Yoshifumi Tada Juniper Networks, K.K. Japan CIGRE SC D2 Colloquium November 2013 Mysore - KARNATAKA – INDIA Kenichi Takahashi Hokuriku Electric Power Co. Japan Kazutaka Shimoosako Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. Japan

2. p1 Background and Purpose Undertakings aimed at achieving the early introduction of smart meters => Realization of functions such as automatic meter reading and demand response Combination of multiple field area network communications systems depending on the area - From the standpoint of elements such as area characteristics, the economic aspect and construction speed Examples of the undertakings by Japanese electric power companies - Verification testing using the multihop wireless system - Example of introduction of smart meters using the power line communication system

3. p2 Multihop Wireless System Item Specification Testing Details Verification of the success rates ・ Remote Meter Reading ・ Remote Control Test Period December 2011 to March 2013 Test Area 780m x 380m Geographical Features Urban neighborhoods (Mixture of detached houses and apartment buildings) Number of installed meters 500 Verification Testing Overview Pole-mounted Base Station Office Control Terminal Verification Server Communi- cations Network Fiber- optic Line New Meter Verification Testing System Configuration Communi- cation Unit Overview (Hokuriku Electric Power Company) Verification testing using 900 MHz-band specified low power radio Verification items are… - Stability of the automatic meter reading system - Effects on data transmission of obstacles such as accumulations of snow typical in the Hokuriku area

4. p3 Multihop Wireless System Results High success rates were verified during the test period. Remote meter reading: 99.926% Remote control: 98.212% Practically acceptable levels of performance by recovery processing such as re-acquisition of data in the event of failures No impact on the success rates caused by weather phenomena such as snowfall or lightning Success Rates of Remote Meter Reading and Remote Control Evaluation ItemsTest Results Remote Meter Reading Total number of remote meter readings （ Total number of missing readings ） 6.06 million （ 4,474 ） Success rate99.926% Remote Control Total number of remote controls （ Total number of failures ） 100 thousand （ 1,786 ） Success rate98.212%

5. p4 Power Line Communication System Example of Introduction (Kyushu Electric Power Company) Trial introduction of smart meters in 2010. - More than 40,000 households (in apartment buildings in urban areas). *This system is applied in locations that radio waves cannot reach, such as pipe shafts in which smart meters are installed in large-scale apartment buildings. Example of Remote Meter Reading System Configuration Office Communications Network Automatic Meter Reading Server Apartment Building, etc. PLC Repeater Power Line Smart Meters Fiber- optic Line

6. p5 Power Line Communication System Evaluation Increases in the number of smart meters deployed have presented the risk of degraded network quality. [ Problems ] Limits on the number of units imposed by the Ethernet standard Broadcast frame problems Problem of expansion of the range of effects of failures Layer 2 network => Layer 3 network (the PPPoE method) in 2012 => The above problems were resolved. => Stable network operation ( “closed” network with “stability and “expandability.” ) Layer 3 Network using the PPPoE Method Communication s Network BAS Router Optical Network Unit PLC Repeater Pole-mounted BOX Smart Meter Optical Network Unit Automatic Meter Reading Server Layer 3 (IP) Network Section PLC Section *PPPoE: Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet *BAS: Broadband Access Server PPPoE Section

7. p6 Proposal of Operation and Management Method for Field Area Networks Concerns regarding Management of Wireless Base Stations Increasing complexity of operation and management (As the deployment of smart meters expands, the number of wireless base stations installed will grow.) [ Items that need to be optimized ] Asset and configuration management Authentication Health check System Configurations A SM A Operator Authentication Server, (AD, LDAP, etc.) Authentication Wireless Controller A SM A Operator Operation, Management & Authentication Operation & Management Authentication Server, (AD, LDAP, etc.) Authentication Smart Meter Wireless Access Point Operation & Management SM A System Configuration without Wireless Controller System Configuration with Wireless Controller => “Wireless controller ”

8. p7 Proposal of Operation and Management Method for Field Area Networks Beneficial Effects of Introduction Asset and Configuration Management No need to change to individual devices separately - Functions that enable batch updating of software of wireless slave devices and batch changing of their configurations => Major reductions in work time Authentication Batch inquiries made to the authentication server, and centralized management of authentication statuses and unauthorized accesses => Elimination of complexity in operation and management Health Check Centralized management of the wireless communication quality and soundness of devices, and constant monitoring that enables immediate detection of abnormalities => Improvements in overall wireless system quality

9. p8 Conclusion This presentation has introduced undertakings relating to field area networks as approaches to smart grid communications networks in Japan. [Multihop Wireless System] Verification testing using the automatic meter reading system was conducted and the results demonstrated that performance was of practically acceptable level. [Power Line Communication System] Smart meters using this system have already been deployed in more than 40,000 households. Measures enable stable and expandable network construction and operation. A wireless controller that enables efficient operation of the multihop wireless system has been proposed.

10. p9 Thank you ! Next: Answers to the Special Report Questions

11. p10 Special Report Q1.33 Q1.33 How does the test results can be scaled down as a reference to the other pilots? Are there any efforts on standardizing such cases? The main purpose of the verification testing was to carry out assessment under environmental conditions typical in the Hokuriku area such as severe winter conditions including heavy snow, and it is not possible to determine whether or not the results can be scaled down. It will be necessary to acquire a great deal of knowledge and carry out verification from diverse perspectives in order to achieve standardization. Assessment ItemsTest Conditions Natural environ- ment Testing needs to be carried out in a harsh natural environment typical in the Hokuriku area. (Scaling down not possible) Temperature, snowfall, lightning, etc. Test environ- ment Operation check needs to be carried out using the number of units specified by our company. (Scaling down not possible) 500 units Test period Because there is only one season a year during which snow falls, data needs to be acquired over at least 2 years. (Scaling down not possible.) 2 years (2 cycles)

12. p11 Special Report Q1.34 Q1.34 Please explain the factors considered for defining the success rate of implementing both multihop wireless and PLC systems? Normal completion of remote meter reading and remote control of all meters Achieving the success rate close to 100% even under diverse adverse conditions such as communication failures, including success achieved by recovery processing

13. p12 Thank you again !