Renesas Electronics America Inc. © 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved. Narrowband Powerline Communication: Applications and Challenges

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.2 Renesas Technology & Solution Portfolio

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.3 Agenda Powerline Communication 101 Modulation techniques Channel characteristics Applicable regulations Transceiver requirements No New Wires: Where and How Existing and potential applications Implementation challenges and solutions Market Trends – Smart grid – Standards and technologies

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.4 Powerline Communication 101 Why Powerline Communication? How it works? What are the typical challenges? Are there any applicable regulations?

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.5 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly No New Wires Send data on existing lines that transport electrical power – High / Medium / Low Voltage AC/DC power lines Operate by superposing a modulated carrier signal on line voltage – Narrowband modulation systems – Broadband modulation systems Challenging conditions Unpredictable and widely varying channel characteristics Electromagnetic compatibility restrictions Emerging technologies and applications Slow development of acceptable standards and regulations

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.6 Once Upon a Time 1838 First remote electricity supply metering 1897 First patent on power line signaling 1920s First carrier frequency systems began to operate over high-voltage lines 1930s Ripple carrier signalling was introduced on the medium and low voltage distribution systems 1940sEmerge the expression Power Line Carriers (PLC) 1974Early directive for transmitted power and frequencies 1980sHome-control PLC devices become available 1990s(X10, CEBus, LonWorks) 1997First International Symposium on PLC (ISPLC) 2001HomePlug 1.0 specification released

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.7 Broad and Narrow Narrowband PLCBroadband PLC Data rateUp to 200kbpsOver 1Mbps FrequencyUp to 500kHzOver 2MHz ModulationFSK, S-FSK, BPSK, SS, OFDM OFDM Applications Building Automation Renewable Energy Advanced Metering Street Lighting Electric Vehicle Smart Grid Internet HDTV Audio Gaming ProvidersRenesas Maxim ST Microelectronics Texas Instruments Echelon Yitran Cypress Ariane Controls Atheros Maxim Sigma Broadcom Lantiq Marvell

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.8 Single-carrier PLC Technologies FSK, S-FSK, BPSK, ASK An analog carrier signal is modulated by a discrete signal Digital data is represented by a finite number of distinct signals  Proven performance (ex: X10, Echelon, ST, Ariane)  Low complexity, low power, low cost  Limited data rate (typically up to 10kbps)  Sensible to narrowband noise (FSK) or phase distortion (PSK) Frequency Shift Keying (FSK)

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.9 Spread-Spectrum PLC Technologies DSSS, DCSK The original narrowband information is spread over a relatively wide band of frequencies The band spread is achieved by means of a higher data rate bit sequence  Robust against narrowband noise  Low spectral efficiency  Limited data rate  Few implementations (ex: Yitran)

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.10 Multi-carrier PLC Technologies OFDM A large number of closely spaced orthogonal sub- carrier signals are used to carry data Each sub-carrier is modulated with a conventional modulation scheme (such as BPSK, QPSK or QAM)  Emerging implementations (ex: PRIME, G3-PLC )  Robust against narrowband noise and multi-path propagation  Higher data rates  Able to adapt to channel conditions  Increased complexity, cost, power consumption  Large frequency bandwidth

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.11 Architecture of PLC Transceivers

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.12 The Grid High Voltage Lines Medium Voltage Lines Low Voltage Lines Transmission Grid Distribution Grid

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.13 The Challenges Harsh medium for data communication Unpredictable and varying characteristics Time Frequency Location Limited and inaccurate theoretical models of power line environment Main technical challenges: Signal attenuation Signal distortion Noise

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.14 Signal Attenuation and Distortion Main causes: Impedance of connected loads – Inductive, capacitive or resistive – Can be as low as 1 Ohm Multiple phases Power transformers Wire impedance Reflection effects Highly varying with frequency and time Attenuation ranges between 10dB and 60dB

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.15 Noise Generated by loads connected to the power line Time, location and frequency dependent Main types: Continuous noise – Time-invariant continuous noise (background noise) Ex: Thermal noise caused by internal circuitry – Time-variant continuous noise Ex: inverter-driven fluorescent lamps Impulsive noise – Synchronous to AC mains Ex: Thyristor-based light dimmers – Asynchronous to AC mains Ex: Switching regulators – Single-event impulses Ex: Switches, thermostats, capacitor banks Narrowband noise Ex: Interference from radio stations

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.16 EMC Standards and Regulations Frequency band allocation Maximum output power levels Electromagnetic emissions limits Conducted emissions Radiated emissions

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.17 PLC Transceiver Requirements High transmission power capability Excellent receiving sensitivity High noise immunity Error detection and correction features Medium access mechanism Adjustable communication frequency Compliance with EMC regulations CENELEC EN50065, FCC Part 15, ICES-006, ARIB Data rate adapted to application requirements Low power consumption Low cost

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.18 No New Wires: Where and How Applications and benefits PLC implementations Specific challenges Typical solutions Market trends Smart grid Standards and technologies

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.19 Power Lines are Everywhere Homes & Buildings Lighting Control Energy Monitoring Dedicated Wires Electric Vehicles Fireworks Systems Distributed Energy PV Solar Panels Wind Turbines Connected Cities Street Lighting Traffic Lights Smart Grid Remote Metering Demand-Response

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.20 Home and Building Automation Automated environments in homes, hotels, offices, commercial buildings Energy savings Greater comfort Safety PLC applications: Lighting control Load shedding Energy monitoring PLC challenges: High density of loads Three-phase or split-phase Solutions: Line filters Phase couplers Repeaters Remote access Appliance Control Devices Wall Keypad Controllers Smart Thermostats Light Control Devices Phase Coupling Unit Remote access

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.21 Distributed Renewable Energy Generation Small-scale power generation provides an alternative and an enhancement of the traditional electric power system Reduced distribution losses Increased security Low pollution PLC applications: Solar panel PV systems Wind turbine systems PLC challenges: DC line: High attenuation from central inverter AC line: Three-phase or split-phase power Solutions: Phase couplers Line filters Inductive coupling

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.22 Connected Cities Cities are more and more concerned to manage public lighting Energy savings Reduced maintenance costs Power measurement PLC applications: Street lighting Tunnel lighting Parking lot lighting Traffic lights PLC challenges: Long distances Low line impedance Solutions: Increased Tx power Signal repeaters

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.23 Advanced Metering Infrastructure Systems that collect, analyze and control energy usage through communication with electricity/gas/water smart meters Increased network efficiency Reduced maintenance costs Improved customer service PLC applications: Remote metering Demand Response Fault/fraud detection PLC challenges: Long distances, transformers High noise levels Low line impedance Split-phase and three-phase Solutions: Signal couplers and repeaters Increased Tx power Transformer bypass

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.24 Charging of Plug-In Electric Vehicles Automotive solution for digital communication between charging stations and electric vehicles Safe energy transfer Customer information Access to energy provider PLC applications: AC charging DC charging V2G / V2H demand PLC challenges: PWM Control Pilot signal Noise Cross-talk Solutions: Adapted coupling circuit Reduced Tx power

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.25 Market Trends: Smart Grid Modernization of generation, distribution and utilization of electrical energy based on bidirectional communication between consumers, devices and utilities Improved network reliability, flexibility and efficiency Mix of wired and wireless communication technologies PLC, RS232/485, Ethernet, RF, ZigBee, GPRS, etc.

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.26 Market Trends: Standards and Technologies The fundamental challenge in the Smart Grid is to ensure balance of generation and demand while integrating a large variety of technologies Co-existence Inter-operability Smart-Energy Profile 2.0 (SEP 2.0) provides a common application layer enabling interoperability between technologies for both wireless and wired communication Development of PLC standardization Formal international standards: IEEE , ITU-T G.hn Industrial alliances specifications: PRIME, G3-PLC, HomePlug Green PHY

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.27 Summary Powerline Communication = No New Wires Narrowband vs. Broadband technologies Challenging conditions Power line environment: noise, attenuation, distortion EMC regulations: frequency bands, output power, emissions Power lines are everywhere Homes and Buildings: Lighting control, Energy monitoring Distributed Renewable Energy Sources: Solar Panels, Wind Turbines Connected Cities: Street/Tunnel/Parking Lot lighting systems Utilities: Remote metering, Demand-Response, AMI Dedicated Wires: Plug-in Electric Cars, RS485/RS232 replacement Market trends Smart Grid: application of digital processing and communications to the power grid Coexistence of various communication solutions – Wired and Wireless – Narrowband and Broadband

© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.28 Questions? Questions?

Renesas Electronics America Inc. © 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.