Efficient Communication of Sensors Monitoring Overhead Transmission Lines

It is foreseen that a future smart grid has to handle more dynamic and distributed electricity supply and consumption. In that case, a robust automation system becomes essential. To monitor the status of the power system, a large amount of sensors are deployed in both the transmission grid and distribution grid. The sensors generate massive amount of data periodically for automation. This paper studies how the data measured on transmission lines can be delivered efficiently to substations. It has been demonstrated that the traditional way of data transmission is not sufficient and direct wireless links should be used to reduce the delay in information delivery. Furthermore, optimal placement of these direct wireless links is studied aiming at minimizing the delay in information delivery. The associated energy consumption in data transmission is also investigated.