A simulative analysis of the robustness of Smart Grid communication networks

The need for reliable and quick communication in the power grid is growing and becoming very critical. With the Smart Grid initiative, an increasing number of intelligent devices, such as smart meters and new sensors, are being added to the grid. As these new devices are added, the traffic demand on the communication network increases. This can cause issues like longer delay, dropped packets, and equipment failure. The power grid relies on this data to function properly. The power grid will lose reliability and will not be able to provide customers with power without correct and timely data. The current communication network architecture needs to be evaluated and improved. In this paper, a simulator program has been developed to study the communication network. The simulation model is written in C++ and models the components of the network. The simulation results provide insight on how to design the network in order for the system to be robust from failures. We will use the simulation model to evaluate the interdependency between the communication network and the power grid in the future.