Holistic modelling approach for techno-economic evaluation of ICT infrastructures for smart grids

Current alterations of energy systems bring about increased communication requirements, making the selection of suitable Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions a major issue of Smart Grid implementation. With this paper we set out to present a comprehensive, extendable modelling approach for the communication network of future Smart Grids, which enables estimating the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), associated with installing and operating such an ICT infrastructure. Our framework integrates the following three fundamental components: First off, a traffic model is developed, combining number and distribution of intelligent devices for each Smart Grid use case with their respective traffic requirements. This model serves as a basis for statistical network dimensioning, carried out for different technologies e.g. LTE, Fibre, PLC, which are considered candidates for Smart Grid communication, as well as for mixed deployments of these. Building on these results, TCO are determined for each network configuration. We demonstrate the application of our modelling approach on a typical Smart Grid use case, including urban to rural environments. Our analysis results indicate that finding an appropriate ICT solution for Smart Grid communication heavily depends on given scenario parameters such as traffic requirements and device penetration. Finally, a variety of suitable business models for investing into and operating such communication networks are discussed.