Draft IEEE standard completes successful first sponsor ballot

Draft IEEE standard completes successful first sponsor ballotIEEE, one of the world’s largest professional organisations advancing technology for humanity, announced the success of the first sponsor ballot for IEEE P1901.2 “Draft Standard for Low-Frequency (less than 500 kHz) Narrowband Power-Line Communications (PLC) for SmartGrid Applications.” Once approved, the standard is intended to specify a new generation of PLC technology for transmission frequencies of less than 500 kHz and addresses a host of existing and emerging smartgrid applications.“With this major step forward, we are now closer to the advent of converged standards that will trigger a gigantic world market for a new breed of power-line communications technology,” said Richard Schomberg, Vice President, Smart-Energy Standards, EDF Group.Comprised of three foundational components — physical/medium access (PHY/MAC) layer, coexistence and electromagnetic-compatibility (EMC) requirements — IEEE P1901.2 supports the balanced, efficient use of the PLC channel by all classes of low-frequency and narrowband devices. The draft standard helps define detailed mechanisms for coexistence among standard technologies operating in the same frequency band.In addition, the draft standard addresses low-frequency, narrowband PLC over low-voltage lines of less than 1,000 V between transformer and meter, through transformer low-voltage to medium-voltage (1,000 V up to 72kV) and through transformer medium-voltage to low-voltage power lines in both urban and in long-distance (multi-kilometer) rural communications. IEEE P1901.2 is also designed to support lighting and solar-panel PLC.