A Review of Wireless and Satellite-based M2M Services in Support of Smart Grids

The Smart Grid (SG) is an evolution of the electricity network that integrates the activities of power consumers, power generators, distribution grid, and devices connected to the grid (e.g., substations, transformers.) Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technology is designed for automated data exchange between devices, and thus has applicability to SGs. With M2M technology, organizations track and manage assets; inventories; transportation fleets; oil and gas pipelines; mines; wide-spread infrastructure; natural phenomena such as weather conditions, farm production, forestry condition, and water flows; and, as noted, SGs. Wireless communication is a staple of M2M. These wireless technologies range from unlicensed local (so called ‘fog’) connectivity, to licensed 3G/4G/5G cellular, to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. All of these technologies are relevant to the SG. Utilities have started to gradually support M2M and Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems over satellite links. This article focuses on wireless and satellite-based M2M services, as applicable to the Smart Grid, including the use of Internet of Things (IoT), particularly for the transmission and distribution space (TD some comparisons to wireline solutions are also discussed.