Projects
Projects: Projects for Investigator |
||
| Reference Number | ENA_10061243 | |
| Title | CommsConnect | |
| Status | Completed | |
| Energy Categories | Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution) 100%; | |
| Research Types | Applied Research and Development 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 100% | |
| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 100% | |
| Principal Investigator |
Project Contact No email address given UK Power Networks |
|
| Award Type | Network Innovation Allowance | |
| Funding Source | Ofgem | |
| Start Date | 01 April 2023 | |
| End Date | 01 July 2023 | |
| Duration | 3 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £122,376 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Power | |
| Region | London | |
| Programme | ||
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Project Contact , UK Power Networks (100.000%) |
| Industrial Collaborator | Project Contact , UK Power Networks (0.000%) |
|
| Web Site | https://smarter.energynetworks.org/projects/10061243 |
|
| Objectives | ||
| Abstract | "The project addresses Challenge 3, improving energy system resilience and robustness. Communication networks have been designed and provisioned by the electrical utilities themselves and optimised for their needs. Electricity networks require robust and resilient communications systems, with failover and black start resilience a minimum for the most critical infrastructure. Using a single commercial network for power systems would not satisfy the resilience requirements (e.g. current communication systems can be disturbed during a natural event/human error), improving the resilience of such systems would require high levels of investment and increase the carbon footprint. This project will provide communication resilience using combinations of standard commercial networks along with private provision where required, offering cost savings while delivering the same or better Quality of Service (QoS) as existing approaches.The primary focus is to propose innovative adaptations to the design of standard communication networks (including a combination of fibre, cellular, low power wide area radio and satellite networks) to improve power resilience. CommsConnect will look at more efficient ways of providing communication resilience using more standardised network provision. This will improve the grid efficiency by reducing power outages and reducing restoration time.The hybrid public/private approach leveraging existing networks will benefit networks through:Better resilience and fewer network outages;The delivery a reliable network at a fraction of the cost of a private network;Balancing the trade-off between private and public provision to meet service needs, cyber security requirements and company culture;The use of Commercial off-the-shelf technology to reduce costs;Network combinations supporting normal/degraded operations; andOpportunities for feedback benefits to public networks of increased private provision. The team at PNDC provides power and comms experience, with specialisms in 5G, resilience and security. They are currently focussing on next-generation communication frameworks, cyber-attacks, and provides in-depth knowledge of security and privacy in smart grids.UK Power Networks provides several potential use cases and network topologies for validating concepts developed in this project. They contain an experienced contingent of engineers dedicated to the monitoring, management, and development of its telecommunications networks; as well as the required institutional knowledge and experience in maintaining both public and private telecoms networks.The proposed solution will be used by the DNOs as a tool to improve the power network resilience and reduce capital and operational costs. However, the main learning from this project can be also applied in other critical infrastructures such as water and gas." | |
| Publications | (none) |
|
| Final Report | (none) |
|
| Added to Database | 01/11/23 | |
