d5 - GreenCom

Transcription

d5 - GreenCom

MyGrid; Energy Efficient and Interoperable
Smart Energy Systems for Local Communities
(FP7 318213)
D5.1 Home Appliance,
Analysis Review Report
Energy Generation
and
Date 28-03-2013
Version 0.5
Published by the GreenCom Consortium
Dissemination Level: [Confidential or Restricted or Public]
Project co-funded by the European Commission within the 7th Framework Programme
Objective ICT-2011.6.1 Smart Energy Grids
Storage
GreenCom
D5.1 Analysis of Greencom TechnoogiesHome Appliance , Energy Generation and Storage Analysis review Report
Document control page
Document file:
Report_V0.5
Document version:
Document owner:
D5.1 Home Appliance , Energy Generation and Storage Analysis Review
Work package:
Task:
Storage Technologies.
Deliverable type:
WP5 – Sensors and Actuators
T5.1 – Analysis of Home Appliance, Distributed generation and Distributed
Document status:
0.5
Liam Moore (The Tyndall National Institute)
[R or P or O] R
approved by the document owner for internal review
approved for submission to the EC
Document history:
Version
Author(s)
Date
Summary of changes made
0.1
0.2
2013-01-08
2013-02-15
Document Created
Added Sensing and Control inputs
2013-03-15
Added E-MIDTS and ISMB contributions
0.4
Liam Moore, Mike Hayes,
Liam Moore, Richard Croyle,
Samuel Bobbino
Liam Moore, Riccardo Tomasi,
Francesco Sottile, Steffen Damm
Hansen
Liam Moore
2013-03-15
0.5
Liam Moore
2013-03-26
Modified to Reviewers comments HAN
Section
Modified to Reviewers Comments DS &DG
Section
Final version submitted to the European
Commission
0.3
Internal review history:
Reviewed by
Date
Summary of comments
Richard Croyle (Sensing and Control)
2013-03-19
Jaroslav Pullman (FIT)
2013-03-26
Francesco Sottile (ISMB)
2013-03-15
Make it clear that holistic view needs to be
clarified in year 2 of the project add in more
information such as in Solar panel section
Add in more information on WSN. Create
Acronym list, Add in more information and
diagrams in some areas (metering in HAN
section for example)
Formatting , Spelling, Structural changes ,
add in more detail in some areas such as
device descriptions
Legal Notice
The information in this document is subject to change without notice.
The Members of the GreenCom Consortium make no warranty of any kind with regard to this
document, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a
particular purpose. The Members of the GreenCom Consortium shall not be held liable for errors
contained herein or direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the
furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
Possible inaccuracies of information are under the responsibility of the project. This report reflects
solely the views of its authors. The European Commission is not liable for any use that may be made of
the information contained therein.
Document version: 0.15
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Submission date: 28-03-2013
GreenCom
Index:
1. Executive summary ............................................................................................................ 6
2. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 7
3. Analysis Objectives ............................................................................................................ 8
4. Wireless Technology Overview ......................................................................................... 9
4.1 Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) Overview..................................................................... 9
4.2 Wireless Mote Summary............................................................................................... 10
4.3 Software Summary ....................................................................................................... 11
TinyOS 12
Contiki 12
Embedded C ................................................................................................................ 12
4.4 Power Options for Wireless Motes. ............................................................................... 12
Mains Powered ............................................................................................................ 12
Battery Powered ........................................................................................................... 12
Energy Harvesting ........................................................................................................ 12
5. Smart Home Appliance Analysis ..................................................................................... 14
5.1 Home Automation Networks (HAN) and Domotics ........................................................ 14
Sensors........................................................................................................................ 14
Actuation / Switches ..................................................................................................... 16
Control Platforms.......................................................................................................... 16
Decision Hubs / Gateways............................................................................................ 16
5.2 HAN Implementations................................................................................................... 17
5.3 Communications Protocols ........................................................................................... 18
HAN RF Standards....................................................................................................... 18
2.4GHz IEEE 802.15.4 Home Automation Protocols ..................................................... 21
Bluetooth...................................................................................................................... 27
802.11 (Wi-Fi) .............................................................................................................. 28
Sub 1GHz Protocols ..................................................................................................... 28
Wired Technologies...................................................................................................... 34
5.4 Smart Appliances ......................................................................................................... 36
Home Energy Hubs and Platforms................................................................................ 43
6. Existing Home Automation / AMR Projects ..................................................................... 47
7. Energy Generation and Storage Wireless monitoring Technologies ............................. 49
7.1 Standards and Roadmaps for smart micro-gird ............................................................. 49
NIST Smart Grid References ........................................................................................ 49
CoAP 50
ETSi /M2M ................................................................................................................... 51
7.2 Wireless Protocols and Technologies ........................................................................... 53
Zigbee Smart Energy.................................................................................................... 54
6LoWPAN and the Smart Grid ...................................................................................... 56
Industrial and commercial protocols .............................................................................. 57
10. Heat Pumps....................................................................................................................... 61
8.1 Heat Pump Monitoring and Control ............................................................................... 61
Heat Pump Monitoring .................................................................................................. 61
Data Sampling suggested requirements. ...................................................................... 62
Heat Pump Control ....................................................................................................... 64
11. Distributed Generation Devices ....................................................................................... 65
9.1 Solar Generation........................................................................................................... 65
Photo Voltaic Panels .................................................................................................... 65
Thermal solar heating ................................................................................................... 67
11.2
Wind Generation ................................................................................................. 67
12. Distributed Storage .......................................................................................................... 69
Batteries ............................................................................................................................. 69
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Thermal Mass ..................................................................................................................... 71
Monitoring and Environmental Considerations .................................................................... 71
Sensors and metering required ........................................................................................... 71
Technologies available ....................................................................................................... 72
Metering ............................................................................................................................. 73
13. Overall Network Topology................................................................................................ 75
11.1 Wireless Considerations.............................................................................................. 76
13.2
Operating Environment and Technologies deployed ............................................ 77
Local CHP - Fur Kraftvarme amba ................................................................................ 79
Wind power .................................................................................................................. 79
Photo Voltaics (PVs)..................................................................................................... 80
Heat Pumps (HPs) ....................................................................................................... 82
Micro Combined Heat and Power ................................................................................. 82
14. Summary and Conclusions .............................................................................................. 84
References .............................................................................................................................. 88
List of Figures and Tables ................................................................................................... 91
Figures ............................................................................................................................... 91
Tables ................................................................................................................................ 91
Appendix A Summary of gateway devices ............................................................................ 93
Appendix B Summary of energy hub platforms .................................................................... 94
Appendix C Summary of NIST Standards ........................................................................... 112
Appendix D:- European Project Summary ........................................................................... 120
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HAN
WSN
WSM
WSAN
HVAC
COTS
EV
RF
AMR
PLC
UDP
TCP
Phy
ADC
CT
IR
QOS
HACP
GW
FFD
RFD
PAN
LAN
WAN
OEM
BTLE
MBus
M2M
CoAP
SEP
COP
SPI
CHP
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Home Automation Network
Wireless Sensor Network
Wireless Sensor Mote
Wireless Sensor Actuator Network
Heat Ventilation Air Conditioning
Commercial off the Shelf
Electric Vehicle
Radio Frequency
Automated Meter Reading
Power Line Communications
User Datagram Protocol
Transmission Control Protocol
Physical
Analogue to Digital Conversion
Current Transformer
Infra-Red
Quality of Service
Home Area Control Platform
Gateway
Full Functional Device
Reduced Functional Device
Personnel Area Network
Local Area Network
Wide Area Network
Original Equipment Manufacturer
Blue Tooth Low Energy
Message Bus
Machine too Machine
Constrained Application Protocol
Smart Energy Profile
Coefficient of Performance
Seasonal Performance Indicator
Combined Heat & Power
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1. Executive summary
This document evaluates all technologies associated with smart home appliances, energy generation and
storage monitoring and control. These technologies will comprise the physical architecture on which the
GreenCom platform will , gather its data from, make decisions about and issues its commands to. In order to
ensure that the GreenCom project is thoroughly relevant and compatible with the emerging smart grid the
platform needs to utilize and work with the existing generation and storage infrastructures that exist and be
compatible with the state of the art in terms of wireless monitoring and control infrastructure to ensure that it
is properly future proofed. This will be especially important to ensure the validity of any results generated as
well as to enable future exploitation of the technology either as a commercial entity or for future research and
development opportunities.
This document starts by looking at general wireless monitoring technologies available in terms of commercial
off the shelf (COTS) sensor motes and COTS wireless transceivers. The document will then focus on the
Smart Home appliances including

Standards

Wireless Technologies used

Wireless Protocols

Appliances and control technologies

Existing work and projects
After examine the topics listed above a picture will have emerged outlining what standards are available and
what wireless technologies exist. Looking at existing products and projects will than enable a decision to be
made on what technology can be used to ensure it is compatible with existing products and also ensure that
it is future proofed.
The next part of the document evaluates energy generation monitoring solutions and will include

Power generation

Solar, wind, heat pumps

Standards

Monitoring solutions
The final section will focus in storage systems

Batteries, Thermal mass

Control and monitoring issues and technologies
Based on the evaluation a wireless technology will be suggested for use within the distributed generation
and storage portion of this project. As well as suggesting a wireless technology this portion will examine
generation and storage mediums suggest key metrics to monitor as well as sensors required to achieve this.
This section will also outline the holistic view of the DS & DG framework from a networking point of view.
The document finishes up with a summary and suggested technologies and wireless architecture which can
be fed into deliverable 5.2 System Specifications.
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2. Introduction
Within the area of micro-gird technology there are three separate class of devices these are
a. Loads (home appliances, Heating)
b. Generation devices (Solar , Wind)
c.
Storage devices (Batteries, EV)
The load is essentially the home environment with regards to a micro-grid, The load consumes energy
through heating and day to day usage of various appliances. In order to completely enable a smart microgrid approach the load has to be fully understood (monitored) and control infrastructure needs to be put in
place. In this report the various home automation technologies are outlined that are currently available. A
review of smart appliance technologies is also given with a focus on the communications standards used
within these technologies and the availability and popularity of each technology. The report will identify the
technologies most commonly used in home load management and automation and will suggest a wireless
technology for use within the GreenCom project. The technology selected will need to be suited to the needs
of the home environment in terms of ease of use, installation procedure and integration. The technology
selected should ideally be supported by a number of off the shelf products especially in the area of inline
actuation and control for domestic appliances. The reason for this is to ensure safety and comfort for the
home users within the GreenCom project (any OTS solution will be CE certified and tested).
The generation devices within a micro-grid are any device that will generate energy that can be used or
stored by the load. The energy supplied can be in the form of electrical power as from electric P.V. and
electric wind turbines or in the form of heat energy that can be supplied from thermal solar collectors. When
energy is produced decisions need to be made on what to do with that energy, this can be directly feed it to
the load, if possible feed it to the main grid or store the energy either locally or in a community storage area
for use later on. In order to make any decisions monitoring of the generation and storage systems needs to
be carried out as well as controlling the directions of power flow.
As mentioned, storage systems provide a manner to ensure that any locally generated energy that is not
immediately consumed may be held over a defined period of time for later usage. Storage systems can
consist of conventional electrical storage such as battery banks or thermal storage systems that stores
energy as heat. Such local storage systems are an emerging technology with several solutions currently
being proposed, or developed. The challenge with integrating storage systems into a micro-grid is in making
decisions on when to store energy or when to feed it to the home or grid. Adding local storage to a
generation source such as batteries to an electrical P.V. installation increases the cost significantly and is
only promoted for areas that generally can suffer frequent blackouts. One option that has potential in this
area and affects any decision making with regards to energy transport and management is the concept of
shared storage where storage is rented by users from a community resource.
This report outlines the type of generators and storage systems encountered by the market research work of
this project work package, the key metrics to measure in these systems and what technologies are available
from a wireless monitoring and control perspective.
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3. Analysis Objectives
Home Automation Network
In this section the objectives of the analysis are to define what comprises a HAN in the framework of the
GreenCom project and will examine the various components and communications mediums that make up a
home automation network. There are a number of standards that are suitable for use with the HAN
application area this report will introduce and compare the various wireless standards for RF
communications suited to the home automation network. Various RF protocols existing using various
standards and this report will outline and compare RF technologies for the home automation network. In
order to determine the most relevant wireless protocols used the report will investigate the existing
commercially available devices for the HAN as well as outlining existing projects in the HAN area their aims
and what technologies they have employed.
Distributed Generation and Distributed Storage
With a micro gird infrastructure there will be a combination of distributed generation devices and distributed
storage systems. Monitoring and controlling these devices requires a reliable and secure infrastructure that
can respond dynamically to varying conditions, and respond reliably to commands from the central decision
making engine.
This analysis will examine possible wireless monitoring and control protocols and technologies that may be
suitable for distributed generation and storage applications and will suggest a possible technology for use
within the GreenCom project.
The analysis will also outline the generation and storage device that are available and will list the key metrics
that should be monitored as well as the sensors that can be used to do this. The report will also look at
typical installations for storage and generation outlining the components that would be used for enabling and
controlling these.
The report finishes with the proposed holistic view of the monitoring network and a summary conclusions
and recommendations sections.
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4. Wireless Technology Overview
This section will give an overview of existing wireless technology out there. Starting with a wireless mote and
software summary which can be used to provide input for any hardware that is developed and specified as
part of the GreenCom framework.
4.1
Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) Overview
A wireless sensor network consists of a number of distributed resource constrained devices that
communicate over a wireless medium in a networked framework. The device applications can be for control
and actuation, parameter monitoring, relaying and routing, coordination / gateway. The overriding aim of any
wireless network is to provide reliable and efficient communications to enable the WSN application (be it
energy monitoring, health monitoring etc….).
The basic building blocks of a wireless sensor network are the wireless sensors motes. These motes are
typically low powered devices with low data rates and low on-board resources, running some application
such as temperature monitoring or controlling a switch. Mote architecture is shown below in Figure 1. As can
be seen a mote consists of an on-board microcontroller which acts as the brains of the device. This can
interface with a single / number of sensors or actuators and has a wireless transceiver for communications to
the network.
Figure 1 Wireless 802.15.4 mote architecture
Wireless sensor networks are typically self-organising, with the ability to manage enrolment, message
routing and security.
Wireless sensor networks can be arranged in various topologies, these include simple point to point, star,
tree and mesh configurations. Figure 2 below outlines these.
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Figure 2 Network Topologies
Peer to peer is a simple communications interface between two devices. A star topology builds on this
allowing communications between one central device and a number of other motes (end devices). The Tree
builds on the star topology allowing central devices (routers or coordinators) to communicate with each other
and respective end devices. Mesh networking allows all devices to communicate with each other. Star and
tree topologies have issues with single point of failure if any of the routers go out of operation entire sections
of the network can be disabled. The advantages of star and tree configurations are in terms of power
management and simplified routing. End devices don’t need to listen and can sleep for long periods of time
wake up and send messages. The routers are (for the most part) always on to be able to respond messages
and forward these on to other routers or coordinator motes. Full mesh networks on the other hand are the
most reliable as they have no single point of failure if a mote goes down messages can be routed around via
other motes. They do suffer issues with power management and synchronization of devices is critical to
ensure messages aren’t lost due to sleeping motes.
4.2
Wireless Mote Summary
A number of generic wireless research motes exist that are commercially available. These motes are flexible
enough for a range of applications and can be used in application areas where no dedicated smart device
exists (for example measuring pipe temperatures in Heat pumps)
Table 1 below compares currently available “turn-key” wireless sensor node platforms that exist there
frequencies and architectures.
Table 1 Off-the Shelf Mote Summary
Platform
Size (mm)
W X L XH
Telos B
32 X 65 X 6.6
Mica
32 X 57 X 6.3
Freq
2.4
2.4
Transceiver
Microcontroller
Memory
cc2420
MSP430F1611:- 8MHz 16bit
RAM: 10K
Flash: 48K
Atmel Atmega:- 8Mhz 8bit
RAM: 4K
Flash:
128K
cc1000
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Sun Spot
Shimmer
2 X 44 X 12.7
2.4
32 X 57 X 6.3
2.4
RAM: 10K
Flash: 48K
cc2429
Atmel Atmega:- 8Mhz 8bit
RAM: 4K
Flash:
128K
RAM:
512K
Flash: 4M
cc2420
IRIS
64 X 38 X 25
2.4
AT86RF230
Atmet AT91RM9200:- 180MHz
16bit
EXRF2480
29 X 80 X 14
2.4
cc2500
MSP430F2247:- 16Mhz 16bit
RAM: 1K
Flash: 32K
Wismote
45 X 65 X 10
2.4
cc2520
MSP430F5437:- 16Mhz
RAM 16K
Flash
256K
Epic
24 X 24 X 2.5
2.4
cc2420
RAM: 10K
Flash: 48K
Tiny node
548
30 X 21.5 X 3
868915
Semtech
XE1205
RAM: 10K
Flash: 48K
Lotus
76 x 34 x 7
2.4
RF231
Cortex® M3 32-bit:- 100Mhz
RAM: 64K
Flash:
512K
Micro pelt
37 X 71 X 44
2.4
cc2500
MSP430F2274:- 16Mhz 16bit
RAM: 1K
Flash: 32K
2.4
cc2420
/cc2520
MSP430F5437:-16Mhz
RAM 16K
Flash
256K
Tyndall
Mote
25 X 25 X Var
This table gives an indication of what the specification for a wireless mote used in Greencom may consist of.
4.3
Software Summary
Typically wireless sensor motes are programmed using the C programming language or a variation of it.
Assembly language can still be used especially in timing critical applications. There are embedded operating
systems that are designed to run on small systems such as WSN’s. The advantages of using an operating
system over pure embedded C is that an operating system provides a level of abstraction over the
underlying hardware layer , negating the need to write some standard drivers and offering a structured
environment for coding. The operating systems can come with some features built in such as protocol
stacks, and event management.
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TinyOS
TinyOS (David Gay et al, 2007)is an open source, BSD-licensed operating system designed for low-power
wireless devices, such as those used in sensor networks, ubiquitous computing, personal area networks,
smart buildings, and smart meters. TinyOS uses a variation of C called NesC as its programming language
which is optimised for the memory constrained sensor motes. Programs are built out of software components
connected to each other using interfaces. TinyOS is also built around a lightweight event scheduler where
all program execution is performed in tasks that run to completion. After linking, modifying the system is not
possible TinyOS provides abstractionism for common components such as packet compiling , routing and
sensing. TinyOS comes with the blip low power wireless stack for communications. Blip is a 6LowPan variant
operating over IPV6.
Contiki
Contiki (A. Dunkels, 2004) is another operating system operating within the WSN space. Like TinyOS
Contiki operates an open source, BSD-licensed operating and is specifically for the area of wireless sensor
motes. Contiki operates an event driven kernel. Applications run on top of this and are dynamically loaded
and un-loaded at run time. Contiki processes use proto-threads that provide a thread like programming style
on top of the event driven kernel. Traditional C language is used to program in Contiki. In order to provide
run-time reprogramming for TinyOS, Levis and Culler have developed Maté, a virtual machine for TinyOS
devices. Code for the virtual machine can be downloaded into the system at run-time. The virtual machine is
specifically designed for the needs of typical sensor network applications. The advantages of using a virtual
machine instead of native machine code is that the virtual machine code can be made smaller, thus reducing
the energy consumption of transporting the code over the network. One of the drawbacks is the increased
energy spent in interpreting the code for long running programs the energy saved during the transport of the
binary code is instead spent in the overhead of executing the code. Contiki also comes with an IPV6 stack
over 802.15.4 as an option and can use UDP or TCP/IP as the protocol structure.
Embedded C
An Operating system does not necessarily have to be used and it may be desirable to forego the overhead
associated with running an embedded system. In this case embedded C with a protocol stack and
application run directly on the mote.
4.4
Power Options for Wireless Motes.
Mains Powered
The ideal solution for powering a wireless sensor network is mains power. A constant power source enables
the wireless device to be in an always on state , as well as allowing greater range and data throughput. The
practicalities of this depend on the operational environment. For example within the home environment it is
conceivable that at least part of the network can be powered by mains. For a Zigbee network this is nearly
essential to ensure correct operation of the coordinator mote.
Battery Powered
Battery power is the most common method of powering wireless sensor motes today. The advantages of
battery is that it makes individual motes flexible in terms of placement and if the wireless technology is
chosen appropriately life times of up to 3-5 years can be achieved. 802.15.4 is designed for battery operated
systems.
The drawbacks are a reduced duty cycle to achieve long life times, limits what can be monitored (better for
slow changing events like environmental temperature) as well as the maintenance overhead of battery
changes in large WSN deployments.
Energy Harvesting
Energy harvesting is beginning to be looked seriously as a way of permanently powering wireless sensor
motes. The major obvious advantage being the fact that it removes the overhead with maintenance and
battery changes. Protocols such as EnOcean are built specifically for energy scavenging wireless sensor
networks. Energy sources for energy scavenging can be
 Light (indoor / outdoor)
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



Temperature differential
Vibration
Ambient RF
Flow
The source used depends on the application and the available sources. The most energy rich source tends
to be light with a range of solar panel options available the solar panel chemistry selected should be
optimised for either indoor or outdoor
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5. Smart Home Appliance Analysis
This section of the report aims to introduce home automation networks with an overview of their structure. It
then looks at relevant wireless standards to the home automation market. An overview of available wireless
technologies is presented and the section finishes with an outline of existing networkable smart appliances
and what technologies they use.
5.1
Home Automation Networks (HAN) and Domotics
The area of Home automation also known as Domotics is a field within building automation which focuses
specifically in the area of private homes and the automation of specific tasks and services for the goal of

Increasing comfort

Increasing safety

Increasing security

Increasing energy efficiency
HAN Components
The home automation network is the infrastructure used to carry out automation of the home environment. A
home automation network is made up typically of six major system components. These are
1. Sensors
2. Actuators
3. Control platforms
4. Decision hub
5. The network communications interface
6. The GW communications interface
Sensors
Sensors are used to monitor key metrics with regards to home automation. A typical list of sensors is shown
below in Table 2 (General Sensors only not including heat pumps / specialist equipment such as pool
heating etc...). These metrics can be used in the control strategy for the HAN or used to determine the effect
any control strategy has such as monitoring reductions in electricity usage. The complete sensor selection
and specification for the purposes of the GreenCom project will be in deliverable D5.2 (M8). Below are
indicators of what to expect.
Metric
Table 2 Key Sensors Required for HAN
Sensor Type (Phy)
Purpose
Temperature
RTD, Thermocouple, IR,
Digital
Temperature sensors are
used to measure indoor
and outdoor temperature.
The values measured can
be used as set points for
the heating system as well
as determine degree days.
Electricity
Current sensor (Clamp,
Coil, CT, Shunt),
Determine the electrical
consumption of a building
or individual device. In
some homes existing
electrical meters can be
Voltage Measurement
(Bridge –ADC)
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Existing installed meters
(Over RS485, RS232,
SPI etc...)
integrated with or for
individual devices plug
meters can be used.
Pulse
Gas
Flow meter (paddle,
Ultra Sonic). Existing
meters typically pulse
counting or serial
communications
interface to relay
information to a
datalogger. (the flow
meter counts gas flow
and a pulse is generated
for every Xmeters
cubed)
Determine the Gas
consumed by a building,
typically utility company
enables, upgrades existing
meter for remote
monitoring.
Light
Light Dependent
Resistor, Photodiode
Determine light levels for
both indoor and outdoor.
Can be used as the metric
for controlling indoor/
outdoor lighting.
Humidity
Capacitive, Resistive
Can be used as a metric in
Heating Ventilation Air
Conditioning systems.
Carbon Dioxide
NDIR, Chemical
CO2 can be used as
indication for air quality
and performance of HVAC
systems (QOS) also can
be used for determining
occupancy and adjusting
HVAC accordingly to
number of people present.
Occupancy Sensor
Optical, Acoustical
Can be used for
determining on/off of
lighting HVAC and
appliances
Water
Acoustic / Flow
Used to determine home
consumption of water
Table 3 Sensor Typical Values
Property
Temperature
Current
Voltage
Electricity Meter
Humidity
CO2
Wind
Type
RTD (Piping)
Thermocouple
(piping)
Digital (room air)
Clamp/Coil
Probe
CT /Voltage
Capacitive
Electrochemical
Paddle/Acoustic
Light
LDR
Range
-200 – +500C
-180-+5000C
Accuracy
+/- 0.15
+/- 1C
-40-+125C
0 – 1000A
0 – XKV
0-XKW
0-100% RH
0-1500ppm
0-160MPH /
359 degrees
0 – 100Klux
+/- 0.33
+/- 1.5% – 8%
+/- 1%
+/- 2%
+/- 3%
+/- 5%
+/- 1m/s
+/- 5degrees
+/- 1%
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Gas
Water
Acoustic / Flow
Acoustic / Paddle
N/A
N/A
1 pulse = Xm3
1 pulse = Xm3
Actuation / Switches
This element of the HAN is carried out by dedicated switching elements within the network. The most basic
form of control defined within the HAN is on/off functionality. This is incorporated into smart plugs, load
controllers and lighting switches. The physical device may be mechanical or solid state actuators which sit inline with the live or neutral wire on the power supply to the device being controlled. The actuator is controlled
via a voltage signal from an embedded microcontroller. Dimming controllers are also possible with
embedded systems to set light levels between 0 – 100%.
For complicated control strategies such as setting washing cycles on a washing machine, the functionality
needs to be built into the appliance. Some white good systems may come with control interfaces such as
KNX or Modbus. Hacking into existing systems to retro-fit this control may be possible but is expensive and
time consuming and will void warranties.
Control Platforms
The control platform is the device connected to the system that is being monitored / controlled by the home
automation network. This device may be wireless or wired but in the context of a home automation network it
takes its control instructions from a remote central management unit. Control platforms can be generic
wireless motes such as TelosB or Micas or can be dedicated HAN controllers embedded into devices in the
home or add on modules such as smart plugs.
Figure 3 Left Mica Mote, Right Smart Plug
For the GreenCom project control platforms are not going to require a large amount of resources as they will
only be required to have enough capability to run the wireless stack with a basic sense/ actuation application
running on top. Low power operation for battery life will be required. Deliverable D5.2.1 (M8) will define the
specifications for the home area control platform (HACP).
Decision Hubs / Gateways
Within the home automation network the decision hub is where automation and control decisions are made
and commands are issued from, to the rest of the HAN. The decision HUB can run locally on a PC or device
within the home or can be held remotely as a cloud based application. The gateway device is the device that
acts as the medium between the deployed home automation technology and the decision hub. Gateways
can be a PC or laptop, or some sort of embedded computer such as an ARM based fan-less computer.
Using a PC or laptop may not be the most efficient method as these are typically expensive devices and
need to be always on.
The resources required by the gateway in terms of

Connectivity

Processor power
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
Memory

Power consumed

Storage

Cost
Depend on how the GW is going to be configured within the home automation network. In GreenCom and
according to the requirements, the GW is going to be a device that sends data to and receives commands
from a cloud based service. The GW will also have some limited control software running locally and a
middleware platform (e.g. LinkSmart (M. Eishenhaur, 2009), as well as local storage for times when internet
access may be down.
In terms of connectivity the requirements are going to be internet connection (Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and GPRS).
With the requirements to run middleware and control software locally this precludes low speed processors
such as 8/16bit micros and will require a 32bit architecture with the ability to run some form of 32bit OS
(Linux or windows) with a processor speed in the order of MHz-GHz. Similarly RAM requirements are going
to be in the order of Mega to Giga bits. The amount of storage required for times without internet connectivity
depend on user requirements for minimum downtime and average expected data in that time.
Cost and power consumed should be kept as low as possible and the form factor of the device should also
be un-obtrusive as this will be in people’s homes. Appendix A compares available embedded computers in
this area. Deliverable D5.2.1 (M8) will define the specifications for the gateway.
5.2
HAN Implementations
The HAN implementation models have several options, these are:

Smart Meter Controlled Model

Internal Controller model

Gateway / External Controlled Model
Figure 2 shows an overview picture of a HAN following a gateway external control model. The difference
between this and the internal controller model is there is no backhaul network, and if it was smart meter
controlled the meter would be the gateway with a backhaul connection to the service provider.
Figure 4 HAN Overview
With the smart meter controlled network the smart meter acts as the central hub for the deployed wireless
system. The smart meter will have some sort of home area/automation network communications technology
built-in such as a low powered RF connection or PLC. Devices deployed in the home will report back to the
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smart meter and the meter acts as the data hub for the home sending the gathered data back to the utility
provider via GSM or long distance GSM.
Internal controlled HANs do not have an external connection to the outside world. An internal controller is
used to control the automation network. Data can be viewed via an in home display (Dedicated console / PC)
and control strategies and decisions are programmed / implemented through the same device.
The gateway / external controlled model use a dedicated gateway device (embedded PC / laptop etc...) as
the connection to the external world. The gateway also has a HAN communications interface to deployed
devices. Data is reported to a web based service and rules / decisions can be fed to the HAN via the
gateway device. Within the GreenCom project the model is primarily going to focus on external controlled
approach.
5.3
Communications Protocols
The communications medium between the different components of the HAN presents its own challenges to
the development of a successful home automation strategy. A number of wireless and wired technologies
exist that can be used for HAN systems. With regards to the home environment the two technologies that are
most commonly used are RF communications and power-line communications thanks to the easily retro fitable nature of the technologies not requiring additional wiring or infrastructure.
HAN RF Standards
RF communications within a HAN are typically carried out over low power radio links. Typical RF
requirements for HANs are low power, low data rate, networking support. Deliverable D5.2.1 (M8) will define
the final protocol used within the HAN.
This sections summarizes the main IEEE wireless sensor standards of interest
 802.15.4 (low rate wireless networks)
 802.15.4a
 802.15.1 (Bluetooth)
 802.11 (Wi-Fi)
IEEE 802.15.4
802.15.4 (IEEE Standards Organisation 2006) specifies the physical and MAC layers for low data rate
wireless personnel area networks. The 802.15.4 targets applications that focus on long lived deployments
where applications may work off a battery based power supply for months if not years. Numerous
specifications are based on this standard including ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, WirelessHart and MiWi.
The 802.15.4 standard covers three frequency bands with a total of 27 channels. One channel is available at
868MHz, ten channels between 902 to 928MHz, with a 2MHz separation and 16 channels available between
2.4 – 2.485 GHz with a 5 MHz separation between channels. A maximum range of 100m is available,
typically depending on power output. The 2.4GHz channels use a QPSK modulation with a maximum data
rate of 250kbs. The 868/902 MHz channels have a data rate of 20Kbs\40Kbs and use a BPSK modulation
scheme. 802.15.4 devices can be broken down into two networking categories these are Full Function
Device (FFD) and Reduced Function Device (RFD). An FFD provides the full 802.15.4 set of MAC services.
A mote set up as an FFD can act as a network coordinator and can communicate with any other mote
directly on the network. An RFD has a reduced MAC service set with reduced memory and can only act as
an end device on the network.
The 802.15.4 standard supports two networking topologies these are a star topology and a peer – peer or
mesh topology. With the star topology there is a central network coordinator mote through which all other
motes will communicate. Peer to peer is a more flexible topology where motes on the network can
communicate directly with each other creating a self-healing mesh network. The 802.15.4 MAC layer can
operate in two modes: Non Beacon Enabled mode using un-slotted CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple
Access/Contention Avoidance) or Beacon Enabled mode using Slotted CSMA/CA with or without
Guaranteed Time Slots (GTSs). The latter case using un-slotted CSMA/CA operates as follows: each time a
device needs to access the radio channel, it waits for a random back off period, at the end of which, it
senses the channel. If the channel is found to be idle, then the device transmits the data; otherwise, it waits
for another random period before trying to access the channel again. With beacon enabled mode the
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network coordinator can assign guaranteed time slots to devices with specific bandwidth requirements. The
network coordinator achieves this through the issuing of a super frame structure which is made up of three
parts:
1) The inactive part
2) A contention access period (CAP)
3) A contention-free period (CFP)
The inactive part is used for saving energy (nodes can switch off during this phase) or for exploiting
multihops. During the CAP period CSMA/CD algorithm is used. This works the same as in the non-beacon
enabled mode. The radio listens before it sends, if the radio is busy it backs off for a period of time(back-off
period) aligned with the superframe slot boundaries of the coordinator; therefore, the beginning of the first
back-off period of each node is aligned with the beginning of the beacon transmission. Moreover, all
transmissions may start on the boundary of a back-off period. During the contention free period the
coordinator can assign up to 7 guaranteed time slots for motes with specific bandwidth requirements.
IEEE 802.15.4a
This is a subset of the 802.15.4 (IEEE Standards Organisation 2007) standards which focuses on new
physical layers for accurate ranging and location. This standard offers two different physical layers. One
based on Impulse Radio Ultra Wideband (IR-UWB) and the other on chirp signals. The IR-UWB signal is
based across three frequency bands. A sub 1GHz band centred on 499.2MHz a low band between 3-5GHz
and a high band 6-10GHz. Table 4 below shows these channel assignments to these bands.
Channel
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Table 4 UWB Channel Assignments
Channel Centre Frequency
Bandwidth
499.2
499.2
3494.4
499.2
3993.6
499.2
4492.8
499.2
3993.6
1331.2
6489.6
499.2
6988.8
499.2
6489.6
1081.6
7488.0
499.2
7987.2
499.2
8486.4
499.2
7987.2
499.2
8985.6
499.2
9484.8
499.2
9984.0
499.2
9484.8
1355
A device is not required to support all these channels but three mandatory channels should be supported;
these are 0, 3 and 9. UWB as defined here uses an impulse based radio approach. Each symbol transmitted
is associated with a sequence of pulses called bursts. Different rates can be obtained by varying the number
of pulses in a burst. Data bits are mapped using a combination of Pulse Position Modulation (PPM) and
Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM). Data rates of up to 27Mbs are achievable with this method. Chirp on the
other hand works in the 2.4GHz band (for worldwide compatibly reasons). Some regions to this date have no
provision for UWB, and due to its out of band transmission mechanism is banned. Chirp works on 124
channels with 5MHz spacing. The bit rate is limited to 1Mbs. The MAC layer of this standard is the same as
802.15.4 above but with one difference. Instead of CSMA/CD access method it uses an ALOHA strategy.
This differed from CSMA\CD as it doesn’t listen before sending. If a collision occurs a resend is attempted at
a later time.
IEEE 802.15.1
The 802.15.1 (IEEE Standards Organisation 2003) system (forming the basis of the Bluetooth standard) was
designed to act as a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) with the aim of replacing wired devices
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connected to a PC or mobile device. The operating characteristics of this standard are between the 802.11
standard and the 802.15.4 standard. 802.15.1 physically is characterized as an ad-hoc network with up to 8
devices connected with data rates of up to 1Mbs. Range is typically 10 meters or less with the option of
going up to 100M for higher class devices.
802.15.1 devices are divided into three classes depending on their output power
Class 1: maximum output power of 20 dBm
Power control is mandatory for class 1 devices, and optional for others. Power control can effectively reduce
the power consumption, which is critical for many portable devices. Power control can also minimize the
interference to other devices.
The power is controlled by Link Management Protocol (LMP) layer. 802.15.1 devices can create small pico
and scatter nets where one device acts as the master and can communicate with up to 7 slave devices.
Multiple piconets can combine into multihop scatternets. Communications on the piconet level is carried out
over a single hop between master and slave. Slaves cannot communicate directly and 802.15.1 defines a
Time Division Duplexing (TDD) scheme. Time is divided into slots of 625us. The master communicates with
the slave on the odd numbered slots and slaves send their response on the even numbered slots. Each
packet may consume 1, 3, or 5 slots. After each packet, the piconet hops to a different channel; the next
channel's frequency is determined using a pseudo-random number generator.
IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.11 defines a set of standards for wireless local area network operating in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5GHz
range. A device that can use the 802.11 standard (such as a personal computer, video game console,
Smartphone, tablet, or digital audio player) can connect to a network resource such as the Internet via a
wireless network Access Point (AP). Such an AP (or hotspot) has a range of about 20 meters indoors.
Depending on the version 802.11 standard used, different bit rates are available.
Table 5 802.11 Variant Characteristics
Variant
Data Rate
Range
Modulation
a
54Mbit/s
30 meters
OFDM
b
11Mbit/s
30 meters
DSSS
g
54Mbit/s
30 meters
OFDM/DSSS
n
150Mbit/s
50 meters
OFDM
The frequency band used is divided into channels, with a total of 13 channels spaced 5 MHz apart.
Availability of channels is allocated by country.
802.11 defines frame types for use in transmission of data as well as for management and control of the
network links. All frames have a MAC header a Frame Check Sequence (FCS) and there is an optional
payload. The first bytes on the MAC header are the frame type identifier specifying the form and function of
the frame. For a full list of frames and message types reference (IEEE Standards Organisation 2011).
Summary of Standards
Table 6 below shows a comparison of the standards discussed.
Standard
Modulation
802.15.4
DSSSPSSSCSSQPSKDPSKGFSK-ASK
PPM-PAM
802.15.4a
Table 6 Summary of Standards
Frequency Power
Data rate
O/P
(max)
(max)
779-787
30dbm
250kbs
MHz 868- (America)
915MHz / 20dbm
2.4GHz
(Europe)
See Table
1
N?A
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27Mbs
Topologies
Application
areas
Star/Mesh
Low
power
sensing
and
control across
all areas
Star/Mesh
Location
and
tracking as well
GreenCom
802.15.1
FHSSGFSK
2.4GHz
20dbm
3Mbs
Piconet/adhoc
802.15.1-V4(BTLE)
FHSSGFSK
See Table
3
2.4GHz
5dbm
1Mbs
Peer-peer /
star
2.4-5GHz
30dbm
See table
3
802.11
as
data
communications
Media
streaming
/
wireless
peripherals
/
Automotive
/medical
applications
Medical / active
RFID
Wireless
Networking
The most established standards to date are 802.15.1, 802.11 and 802.15.4. These standards are aimed at
very different application areas. 802.11 is aimed at high speed data transfers such as media and internet
streaming. 802.15.4 is at the other end of the spectrum aimed at low duty cycle low data rate applications
such as sensors and remote monitoring. 802.15.1 is in between the two aiming at moderate data rates and
power consumption in areas such as wireless peripheral connections. The emerging standards are trying to
address new application areas, such as health and industrial monitoring and have yet to be established and
widely adopted.
2.4GHz IEEE 802.15.4 Home Automation Protocols
This section looks at a range of 2.4GHz communication protocols that are currently used within the home
area environment that are based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard.
ZigBee (ZigBee Alliance, 2007)
Freq
ZigBee
868/915/2.4G
Hz
Topology
Security
Market
Phy
Mesh
AES128
Home/Commercial/
Metering
802.15.4
Stack
Size
Up to
100K
Range (LOS)
100M
Uses the 802.15.4 standard as the basis for its PHY and MAC layers but adds additional capabilities.
These are defined in various profiles, some of the profiles of interest to this study are
ZigBee Pro (HA) Home Automation
ZigBee Pro (SE) Smart Energy for commercial applications, Smart Metering
ZigBee Pro (SE2) Amongst other things add TCP/IP connectivity with IPv6
Advantages / Disadvantages
Free to use*, large presence in the current HA market place. Number of off the shelf systems available
ranging from Transceivers to OEM - Smart Appliances. New profiles are helping to overcome
interoperability issues.
Higher power consumption compared to some other protocols, Can still have interoperability issues due
to custom device creation, up to 120K stack.
Market Presence
Significant
*Free to use for R&D purposes If developed into commercial product membership to the ZigBee Alliance
is required
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The ZigBee Alliance consists of a number of companies that develop and maintain the ZigBee Standard. The
ZigBee protocol is based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. ZigBee is a low cost low duty cycle protocol that
can be operated from battery power over a long period of time. ZigBee networks can consist of three
different device types.
ZigBee Coordinator: every ZigBee network requires a coordinator. This device has the responsibility of
creating and managing the network. The coordinator stores information about the network grants access to
the network and manages the security of the network.
ZigBee Router: routers can act as an end device carrying out some application such as monitoring some
parameter or actuation. They also act as intermediate devices passing on messages from other motes
operating within the network.
ZigBee End Device: these are the most basic motes of a ZigBee network. They have enough functionality to
communicate with the coordinator mote and can run some applications as well. They cannot relay
messages.
The ZigBee Specification is broken down into two different implementations with different feature sets these
are ZigBee and ZigBee PRO. ZigBee is typically used for smaller networks up to a couple of hundred of
motes while ZigBee PRO adds additional features and allows extended networks up to thousands of motes.
Table 7 below outlines the two specification features; ZigBee PRO is by far the more popular of two with
developers.
Table 7 ZigBee V ZigBee PRO
PHY and MAC
Routing
Addressing
Security
ZigBee
802.15.4
AODV
Tree
AES-128
ZigBee PRO
802.15.4
AODV, many to one
Stochastic
Link Keys etc...
One of the early issues with ZigBee was that while ZigBee was a standard this didn’t translate to
interoperability between related ZigBee devices due to a closed proprietary command structure employed by
various manufacturers. As a result one ZigBee device from one manufacturer was not guaranteed to work
with a ZigBee device from another manufacturer. ZigBee has addressed this issue by creating a number of
public application profiles. These profiles are:
 ZigBee Building automation (for commercial buildings)
 ZigBee Remote Control
 ZigBee Smart Energy (Metering, thermostats etc...)
 ZigBee Health Care (Health and fitness monitoring)
 ZigBee Home Automation (Smart homes)
 ZigBee Input device (touch pads etc...)
 ZigBee Light Link (LED Control)
 ZigBee Retail Services (Smart shopping)
 ZigBee Telecom Services (Value added services)
The application profile allows WSN devices from multiple manufactures to operate together in the same
network. The application profile provides a design framework for a specific market sector by defining a set of
devices that can be used together within that particular market segment. Each device is in essence a
software entity which encompasses a set of property and functions. An application profile will outline the
definition for data supported and the operations that can be carried out by the application running on the
device. These definitions are divided into attributes and clusters.
Attributes: They make up the data entity itself such as temperature or power.
Clusters: Combines related attributes with commands and is further split into two sections; these are Server
and Client. Server clusters store the attributes then receives the commands to manipulate stored data. For
example a command may be sent to query the data for temperature and the temperature then sent back.
Client output clusters sends commands to server and can manipulate server attributes as well as receive
server responses.
Common clusters across all ZigBee profiles are put into the ZigBee cluster library; these include clusters for
synchronization and time. Each application profile then has its own application specific cluster library and
these are described under their relevant sections below.
The profiles that relate to the subject matter being discussed here are ZigBee Home Automation and ZigBee
Smart Energy. These will be discussed specifically in their associated sections. ZigBee is well supported by
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a number of vendors, companies such as Texas Instruments, Digi, Ember and Freescale all support this
protocol.
The ZigBee model is shown below in Figure 5.
Figure 5 ZigBee Model
ZigBee Home Automation (ZigBee Alliance, 2010)
ZigBee home automation is a profile for controlling and monitoring appliances within the home environment.
The clusters attributes and devices defined reflect this.
General Cluster
Basic
ID
Alarm
Time
Commissioning
Power Config
HA Cluster
Temperature measurement
On/Off
Level Control
Thermostat
Fan Control
Metering
Devices
Actuators
Dimming Switches
Thermostats
HVAC
ZigBee HA profile is focused on networks from 2-500 motes with a sporadic operational profile with long
periods of ideal time (devices sleep most of the time until a user interaction causes an event).
ZigBee HA is created with non-technical end users in mind with the following goals
 Interoperability between all manufactures using ZigBee HA
 “Easy” set-up and maintenance of a HA network
 Easy retrofitting and installation
ZigBee HA Commissioning
ZigBee HA follows the standard network layout as defined in the ZigBee PRO and the 802.15.4 standard.
Where there is one coordinator device that creates, maintains and controls the network. Numerous enddevices that can be bound to physical systems and parameters’ (temperature sensors, light switches etc...)
and the network can be extended via router devices (which can also act as end devices).
There are three commissioning modes for ZigBee HA networks, these are:
 A-Mode (automatic mode) where devices are commissioned automatically into the network with no
user interaction
 E-Mode (easy mode) where devices are en-rolled into a network with minimum interaction (for
example a button press or additional remote control)
 S-Mode (system mode) requires external tools to en-roll devices (more suitable for large commercial
installations or where security is of higher priority)
From the HAN perspective the commissioning needs to be self explanatory and user friendly for the
technology to be utilized. In that situation A-mode and E-Mode are the preferred options. But care has to be
taken that neighbouring HAN devices are not en-rolled into a network and vice-versa. Binding of devices also
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needs to be taken into consideration for example binding and on/off switch to a light actuator, see the ZigBee
HA documentation under section C2.1.
OEM Devices
While there is a significant range of ZigBee HA devices available off the shelf (OTS), there may be
parameters to be monitored or controlled that is not covered by an OTS solution. In this case a custom
solution may be required. There are a number of silicon providers that provide everything from
ZigBee/802.15.4 compatible transceivers up to integrated solutions that combine the transceiver with an onboard MCU running the ZigBee Stack with HA profile. Some of these manufacturers include, Texas
Instruments, Telegesis, Digi International and Amber.
6LoWPAN
6LoWPAN
Freq
2.4GHz
Topology
Star/Mesh?
Security
AES128
Market
R&D
Phy
802.15.4
Range
Linked to
protocol
Defined in IETF RFC4944 (The IETF Trust, 2007)
This is unlike the other protocols in that 6LoWPAN is essentially an adaption layer between 802.15.4 and
IPv6 packets. Therefore it is possible to have an implementation of 802.15.4 that can utilise TCP/IP and UDP
in the transport network layers.
To date there has not been much commercial up take with this technology with most of its use being in
Universities and Research. But that is set to change with emerging application standards such as ZigBee
SEP2.0 incorporating IPV6 addressing.
The use of IPV6 addressing allows the use of HTTP mechanisms for addressing motes allowing an internet
of things approach to WSN development along with the use of JSON formatting and TCP UDP data transfer.
Not a lot of penetration at the moment, still very much in the research domain and as such not entirely
proven technology
Market Presence
A number of OEM manufactures are developing 6LoWPAN chipsets with in built wireless stacks, actual
uptake to date from the commercial sector has been limited and is currently used in research. For future
applications high potential.
6LoWPAN is an acronym for IPV6 over low power Wireless personnel area networks. 6LoWPAN is an IETF
draft standard that defines how IPv6 frames can be carried over the 802.15.4 compatible radios. 6LoWPAN
itself is not a wireless protocol but a header compression scheme for IPv6 addresses. Using 6LoWPAN data
transfer mechanisms such as UDP and TCP-IP can be carried out on small resource constrained wireless
sensor motes.
6LoWPAN is an adaptation layer that can be included into the traditional OSI model as shown below in
Figure 6.
Figure 6 6LoWPAN in OSI
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Due to the addition of this extra layer, it allows 6LoWPAN to be used or integrated with existing protocols
such as ZigBee.
6LoWPAN: JENNET-IP
JenNet IP is a wireless protocol offered by NXP. It is an IP based protocol utilizing IPV6 over 6LoWPAN and
also boasts a very small footprint (man 22K). It can form self healing mesh networks comprising up to 500
motes. It is focused on home and building automation and their integration into smart cities via an internet of
things approach. All end devices are essentially owned by NXP limiting its scope.
6LoWPAN Standardization
IETF
The 6LoWPAN standards are maintaned and provided to the public free of charge by the IETF at the
following address: http://datatracker.ietf.org/wg/6LoWPAN/
IPSO
The IPSO acronym stands for IP for Smart Objects [10]. The IPSO Alliance is an open group of member
companies that are working together to market and educate about using IP as the protocol for sensor and
control networks (generically defined as "smart objects"). The Alliance is a global non-profit
organization serving the various communities seeking to establish the Internet Protocol as the
network for the connection of Smart Objects by providing coordinated marketing efforts available to
the general public. Their purpose is to provide a foundation for industry growth through building stronger
relationships, fostering awareness, providing education, promoting the industry, generating research, and
creating a better understanding of IP and its role in connecting Smart Objects.
The main goals of the IPSO Alliance are the following:

Promote IP as the premier solution for access and communication for Smart Objects.

Promote the use of IP in Smart Objects by developing and publishing white papers and case
studies and providing updates on standards progress from associations like IETF among others
and through other supporting marketing activities. Understand the industries and markets
where Smart Objects can have an effective role in growth when connected using the Internet
Protocol.

Organize interoperability tests that will allow members and interested parties to show that
products and services using IP for Smart Objects can work together and meet industry standards
for communication.

Support IETF and other standards development organizations in the development of standards for
IP for Smart Objects.
It should be noted that the objective of the Alliance is not to define technologies, but to document the
use of IP-based technologies defined at the standard organizations such as IETF with focus on support
by the Alliance of various use cases.
The IPSO Alliance does not aim to define new protocols, as stated before. They will be working with
International Standards Organizations such as the IETF, ISA, IEC and IEEE and will document and
utilize the standards developed by them, such as IEEE 802.15.4 and 6LoWPAN. The use of IP in sensor
and control networks and with Smart Objects will greatly simplify the development, deployment and
maintenance of new applications, by providing a known programming and networking paradigm, a large
number of existing protocols, existing tools both for development and for diagnostics.
The IPSO alliance, based on these International standards, will provide use cases, tutorials, demonstrations
promoting the use of these and other open standard protocols. Additionally many of the members of the
Alliance participate in the IETF and other standards groups and will work within those groups to track
standards efforts for IPSO member companies and to provide a voice from member companies to those
standards efforts.
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Mi-Wi
MiWi
Freq
Topology
Security
Market
Phy
2.4GHz /
868MHz
Star/Mesh
128bit AES
Process/Commercial/Home
802.15.4
Range
(LOS)
100
A proprietary protocol developed by Microchip. The current version is MiWi 3.2 (Microchip Corporation, 2010)
which has a smaller footprint than ZigBee. There are two versions MiWi P2P and MiWi Mesh.
There is a beta release of MiWi 4.1 that adds amongst other things time synchronisation for improved power
consumption and 64 hop capability.
Small stack, simplified networking layer.
Proprietary / requires microchip processors / no market presence
Market Presence
Not clear, it does not look significant
Mi-Wi is a proprietary offering from the vendor microchip, which aims to offer a less complicated wireless
protocol stack than the more complex standards out there such as ZigBee. Mi-Wi like ZigBee utilizes the
802.15.4 physical and MAC layers and combines this with a much simpler networking layer to reduce the
stack size. It supports both peer-to-peer and star topologies with no routing mechanism (the network is
defined by the radio range). It uses all device classifications outlined in 802.15.4 (FFD and RFD). One major
drawback with Mi-Wi outside of the proprietary nature of the protocol is that it is linked to microchip only
MCU’s limiting the extent to which this can be deployed and utilized. Mi-Wi has not made any penetration
into the smart appliance market and its future is uncertain.
A3
A3
Freq
Topology
Security
Market
Phy
2.4GHz
Star/Mesh
AES128
Metering
802.15.4
Range
(LOS)
100
A proprietary Mesh protocol from Spinwave that sits on 802.15.4. This uses 3 axis of agility (thus the name)
to avoid interference, namely temporal, spatial and density.
Temporal is dynamically selecting channels with the minimum of interference (not the same as FHSS) by
monitoring all 16 channels and selecting the best 4.
Spatial is similar to a cellular idea where the frequency footprint covers a specific predetermined area.
Density is simply putting in additional routers in areas where data traffic is high.
Other highlights are efficient mesh algorithms, special link test transmissions to determine optimum
pathways
This is a time synchronised system which means mesh networking is possible with long sleep times as all
devices on the network are synched to wake at the same time.
Dynamic path adaptation as described above. Not a home automation technology primarily metering
Market Presence
More than 30,000 devices have been used by several hundred different customers in a wide variety of
applications, including: Demand Response, Energy Efficiency, Data Centre Monitoring, Energy Use
Monitoring, Food and Drug Temperature Monitoring, Energy Management, Soil and Crop Temperature
Monitoring, Energy Auditing,
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A3: wireless sensor network for harsh RF environments, integrates with virtually any building automation
system or monitoring application through open protocols and direct I/O. Using a patent-pending frequencyhopping technology, A3 networks automatically adapt to interference for maximum reliability.
A3 products include wireless pulse counters for sub-metering, temperature, humidity, and voltage sensors,
along with a complete line of gateways for interfacing devices with virtually any open protocol automation
system (BACnet, LON, Modbus).
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Freq
Topology
Security
Market
Phy
2.4GHz
Piconet
AES128
Home / Remote control
802.15.4
Range
(LOS)
10 100M
Bluetooth is based on the 802.15.1 transmission standard and comes as standard Bluetooth and Bluetooth
low Energy (BTLE). BTLE hopes to compete with low power protocols such as ZigBee but the application
space it wishes to compete in is uncertain although home automation looks likely
Compatible with standard Bluetooth which creates a wealth of devices that it is interoperable with.
Not much penetration into HA Specifically
Market Presence
Millions of Bluetooth enabled devices such as phones, laptops and tablets, Penetration in the area of HAN
specifically has been limited
Based on the IEEE 802.15.1 standard, Bluetooth is a transmission standard for data communications over
short distances. The Bluetooth special interest group manages the standard. Bluetooth is emerging in a
number of application areas including automotive and medical systems. The main problem with the standard
is the lack of a sleep mode. This means Bluetooth is not suitable for long term resource constrained
applications. The SIG have developed an add on standard to address this known as Bluetooth low energy
(BTLE).
Bluetooth low energy is a competing protocol to existing technologies such as ZigBee where the aim is for
low power low data rate communications. Bluetooth low energy achieves this not by changing the physical
radio but by modifications to the existing Bluetooth protocol. A comparison of Bluetooth and BTLE is shown
below in Table 8.
Table 8 Comparing Bluetooth to Bluetooth low energy
Specification
Bluetooth
BTLE
Distance
100M
50M
Latency
100ms
6ms
Data rate
3Mbs
1Mbs
Topology
Scatternet
Star-bus
Peak current consumption
50mA
20mA
BTLE is being touted as a solution for a number of application areas including healthcare (personnel area
networks) security and home automation. That said, penetration into any of these areas is non-existent as at
it stands.
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802.11 (Wi-Fi)
802.11b/g/n
Freq
2.4GHz
Topology
Mesh
Security
Market
Home/Commercial/Metering
Phy
802.11
Range(LOS)
30M
Within the 802.11 spec there is some latitude with regard to the implementation. WiFi as its traditionally
known is optimised for data throughput. However it can be optimised for power consumption. Gainspan has
developed a SoC with this low power optimisation which is used by a number of companies. One of the
optimisations being the speeding up of the wakeup time.
The protocol is TCP/IP ready and can utilise existing 802.11 networks.
Power hungry, not necessarily suited to low power operation. Large complicated stack.
Market Presence
802.11 is being used and sold in the Market place today Aginova being one example.
Wi-Fi is defined as any wireless local area network technology that is based on the 802.11 standards. The
Wi-Fi alliance ensures product interoperability through an independent certification process which is one of
the essential components for successful update of technology. Wi-Fi also has a wide array of existing
compatible infrastructure and more and more residential habitats are using Wi-Fi for internet connection. WiFi typically has a high power requirement although low power versions from companies such as ST, are
coming to the market but transmit and receive powers can still be several times higher than 802.15.4
equivalents, which makes Wi-Fi unsuitable for battery powered sensor motes.
Wi-Fi is a potential option for connecting the HAN GW to the internet services, this approach requires a Wi-Fi
internet connection to be available.
Sub 1GHz Protocols
EnOcean
EnOcean
Freq
315/868
Topology
Star
Security
Proprietary
Market
Home/Commercial
Phy
ASK
Developed by EnOcean GmbH, this protocol has been adopted by a large amount of companies within
the EnOcean alliance that claims over 700 products produced by over 170 partners in the home and
commercial building management market. This protocol has synergies with EIB/KNX, Lon, ModBus and
TCP/IP.
Wireless platform that is optimised for self powering by energy harvesting, with better than average
sleep current of less than 1uA. It is a proprietary protocol to develop with and use requires signing up to
and paying the EnOcean Alliance. Technical issues also with reliability as well as the number of
gateways required for large installations.
Market Presence
Appears to have been adopted by many system solution providers. EnOcean claim over to have
installations in over 150,000 buildings. A report by Research and Markets in July 2008 forecast sales of
$1.4B for 2013 (these figures seem optimistic). Wavenis, Z-Wave and ZigBee were seen as the main
competitors. The EnOcean wireless standard was ratified as the international standard ISO/IEC 145433-10,
EnOcean (Anders A, 2011) is a low power wireless technology which uses energy harvesting to create
battery less wireless sensor nodes and networks. The technology operates in the 868MHz and 315MHz
range and to date the main application is in building automation. EnOcean uses environmental differentials
to generate power for the motes. The power sources can range from mechanical force (in their light switch
motes) to indoor lighting.
EnOcean runs at 315/868Mhz and uses a star topology with an ASK modulation pattern. Each data frame is
kept small to 14bytes and only 1’s are sent over the air to further reduce energy usage. The EnOcean
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wireless standard was ratified as the international standard ISO/IEC 14543-3-10 (ISO/IEC 14543-3-10,
2010).
Z-Wave
Z-Wave
Freq
Topology
Security
Market
Phy
868
Mesh
Proprietary
Home/Commercial
ASK
Range
(LOS)
100-200M
Z-Wave alliance uses a proprietary protocol developed by Zensys. All Z-Wave devices are interoperable.
Advantages Disadvantages
Due to the proprietary nature of the protocol, interoperability is guaranteed between devices.
Proprietary protocol requires licence fees to be paid to Z-Wave.
Market Presence
Significant
Z-Wave (http://www.z-wavealliance.org/) is a wireless home protocol focused on the area of home
automation. The Z-wave alliance is built around a proprietary wireless protocol developed by a Danish
company Zensys. Within a Z-wave network you have two types of devices. These are controller devices and
slaves. The controllers are responsible for network management, they can initiate transmissions, are aware
of the network topology and control provisioning. There is one primary controller per network, which contains
the routing table as well as the control of provisioning. The other controllers in the network derive their
information from this controller. The slave devices can act as routers with a limited knowledge of the network
but apart from that they cannot initiate transmissions and are purely reactive devices.
The Z-wave protocol operates in the 868/900Mhz (European / American ISM band). The data rate is 40Kbs
with an FSK modulation.
The protocol supports acknowledgements and retransmissions with four frame types supported, these are:
acknowledgements, broadcasts, unicast and multicast. A CSMA approach is used. A message is sent from
the sender and it waits for an acknowledgement from the addressed device for a time period t. If no
acknowledgement is received in this time period, a resend of the original message is carried out. The
sending device will attempt this three times. If at the end of the third attempt there is still no
acknowledgement received, the sending device will give up and report a message send failure to the master
controller and the user.
Z-wave supports mesh network and uses Dynamic Source Routing to as its routing algorithm. This is similar
to the AODV approach used by ZigBee with the difference being that the source specifies the path taken by
the data packet.
Z-Wave mesh networks can begin with a single controllable device and a controller. Additional devices can
be added at any time, as can multiple controllers, including traditional hand-held controllers, key-fob
controllers, wall-switch controllers and PC applications designed for management and control of a Z-Wave
network.
Z-wave Network set-up and commissioning
A device must be "included" to the Z-Wave network before it can be controlled via Z-Wave. This process
(also known as "pairing" and "adding") is usually achieved by pressing a sequence of buttons on the
controller and the device being added to the network. This sequence only needs to be performed once, after
which the device is always recognized by the controller. Devices can be removed from the Z-Wave network
by a similar process of button strokes.
This inclusion process is repeated for each device in the system. Because the controller is learning the
signal strength between the devices during the inclusion process, the devices themselves should be in their
intended final location before they are added to the system. However, once a device has been introduced
into a network, it can become troublesome to remove the unit without actually having the functional unit
present.
A number of Z-Wave users have complained that a Z-Wave controller can be functionally destroyed by the
bulb that it controls blowing and any controlling units then report errors every time a command that would
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affect that unit is sent, i.e., group commands / scene commands / all-on / all-off, etc. The only way to restore
the service to a non-error reporting state is to factory reset all controllers and then relearn all Z-Wave
devices.
OEM Devices
Where Z-wave differentiates from its closest RF rival ZigBee is that Z-wave is a proprietary protocol stack
that requires developers to pay to develop applications. This proprietary nature also extends to the radio
chipsets manufactured for Z-wave applications where there is ultimately a single chipset manufacturer
(Sigma Designs), although recently Mitsumi have started developing Z-wave radios. Bare bone radio
chipsets are sold in large quantities and developers than purchase system on chip solutions with embedded
microcontrollers to develop their OEM applications which can limit flexibility in development.
ONE-NET
One-Net
Freq
868
Topology
Star / peerpeer/
multihop
Security
Market
Home
Phy
FSK
Range (LOS)
200
One-Net is an Open source protocol for home automation. Originally developed by Threshold in the US. It
operates over 868 / 905Mhz and designed specifically for battery operated equipment.
Claimed Selling Points
Completely open source supported by a number of chip manufacturers
Market Presence
Non-existent, some Renaissance development kits never a likely competitor to ZigBee and Z-Wave for the
home automation market used by hobbyists.
ONE-NET (http://one-net.info/) is an open source protocol aimed at the home automation market and
originally developed and released by Threshold in the United States. It is designed for low power low cost
battery operated equipment within the home environment. It is compatible with a number of low cost wireless
transceivers available from a number of manufactures (TI, FreeScale, Analog Devices). ONE-NET operates
in the 868/915MHz frequency band and employs an FSK modulation scheme. ONE-NET features a dynamic
data rate protocol with a base data rate of 38.4 kbit/s. The specification allows per-node dynamic data rate
configuration for data rates up to 230 kbit/s ONE-NET does not support mesh topologies and instead
focuses on peer-to-peer and star network topologies. ONE-NET uses Extended Tiny Encryption Algorithm for
security.
A ONE-NET network is centred around a master mote device. This mote is responsible for en-rolling new
devices into the network handing out network Ids to new device and encryption keys. It also sets up peer-topeer communications by binding devices and can act as a router for messages. ONE-NET devices use a
CSMA channel access mechanism with exponential back off to avoid collisions.
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KNX-RF
KNX-RF
Freq
Topology
Security
Market
Phy
868
TBD
None
Home/
Metering/Commercial
FSK
Range
(LOS)
Not listed
Developed by the KNX association that has over 200 members. KNX has wired and wireless (KNX-RF)
versions. This is published as a standard via ISO/IEC/CENELEC/ANSI and should guarantee interoperability
between manufacturers products. The radio technology itself appears to be unremarkable employing a
Listen Before Talk system to avoid collisions. The protocol is energy efficient with modules quoting better
than average sleep, average Rx and Tx current consumption. This protocol has synergies with Wireless
MBus and other KNX standards (including IP).
KNX-RF radio use “off the shelf” IC’s for the MCU and RF.
Better than average sleep current, and synergies with Wireless M-Bus and other KNX standards.
Market Presence
There is a presence in the market with two module manufacturers and a few system solution suppliers
(including Siemens) marketing products. The market penetration is more towards large buildings but is
moving towards home automation.
KNX is a standardized network protocol for building automation. KNX defines several communications
mediums, these are twisted pair, powerline, Radio, IR and Ethernet. KNX-RF communicated over 868MHz
with an FSK modulation format, CSMA/CA is used at the MAC level. Developed by the KNX association that
has over 200 members. KNX has wired and wireless (KNX-RF) versions. This is published as a standard via
ISO/IEC/CENELEC/ANSI and should guarantee interoperability between manufacturers products.
EverBlu
EverBlu
Freq
Topology
Security
Market
Phy
868
TBD
None
Home/
Metering/Commercial
FSK
Range
(LOS)
Not listed
Used in AMR systems which boosts long range mesh capabilities. Combines mesh networking with a remote
connectivity such as GPRS.
Long Range mesh network. Primarily a metering protocol
Market presence
Making some headway into the metering market 1 million devices world wide.
EverBlu is an Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) system based on wireless mesh point-to-multipoint
communication infrastructure. It is an ultra-low-power (bi-power), bi-frequency, long-range (300m),
wireless mesh technology.
The LAN layer of EverBlu is coming from the former Radian protocol [20], designed 10 years ago by a
European user association (EDF, GDF, Severn Trent Water, Aquametro, Itron, Schlumberger, Sontex
and Viterra).
EverBlu endpoints can be read in dual mode either using EverBlu fixed network or walk-by collection
system compatible with Radian protocol.
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EverBlu is suitable for multi-energy applications involving water, gas electricity and heat metering. As it is
a long-range mesh radio network, it is convenient for urban, suburban or rural environments. EverBlu
endpoints can be read in dual mode either using EverBlu fixed network or walk-by collection system
compatible with Radian protocol.
About 1 million radio modules for water, gas and heat meters based on Radian protocol have been installed
worldwide. These meters have been installed all around the world (except North America), with major
installations in France, UK, Italy, Australia...
EverBlu is a combination of a radio mesh network combined with a WAN communication infrastructure
(e.g. GPRS). Using one gateway for up to 1200 endpoints limits the infrastructure investment and
significantly reduces the operation costs related with communication fees over GPRS.
Insteon
Insteon
Freq
Topology
Security
Market
Phy
904 / PLC
MESH
AES-128
Home/
Metering/Commercial
QPSK
Range
(LOS)
150
Dual-band home automation / building control standard. Uses powerline communications at 131KHz for PLC
and 904 for the RF. The system uses a hop count mesh networking approach and combines dedicated PLC
motes / dedicated RF motes with hybrid modules to make the cross-over.
Advantages / disadvantages
Better reliability than RF / PLC alone and backward compatible with X10.
Currently not available for European Market.
Market Presence
The current market penetration is relatively significant with a number of INSTEON device available mainly in
the U.S.
Insteon is a dual band powerline and RF home automation protocol which is based upon and compatible
with X10 presented in section 0.
Insteon RF operates at 904Mhz with an FSK modulation format and operates over PLC at 131KHz with a
BSK modulation format. It can operate peer-to-peer, mesh and un-supervised networking modes. Unlike
ZigBee and other 802.15.4 protocols, every device within an Insteon network are repeaters. There is no
master controller or logging software for the Insteon network. Insteon devices can be power line only / RF
only or RF-Power line dual devices. Insteon devices do not use routing tables, a simple hop count method is
used to send messages through a network with a maximum number of hops of 3.
Dash 7
DASH 7
Freq
433
Topology
Star
Security
AES128
Market
Commercial /
Home /
Metering
Phy
FSK/GFSK
Range (LOS)
1-2KM
Dash7 Alliance 50 members
A system using the ISO/IEC 18000-7 standard for active RFID, maximum RF bit rate 200kb/s, 2 second
worst case latency. IPv6 support, real time location within 4Meters, multihop.
Location based services, ticketing, mobile advertising, building automation.
Enjoys support from the big IC manufacturers Texas Instruments, ST Microelectronics, Melexis, Semtech
and Analog Devices. Despite this there appear to be only 3 companies with certified Dash7 products
according to the web-site.
Due to the use of 433MHz may give an advantage in buildings. Reports to have lower power requirements
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compared to ZigBee.
No real penetration in this area.
Market Presence
At the time of review none were found in the Commercial market arena.
Dash 7 is a technology that has been born out of the Active RFID market. Initially as an attempt to unite
differing Active RFID protocols behind one standard, it is now reaching into markets traditionally dominated
by other WSN technologies.
Dash 7 operates at 433MHz and therefore achieves long transmission range when compared to 802.15.4
2.4GHz based WSN systems and Dash markets itself from the point of view that not many repeaters are
needed to from a network (reducing system costs.)
Operating at 433MHz allows for low power draw and multi-year battery life is claimed.
Mode 1 is the current existing system, but this only uses one cannel in the 433MHz band, is therefore prone
to interference and cannot complete bi-directional communication between tags.
Mode 2 is currently under development. It has an upgraded MAC and PHY, will allow for multiple channels
and support tag to tag communication, thereby opening up BEM/HAN. It is also targeting IPv6 support and
high data encryption, in this manner it also has the potential to support smart metering applications.
Wireless MBUS
Wireless
MBUS
Freq
868
Topology
Mesh
Security
Proprietary
Market
Home/Commercial
Phy
ASK
Range LOS
1-2Km
Wireless M-BUS is an asynchronous protocol that provides group communication between components. It is
a European standards for AMR applications and operates in the 868 MHz frequency but also 169MHz.
Based on internet technologies completely standardized enabling interoperability. AMR applications
targeted.
Market Presence
Significant in AMR companies such as ITRON / ELESTER embracing this as an option for their meters.
Message Bus (Mbus) is an asynchronous, message-oriented coordination protocol that is based on Internet
technologies and provides group communication between application components. Wireless M-Bus is a
new European standard for remote reading of consumption meters (water, gas electricity and heat) as
well as for various sensors and actuators. With its standardization for remote readout of meters this
technology is of great importance for the energy industry as relevant users.
The standardization of the Wireless M-bus results in further technical possibilities. In particular
devices of different manufacturers can be operated on the same technology; the users are free therefore in
the choice of the manufacturer. On the other hand, a stimulation of the market can be expected, also
regarding other M-bus based counters, so that with the very variable configuration options even difficult
problems can be solved.
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Wireless M-Bus is a technology based on the EN standard (EN13757-4:2005). It operates in the ISM
868MHz band in point-to-point mode, with single-channel operation and a basic FSK modulation scheme.
One channel is dedicated to the downlink (master-to-slave) and another is dedicated to the uplink (slave-tomaster). Two different data rates of 100kcps or 32kcps have been setup, depending on channel operation and
operating modes: T1 (1-way communications, T2 (2-way communications), S (full time reception).
Wireless M-Bus does not feature spread spectrum techniques (no robustness against interferers and low
capability of coexistence), without wireless relay (range extender), and in addition, neither self-configuring nor
self-healing for smart, flexible, reliable and efficient management over many years operation, such as that
required for covering entire cities.
Wired Technologies
Powerline Communications (Versus Wireless)
PLC communications uses the power wiring of the house to transport data from distributed devices plugged
into the home power network.
PLC communications at an initial glance looks quite attractive. No extra wiring is required, most homes have
a number of access points via wall sockets and high speeds can be achieved for data transfer.
PLC is generally not considered the best medium for carrying data generally as PLC was never specifically
designed for data transfer mechanisms.
Problems with PLC include noise on the line, impedance issues with the line leading to attenuation, issues
with surge protectors blocking signals and the impact of house hold appliances can all effect network
performance. Also “signal leak” can also be a problem where the signal travels outside the area of use and
impacts on neighbouring power networks (Yousuf M, 2007), (Chunduru, V , 2006).
From the perspective of wired versus wireless systems for this project PLC technology is not recommended.
While wireless also has its limitations including interference issues and reliability these issues are easier to
surmount if they arise in a field deployment. For example if its discovered that the protocol in question is
suffering due to interference from a local source solutions to overcome this can involve simply adding more
wireless repeaters or changing the communications frequency or channel. If issues arise during a PLC
installation, the fact of being tied to the local houses power supply will restrict work around solutions. Adding
more repeater devices is not practical (especially if the issue is linked to impedance of power lines) and
changing frequency is not an option. With that in mind there is a brief overview of some wired protocols
below and hybrid protocols have been included under the RF section (Insteon, RF-KNX) to give an overview
of how these technologies work and that they are a possibility for the HAN application area.
X10
X10 uses power line wiring as its primary communications mechanism. But a wireless radio based transport
protocol is also defined. X10 was the first general purpose protocol for home automation developed. X10 can
integrate with the wiring configuration within a home and send digital signals along this. Information is
encoded in a 120KHz carrier and data is sent in bursts during Zero crossings of the AC power waveform.
One bit is transmitted at each Zero crossing. Data packets are sent as an address and a command from a
central controller to a controlled device. Power transformers and multiphase systems act as blocking
components to the digital signal and need to be bridged using passive capacitors or X10 repeaters.
Inductive filters are used to block X10 signals from leaving the home and contaminating neighbouring X10
systems that may be deployed. The protocol consists of a 4-bit local code a 4-bit device code and 4-bit
command. When the network is being set-up each device is required to have the same local code each
device needs to be assigned an individual address (0-256).
The X10 radio protocol uses 433MHz and transmits packages in a similar manner to the line
communications. The radio protocol exists to interface X10 with systems such as alarms and lighting and
X10 controllers (human interface).
X10 Limitations
X10 hardware use solid state switches which can pass very small amounts of leakage current. This can
cause flicker issues with fluorescent bulbs and not all devices (especially low power devices < 50W) can
operate correctly with a solid state interface.
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X10 has received numerous complaints over the years due to low impedance shorts caused by large loads
(ovens, microwaves) as well as power supplies in computers. This low impedance shorts pass X10 signals
from live to neutral effectively killing all communications within the circuit.
Spurious on/off commands can also be issued via nearby wireless systems (television, mobile phones) and
as a result the impact and quality of service is affected. Further issues are to do with the speed of data
transmission due to the nature of zero crossing communications. Also messages get lost through collisions
and interference and there is no security implement within X10.
LonWorks
Lonworks introduced by Echelon Co. in the mid-nineties, is a general-purpose and peer-to-peer control
network that is widely deployed in intelligent building and industrial supervision, mainly supporting a range of
communication media including twisted pair, coaxial cable, fibre, Infrared/ (RF) and P. The core technology
of Lonworks is the Neuron chip that encapsulates three microcontrollers dealing with the embedded LonTalk
protocol, each of the three microcontrollers takes responsibility for functions within the OSI model. Normally,
each control point called node in Lonworks-based networks consists of a sensor/actuator, Neuron chip with a
unique 48-bit ID as well as a transceiver attached to the physical medium. With a 3-layer addressing pattern
(domain, subnet and node) and programmable nodes. The technology has enjoyed remarkable take up
within the manufacturing and commercial sector the cost of the technology has acted as a barrier to its
implementation within the home environment. BacNet (ISO/IEC 14908-1:2012) is a competing protocol to
LonWorks and while BacNEt can be used in the home it is more likely to be found in larger commercial
buildings.
HomePlug (Homeplug Alliance,2010)
Home plug is standardized under the IEEE 1901 (IEEE 1901, 2010) for high speed communications over
powerline. Homeplug attempts to overcome the issues of attenuation and noise by employing an OFDM
modulation scheme as well as adaptive bit loading. Adaptive bit loading enables each subcarrier to be
modulated in order to achieve the highest possible data rate that can be supported by the carrier’s channel
Adaptive bit loading enables every subcarrier in the OFDM signal to carry as much data as possible for the
given line conditions. The drawback to adaptive bit loading requires that the transmitter knows what the
signal strength is prior to sending the data packet. This is achieved by sending sounding packets periodically
to enable transmitters to build up a knowledge of the expected carrier signal strengths, these are known as
tone maps. The tone map describes the signal strength for each carrier with the OFDM signal (1155 in total).
Each Homeplug device needs to maintain a tone map for every other device in the network with a total
number of tone-maps – N-1. This adds an extra layer of complexity to the devices but speeds of up to
200Mbs are achievable within this approach.
Homeplug uses CSMA as its channel access scheme with support for TDMA as well. The network is
controlled by a central co-ordinator that periodically sends synchronization packets to ensure each device is
synched to the AC line.
Home plug Green is intended for the application area of smart grids including: Monitor and control devices
via low speed, low cost powerline communications; Smart Energy: demand response, load control, energy
efficiency; Home/Building Automation. The speed and complexity of HomePlug AV is not required for smart
grid applications where typically only small data packets will be transferred between devices. HomePlug
Green modifies the original Homeplug AV standard (while still ensuring interoperability) to something more
suitable for the Smart grid environment.
The main difference between HomePlug and HomePlug Green is the peak data rate is vastly reduced for the
smart grid application. This is due to the fact that such high data rates are not required for Smart Grid / Home
Automation applications. The data rate for HomePlug green is 10Mbps. HomePlug Green also does not
employ adaptive bit loading and does not support TDMA in its MAC layer further reducing the complexity of
the devices.
Home plug is generally considered more reliable than the earlier X10 but can suffer the problems associated
with PLC as outlined above.
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5.4
Smart Appliances
A Smart Appliance is any device that is electrically powered and has the ability to receive / send and react to
messages from a third party source and adapt its behaviour in accordance with commands sent.
Appliances can be inherently smart (i.e. the communications and intelligence can be built into them such as
smart washing machines / dishwasher) or can be made smart with the addition of external components such
as smart plugs load controllers and switches.
External Components
There are a number of retrofittable wireless home automation devices commercially available. The main
technologies available are

ZigBee (HA/SE)

Z-Wave

EnOcean

Insteon (not suitable for European market at this time)
Table 9 below gives an overview of the devices available and estimated cost range.
Table 9 List of device types and protocols supported
Device
Function
Plug Actuators
On/OFF
Metering
Thermostat
Temperature
measurement
Control
Metering On/Off
Load Control Actuators
HVAC
Light Control
Dimming,Switches
Level Control / On/off
Temperature / Humidity
Temperature
measurements / Humidity
Measurements
Measures domestic light
levels
Light Sensors
PIR
Measures motion
Radiator Control Valves
Controls flow to a
radiator
Monitors consumption to
the entire house
Electric Metering
Protocols
Supported
ZigBee
/
Z-wave
/Insteon / EnOcean /
Wi-fi
Zigee
/
Z-Wave
/Insteon / Wifi
Costs €
ZigBee / Z-wave /
EnOcean / Insteon
ZigBee / Z-wave /
EnOcean / Insteon
/Wi-fi
ZigBee / Z-wave /
EnOcean / Insteon
/Wi-fi
ZigBee / Z-wave /
EnOcean / Insteon
/Wi-fi
ZigBee / Z-wave /
EnOcean / Insteon
/Wi-fi
Z-Wave / ZigBee
150 - 250
ZigBee / Z-wave /
EnOcean / Insteon
/Wi-fi
100-300
60 - 130
200 - 500
50 - 200
50 - 150
30 - 60
30 - 60
150 – 200
The next section will compare these devices with comparisons from different manufacturers. The list is not
exhaustive as the protocols listed (ZigBee, Z-Wave, EnOcean) have a large number of suppliers for most
device types and below is to give an indication of what is available and compare costs and specifications
(where information is available). Insteon has been excluded as the frequency of operation currently clashes
with GSM in the European market.
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Smart Meters
Finding the electricity / gas / water consumption of an entire home requires the use of metering devices such
as electric meters on the main inlets into the home. These devices monitor and report on the total
consumption of the home load. Smart meters can be purchased from companies such as Elster and Itron
that have wireless technology embedded or existing meters can be modified with add on modules that can
monitor the meter outputs and report this wireless via some sort of protocol.
Table 10 Smart Meters
Company
Protocol
Cost (approx) [€]
Info
Range /
Accuracy
(Typical across
devices)
Smartenit
Zigbee HA/SE
€150
Add on module for
electric meters
+/-2%
Kampstrump
Z-wave
€189
Electric meter
+/-2%
Wi-CT
EnOcean
€120
Current Clamp
+/-2%
Plug Actuators
These devices are wireless plug actuators where the device to be controlled is plugged into the plug actuator
and the actuator then plugged into the wall. These device generally offer metering and remote on/off
capabilities.
Figure 7 Smart Plug ZigBee HA from HAI
These plug actuator devices are available across a range of protocols and can generally act as routing
devices as well for the wireless networks they support. They typically operate on 110V – 350VAC with a
maximum load rating of anything between 3 – 18 Amps. Table Table 11 below gives an indication of what is
available, what protocols are supported and rough guide to costing (it is not a complete list but more
indicative of what is out there).
Company
Protocol
Table 11 Plug device overview
Cost (approx) [€]
Info
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Range /
Accuracy
(Typical across
devices)
GreenCom
Plogg
ZigBee Pro
Smartinet
ZBMPlug15
ZigBee HA
50-65 per plug
Ploggs aren’t
ZigBee HA Other
two are.
Up to 15A
Dimmer Versions
also available
Up to 12A
En-Ocean plug
devices
Up to 13A
HAI
Duwi
Z-Wave
45-70
Merten
Seemless sensing
En-Ocean
50-100
Ecologix
Maintrionic
1 – 3.6KW with
accuracy of 12%
1 – 2.8KW
accuracy of 12%
1-3.6KW
(no accuracy
quoted)
Thermostat
Figure 8 ZigBee HA Thermostat
The thermostat is used to monitor temperature in a zone or room and maintain a set temperature. The
thermostat will send commands to switch on and off the heating to achieve this.
The wireless thermostats also come with a range of protocol options. They are generally compatible with a
range of HVAC systems offering services such as







Graphical LCD
Heating and cooling setpoint display
System mode (Off, Auto, Heat, Cool)
Fan mode display and control (Auto, High, Med, Low)
On-screen setup of HVAC type, fan type, changeover type for HP systems, F/C
mode and sensor calibration
Temperature
Humidity (in some models)
Table 12 Thermostat device overview
Company
Protocol
Cost (approx) [€]
Info
Range /
Accuracy
HAI (OMNISTAT)
ZigBee HA
250-400
Can also act as
network coordinators
as well as connected
to a PC
No details on
range or
accuracy
RCS Thermostats
Z-Wave
150-400
-9 to +127
IllUMRA
En-Ocean
Not available
0 – 40C
Ecobee
0.4C
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Load Control Actuators
These devices can be used to monitor and control electrical loads that may either have a higher power rating
than the plug actuators can handle or do not have a suitable plug interface. They are wired in line with the
electrical device to be monitored and controlled and are typically available from the more home automation
specific protocols (ZigBee, Z-wave, Insteon). They operate in the 110-350VAC range with loads up to 60
amps.
Figure 9 Load Control Actuator Z-wave
Table 13 Load Control Actuators Comparisons
Company
Protocol
Cost (approx) [€]
Range / Accuracy
HAI
ZigBee HA
100-200
Up to 30Amp loads
Z-wave
50-150
Up to 10Amps
Smartinit
Computime
Aeonlabs
Zwaeomes
Light Control Dimming Switch
Dimmer switches control light levels and can adjust levels between fully on (100% ) and off (0%).These
levels can be adjusted based on ambient light or timing. They can be manually controlled at the physical
device or controlled remotely via the wireless network. They integrate into lighting systems the same way as
traditional dimming switches.
Table 14 Dimmer Switch Analysis
Cost (approx) [€]
Company
Protocol
Centralite
ZigBee HA
100-150
Z-wave
70 -100
EnOcean
80-120
Info
Smart Enit
LG Electronics
GE 40506
Leviathon
Duwi
Illumra E3XD01FPleviathon WSD0101
Self Powerd
Temperature / Humidity
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These sensors can be used to monitor indoor conditions and these values can be used to feed back to
control strategies for heating and ventilation. These sensors can be integrated with the thermostats or
purchased as stand-alone devices. Ranges from 0 -100% relative humidity.
Table 15 Temperature / Humidity Sensor comparisons
Company
Protocol
Cost (approx) [€]
Range Accuracy
Smartinet ZBHT
ZigBee HA
50
-10 to + 50C +/- 0.5
10-90% RH
NETVOX-Z712 (outdoor
temperature sensor)
ZigBee HA
RCS TS3
Z-Wave
80
-20 to +60C +/- 0.5
10 – 90% RH
40
-9 to +125C +/- 0.5C
10 – 90% RH
Everyspring ST814
Z-wave
60
-4 to +122 +/- 0.5C
10-90% RH
EnOcean STM-330
EnOcean
45
-20 to +60 +/- 0.5C
(solar powered sensor)
EnOcean HSM 300
EnOcean
50
0 -100% RH
Light Sensors
Light sensors for feedback for lighting control systems can send automatic messages in some cases to
paired light switches to turn on / off or adjust dimming based light switches.
Table 16 Light Sensor Comparisons
Company / part
Protocol
Cost (approx) [€]
Info
Develeco
ZigBee HA
100-150
12 meter range
integrated light sensor to
1Klux
Z-wave
50-120
12 meter range
1Klux
EnOcean
100-150
1Klux
HAI
Aeon Labs
EZMotion
Home Seer
Leviathon WSCPW
PIR
Motion sensing can be used for alarm systems as well as occupancy. Motion sensing can be used as a
control metric for all systems within the home environment. For example if no one is sensed to be home shit
down commands to all non essential equipment can be sent.
Table 17 Occupancy Sensor Comparisons
Company / part
Protocol
Cost (approx) [€]
Info
Develeco
ZigBee HA
100-150
12 meter range
1Klux
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Everspring / HSP02
Z-wave
53
PIR Detector 12 meter
detection range
Illumra E3T-M04-SB24
EnOcean
120
Up to 12 meter range /
self powered
Radiator valves
Figure 10 Danfoss Radiator Valve
Radiator valves can be used to control and adjust radiator heating by increasing or decreasing the water flow
to them. The temperature readings can be down by the valve or by a remote thermostat / temperature
sensor.
Company
Protocol
Cost (approx) [€]
Info
Adhoco. V1-HA
ZigBee HA
150
Controls flow through the
valve based on remote
thermostat information
Danfoss
Z-wave
70
Same as above
SAB02
ENOCEAN
140
Same as above
(315Mhz)
Spartan ME8330
Smart Appliances (White Goods)
A number of companies are looking into smart appliances as a new product line these companies include

GE Appliances




4LG Electronics
Samsung Electronics
Whirlpool
Miele
GE Appliances have been one of the first on the market to introduce a new range of networkable smart
appliances. GE have entered the market place with their GE Brillion range of smart devices. The devices
currently being tested include a Brillion smart sensor suite for the home Brillion smart plugs and Brillion
thermostats. A GE Brillion enabled hybrid water heater is also available. The GE Nucleus home energy Hub
(Summary and Analysis of existing platforms for more details) is the central brains behind the GE Brillion
technology and is specified as being Wi-Fi and ZigBee SEP 1.0 Certified.
4LG Electronics are currently planning to release a range of smart appliance technologies that will be “smart
grid ready” in the next couple of years. At CES 2012 LG debuted their new Wi-Fi/NFC smart diagnosis
technology. This technology is being incorporated into an oven and washing machine. The technologies are
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all communicated through smart app either on a TV or phone, and in terms of the smart washing machine
load distribution is touted as one of its functions (Delay washing at peak electrical times).
Samsung have entered the home automation market with a number of offerings embracing Wi-Fi
technologies. Commercially available the Samsung M-Fi Dryer / Washer comes with Wi-Fi technology to
allow control and monitoring of your washing machine via internet enabled devices such as tables smart
phones and PC’s. The functionality of the machine centers around notifications when laundry is finished and
allows for setting and starting of new loads. It is currently priced at 1700 dollars. Samsung also offer a range
of Wi-Fi enabled refrigerators these offer nothing in the way of remote controlling or monitoring but allow
access of the fridge to the internet with Apps running locally on the fridge (web browser , recipe books etc…)
Miele have released a remote vision wireless module for its range of white goods. The remote vision
technology connects to the users Wi-Fi and sends back failure and service alarms to monitoring company for
early fault detection and solving.
Whirlpool have committed to making their new appliances smart by 2015 and interoperable with smartgrid
infrastructure. Technologies they are looking at include ZigBee SE and Wi-Fi, further details at this time are
not available.
Other white good manufactures such as Bosch have stated at CES 2012 that they will remain absent from
the smart appliance area until key issues with the technologies are overcome. The main challenge cited was
in the area of standardization and interoperability where the technology to be used going forward is still not
clear.
Based on the limited information available from trade shows such as CES the majority of white good
manufacturers are poised to enter the smart appliance market to some extent or other especially with
regards to “smart grid” ready devices. The technologies they plan to use are still unclear and this is primarily
due to the lack of regulation and standardization across this area. Early offerings are looking at a number of
technologies with Wi-Fi and ZigBee the two technologies that are getting the most references.
Smart Metering Technologies
Two of the major metering manufacturers in Europe are ITRON and ELSTER. Both companies have been
engaged in research projects to develop the next generation of smart meters for use in residential AMR
applications. They both produce meters for a range of applications (water, gas and electricity).
Itron
have
had
a
number
of
metering
devices
through
ZigBee
Certification
(http://www.ZigBee.org/Products/ByStandard/ZigBeeSmartEnergy.aspx) for the ZigBee SEP 1.0 Profile.
These devices include ZigBee electric meters, ZigBee Gas meters as well as ZigBee gateways and add on
modules with ZigBee communications interfaces. Itron also have integrated a number of other wireless
technologies into their products offering, these include GPRS solutions for AMR with their Centron and
Sentinel smart metering offerings. These meters (Gas and water specifically) typically run off battery and to
extend battery life, transmission frequencies of once or twice a day are allowed.
Elster are also looking into ZigBee technologies in conjunction with Freescale semiconductor who they have
entered into partnership with. Elster have produced the REX2 electric meter with ZigBee interface and also
offer up a V200 water meter with ZigBee interface as well as currently working on a ZigBee gas meter
through the ME3gas Artemis funded project. Elster have also produced GSM /GPRS metering systems such
as DM600 metering system that connects to existing meters through a number of interfaces and transfers
date over GSM/GPRS. Elster have also produced the AS300 electricity meter and BK-G4 gas meters. These
meters are compatible with a number of communication technologies including ZigBee, Wavenis, PLC, MBus and GSM/GPRS.
Alcara, based in the US, has developed RF based AMR solutions known as the Star Network. This system
uses licensed radio bands to transmit over long distances for remote measurement. The system is an add
module for IR or pulse output meters where the signals are captured and transferred wirelessly to a central
station. The frequency of operation is 450-470MHz and a backhaul network of Wi-Fi or Ethernet is used in
conjunction with this. This system is deployed in North America.
Other companies such as Badger meter and Omron all offer a range of wireless technologies for smart
metering again with a range of wireless interfaces, (Wi-Fi, Proprietary, ZigBee etc...). As with the Smart
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Appliances companies are still developing or waiting on standardized technologies before any concentrated
plan or technology is put forward. In 2009 the European commission tasked the standardization bodies to
develop standards for Automated Metering Reading (AMR) mandate 441. CEN, CENELEC and ETSI in
conjunction with meter manufacturers have started the process of standardization with initial guideline
released in 2011. A number of standards have outlined protocols and communication interfaces with no wide
spread adoption to date of any particular technology.
Home Energy Hubs and Platforms
This section of the report compares the commercially available home energy hubs and platforms outlining a
brief description of the device what technologies they have employed and what their market penetration
currently looks like. The purpose of which is to create a table outline where the current market is heading
with regards to wireless technology for energy management.
Table 18 Overview of energy hubs and platforms
(See Appendix B for full description of each technology)
Company / Platform
Name
Description
Standards /
Specifications
GE Appliances
Nucleus
The Nucleus can be integrated with
smart meters and act as a home
energy monitor. It can store house
data and estimate pricing for up to
three years
Its display, monitoring, control, and
network products include Energize,
an energy application suite for home
energy management; Insight in-home
display; SetPoint smart thermostat;
Volt smart outlet; LCS load control
switch; Transport IP gateway; Relay;
and Translate, a device for
connection to automatic meter
reading networks
This
product
enables
IP
communications for all wireless
meters, submeters and home
automation devices and in addition
seamlessly integrates M-Bus and
Wireless M-Bus devices into IP.
NanoStack™ 2.0 is integrated into
electric meters, sub-meters and
home automation devices, providing
an all-IP network using inexpensive
radio chips, yet allowing for reliable
mesh networking.
Two Product lines A3 (See 2.4Ghz
protocols) and EM. EM: wireless
sensor and control solution for
energy management and demand
response. The BMS interface is used
to interface the wireless mesh
network to Building Management
Systems, PLCs, and monitoring
applications. Sensor data (e.g.
temperature,
relative
humidity,
contact closures, voltage, current,
meter
pulses)
is
transmitted
wirelessly to the receiver radio and
Wi-Fi
802.15.4
ZigBee
1.0
Tendril Networks
Inc
Sensinode
Spinwave Systems
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802.15.4
ZigBee
1.0
6LoWPAN
Coap
Wireless
BUS
802.15.4
Bacnet
Lonworks
Modbus
SEP
Market Penetration /
Usage / Other
information
Connected to GE Brillion
devices market uptake
yet to be defined
SEP
50 Smart energy projects
around the world
M-
Mainly
development
platform used to promote
their software
More
than
30,000
devices have been used
by
several
hundred
different customers in a
wide
variety
of
applications
GreenCom
mapped to protocol objects by the
gateway.
Digi International
4Noks S.R.L.
Pikkerton GmbH
Telegesis
Energate INC
Smartenit(formerly
SimpleHomeNet)
The ConnectPort X2 Gateway for
Smart Energy provides a low-cost
connection
between
a
Home
Automation Network (HAN) and
remote web applications or utility
hosted
websites designed for
customer engagement. Intended to
share
the
connection
of
a
homeowner's broadband Internet
router, the gateway provides near
real-time energy data access and
control capabilities based on the
Smart Energy devices.
4Noks supplies devices and GW with
an open API to Integrators. They
offer an appliance control system
called
‘Intelligreen’
(similar
to
Plugwise). BEM/HAN solutions are
supported through intelligreen & their
Industrial routers and Modbus bridge.
The easy programmable ZigBeeGateway ZBG-100 consists of a GHz
class ARM-based CPU with strong
peripheral components like Gigabit
Ethernet, one SD-Card slot for data
logs or applications and a 2.4 GHz
ZigBee coordinator module. The
Linux environment ensures stable
network services as well as easy
application
and
interface
programming. Services like SNMP,
SMTP, HTTP, etc. are easy to
integrate.
The ETRX2 EAP Ethernet Access
point is a “gateway” allowing access
to ETRX2 mesh networking modules
via an industry standard Ethernet IP
Network. Once the IP address of the
EAP has been established and
Firewall access set, the EAP can be
accessed from anywhere in the
world.
Applications:
Remote
Diagnostics
and
upgrades,
networked monitoring and remote
control, remote data acquisition –
e.g. temperature monitoring, bridging
between Ethernet and ZigBee.
ZigBee SEP
UDP / TCP
Sales: $190.6M (60% of
sales in US). Locations in
United States, Germany,
Spain,
UK,
India,
Singapore, China
ZigBee
Modbus-RTU
OEM alliance with
EasyIO, a large
Singaporean corporation
specializing in M2M and
Building automation.
ZigBee
Provides GW/s and
ZigBee OEM modules for
development in a number
of products
The Foundation Smart Thermostat
and Home Energy Gateway allow
utilities to drive home energy
management from the pilot stage to
widespread deployment.
Smartenit’s load control devices
measure power consumption and are
aware of prices from the utility. This
ZigBee
At trial stages
ZigBee HA
ZigBee SE
Home automation and
energy
management
mobile application: 500-
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ZigBee
GreenCom
allows the consumer to initiate a
power-down of their appliances
based upon certain price points,
usage, time or in response to a
demand response event from the
utility. Smartenit is the first to offer a
smart energy multiple-relay load
controller as a solution to control
dual-speed appliances such as pool
pumps.
EcoBee
Hai
Control4
Intelligent
SmartEnvironments
Alert Me
TED
Ecobee, a Canadian company, have
developed a LCD ZigBee Pro SE and
HA smart thermostat. The device
includes advanced, clearly presented
information to allow a user to monitor
and control their environment.
Ecobee also provide a Web based
Energy Management interface as
well as an iPhone app in order for a
user to monitor and control energy
usage. Add-ons also available (i.e.
smart plugs, remote sensor module).
Support with regards to APIs is
unknown
HAI (Home Automation Incorporated)
are a US based company who have
been working in the home demotic
environment for several years. They
offer ZigBee Pro SE certified devices.
The Hardwired Load Control Module
is a 20 AMP Relay Module that
connects directly to voltage outputs
on HAI home controllers and
expanders and includes a manual
override
switch.
They
also
manufacturer Plug controllers /
thermostats.
The Control4 Wireless Thermostat
adds intelligent temperature control
and flexibility that supports most
HVAC systems and offers up to 6 set
points per day determined by the
user.
Provides a number of devices for
home
monitoring
and
control
including.
AlertMe SmartHeating allows the
user to programme and remotely
control heating anywhere over the
internet or using a smartphone.
TED is a system that is based on
Current Transformer HW that a user
can clip to the power circuit that they
wish to monitor. Ted then couples
this either with their own wireless
LCD power monitors, or their PC SW.
Additionally TED is certified for use
with Google Power meter. Switching
Page 45 of 122
1,000 downloads. They
are concluding joint pilot
project with leading EV
charging station provider
ClipperCreek and a large
US utility.
ZigBee HA
ZigBee SE
ecobee is supported by a
network of over 3,000
quality HVAC contractors
and distributors across
North America
ZigBee Pro
ZigBee SE
ZigBee HA
ZigBee
(includes over
the air
reprogramming)
Strategic agreement with
Cisco. More than 1,900
custom integrators, retail
outlets, and distributors in
over 70 countries
GPRS
ZigBee SE
ZigBee PRO
ZigBee but proprietary.
PLC
Newer version
with ZigBee
GreenCom
on/off of devices not yet supported.
Current Cost
CurrentCost has current transformer
clamps that operate on both UK/EU
and USA voltages. These current
clamps transmits data wirelessly to
the Current Cost LCD displays, that
may then be connected to a PC, or
Gateway to allow uploading of data
to the Current Cost web Site.
Additionally, CurrentCost has power
socket Energy meters for the UK
market that allows UK based users to
obtain more detailed appliance level
energy static information and to be
able to remotely turn off devices and
thereby save energy.
Proprietary
active with gas and water
utilities in addition to
electric utilities a
There Gate
Open Linux Platform for energy
managemetn
Z-Wave
GSM
GPRS
There Corporation has
begun cooperation with
Smarthome Srl. in Italy.
There’s
smart
technology,
produced
under the Italian Virtuoso
brand, manages home
heating, among other
things.
EcoManager
Submetering wireless system
Proprietary
No information
EnergyHub
The EnergyHub Mercury platform
can control thermostats from vendors
such
as
Carrier
and
Radio
Thermostat Company of America,
HVAC compressors, water heaters,
pool pumps, and electric vehicle
chargers.
Razberry uses the raspberry PI
fanless computer in conjunction with
a Z-wave module creating a Z-wave
gateway device
The “Open Home Automation Bus”
comprises a software platform
(Java/OSGi) supporting a variety of
domotics tasks (e.g. querying the
appliance status and rule based
control).
ZigBee
Large market share in
USA
Z-wave
Just Realised
KNX, ZigBee
Research, Open source
community
RazBerry
openhab
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6. Existing Home Automation / AMR Projects
Existing Home Automation AMR Projects
This section will look at some existing projects which focus on Home automation and metering. Table 19
Comparative description of current HA projects below offers a brief description of each project along with the
innovation they are trying to achieve as well as the monitoring and control technologies that are used as part
of these projects. The main aspect of interest from this reports perspective is the technologies used as this
can give indications of what has been successfully trialled in other projects. See Appendix D for more
detailed description of each project.
Table 19 Comparative description of current HA projects
Project Description
Innovation
ME3Gas: This project addresses the
development of a new generation of smart
gas meters, based on embedded
electronics, communications and the
remote management of a shut-off valve,
which shall offer a whole range of added
values: management of multiple tariffs and
payment modalities, remote gas cut off,
security
alarms,
absolute
index,
temperature
correction.
Specification,
implementation and dissemination of an
open
architecture
for
wireless
communication will also be addressed in
the project.
eDiana: Development of an open
middleware for energy efficiency and
control in the home environment.
Development of new Smart Gas meters and
as well as the development of a service
orientated middleware architecture.
AIM: This Project aims to create
technology for profiling and managing white
goods at home.
InTube: Intube aims to increase energy
efficiency by creating smarter BMS and
Neighbourhood monitoring systems via
integration of ICT tools.
ITOBO: ITOBO aims to develop a holistic,
methodological framework for life-cycle
oriented information management and
decision support in the construction and
energy- management sectors
Beywatch:
Develop
embedded
technologies for optimizing residential
energy usage
Dehems: The Digital Environment Home
Energy Management system (DEHEMS)
investigated the ways technology can
improve domestic energy efficiency.
Smart House / Smart Grid (FP7)
This project set out to validate and test how
ICT-enabled
collaborative
technicalcommercial aggregations of Smart Houses
Model-based architecture based on the
concept of cells (households) and
macrocells (residential and non-residential
buildings).
Developed new algorithms for analysing
user profile based on information supplied
by a wireless sensor network.
Primarily software they have developed
tools for measuring and analysing building
energy profiles based on data supplied from
smart meters
Integrated Systems Analysis and
Middleware
Inference algorithms for IBS inference
Application areas: hybrid systems
modelling, control of lighting and HVAC
Beywatch created a monitoring and control
system at the appliance level as well as a
supervisory control device for the entire
network called the Agent within the
beywatch architecture.
Dehems went beyond the traditional
approach of looking at how much energy
was used in domestic setting to how the
energy was used in domestic settings.
The project ran several pilots deploying
wireless and PLC technologies to create
home automation networks.
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Technologies
Used
Tyndall Motes,
Tiny
Motes
(6LoWPAN),
ZigBee
Plugwise,
Linksmart
middleware
802.15.4
ZigBee
/
802.15.4 / PLC
RFID
Wi-fi, Z-wave,
ZigBee, ASUS
Embedded PC.
ZigBee
Z-wave / PLC
GreenCom
provide an essential step to achieve the
needed radically higher levels of energy
efficiency in Europe.
INTrEPID: Aims to optimize residential
subsystem control as well as creating
neighbourhood
energy
exchange
mechanisms
SMARTHG:
Develop
smart
control
strategies for residential applications
New project but aims at developing
 Advanced monitoring and
diagnostic capabilities
 Supervisory control strategies and
sub-system coordination (HVAC,
Lighting etc...)
 Inter building energy exchanges
No Details
SmartHG will develop Intelligent Automation
Software services gathering real-time data
about energy usage from residential homes
and making automation decisions on that
data to minimise energy usage and cost for
each home, support the Distribution
Network Operator (DNO) in optimising
operation of the grid. SmartHG rests on the
following
four
pillars.
(source:http://smarthg.di.uniroma1.it/)
No Details
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7. Energy Generation and Storage Wireless monitoring Technologies
This section of the report is going to focus on the distributed generation and storage portion of the review.
The main role of the GreenCom deployment will be firstly in monitoring the infrastructure of the generation
and storage systems. The primary component that will be monitored will be energy; either heat or electricity
and metering of this energy will be one of the most critical elements with regards to deployed technology.
Load switching between generators – grid – storage is the other critical element of the infrastructure and
needs to be accommodated by the supported technologies. The final element that will need to be taken into
account is environmental and how that affects individual storage and generation systems.
7.1 Standards and Roadmaps for smart micro-gird
NIST Smart Grid References
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was born in 1901 in order to promote U.S. innovation
and industrial competitiveness. To coordinate development of a framework to achieve Smart Grid devices
and systems interoperability, NIST has created a Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP). SGIP is a
partnership of both private and public organizations with specific aim to coordinate the process of
standardization of protocols and models to achieve interoperability and cooperation of smart devices and
systems in the field of Smart Grid. Since Smart Grid is a composition of complex systems, competences are
been divided in groups of expertise. These groups are known as Priority Action Plan (PAP) and each works
on a specific area such as architecture, security, electrical vehicle and wind plant communications. Currently
22 PAP are defined (Table 20), of which 9 have been completed.
Table 20 List of PAP
#
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Priority Action Plan
Meter Upgradeability Standard
Role of IP in the Smart Grid
Wireless Communications for the Smart Grid
Common Price Communication Model
Common Schedule Communication
Mechanism
Standard Meter Data Profiles
Common Semantic Model for Meter Data
Tables
Electric Storage Interconnection Guidelines
CIM for Distribution Grid Management
Standard DR and DER Signals
Standard Energy Usage Information
Common Object Models for Electric
Transportation
Mapping IEEE 1815 (DNP3) to IEC 61850
Objects
Harmonization of IEEE C37.118 with IEC
61850 and Precision Time Synchronization
Transmission and Distribution Power
Systems Model Mapping
Harmonize Power Line Carrier Standards for
Appliance Communications in the Home
Wind Plant Communications
Harmonize Power Line Carrier Standards for
Appliance Communications in the Home
SEP 1.x to SEP 2 Transition and
Coexistence
Wholesale Demand Response (DR)
Communication Protocol
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Status
Completed
Completed
Ongoing
Completed
Completed
Ongoing
Completed
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Completed
Completed
Ongoing
Completed
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Completed
Ongoing
GreenCom
20
21
Green Button ESPI Evolution
Weather Information
Ongoing
Ongoing
Table 21 - Both opened and completed PAP
SGIP also maintains a Catalog of Standards (CoS) for Smart Grid. CoS is a compendium of technologies,
best practices and standards that allow development and deployment of a Smart Grid. At this moment CoS
1
contains 56 standards .
In Appendix C a brief description for each PAP and a list of all relevant standard considered or generated by
them is provided. The goal of this list is to provide a short overview of a number of Smart Grid and ICT
standards which are relevant to GreenCom objectives.
CoAP
Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) [1] is an application layer protocol designed to allow
communication between constrained IoT nodes and networks used in energy-related M2M applications
scenarios, such as building automation and smart metering. Since its primary goal is exposition of the WSN
and smart object as Web resources, CoAP is generally used in conjunction with IP-based standards such as
IPv6 over Low power Wireless Personal Area Networks (6LoWPAN).
Refinement of the CoAP standard is still ongoing within the IETF Constrained RESTfull Environments
(CoRE) group [2], which focuses on LoWPAN applications based on constrained nodes and heterogeneous
network protocols. As described in previous sections, WSN generally have low computing capacity, small
amount of memory and are battery powered. Due to these limitations, CoAP has been designed to cope with
low data rates radio links which are subject to high packet error rates.
CoAP is based on a Representational State Transfer (REST) architecture in which resources are abstract
and are identified by Universal Resource Identifiers (URIs) [3]. Resources are decoupled by the services and
can be represented with various formats, such as JSON or XML. For these reasons REST architectures are
suitable for developing IoT and M2M applications, in fact, sensors become abstract resources identified by
URIs, represented in several format and manipulated by the same methods provided by HTTP. Within CoAP
HTTP functionalities have been redesigned taking into account constrain nature of the devices, in order to
make the protocol suitable for M2M applications. Moreover, HTTP uses TCP as transport protocol, but it is
not appropriate for sensors networks, its overhead is too high for short-lived transactions. Even if CoAP does
not specify underlying protocol, usually its implementations are based on User Datagram Protocol (UDP) as
transport protocol because TCP has significantly higher overhead and lacks of multicast support.
Request/Response
Messages
CoA
P
UPD
6LoWPAN
IEEE 802.15.4 MAC
IEEE 802.15.4 PHY
Figure 11- Example of CoAP stack
The CoAP logical architecture (Figure 11) consists of two layers: Messages layer and Request/Response
layer. CoAP Messages layer is used to deal with UDP and the asynchronous nature of the interactions; it
manages the single message exchange between end points. Request/Response layer is responsible for the
transmission of requests, the manipulation and transmission of the resource. Interactions are managed by
method and response codes similar to HTTP, a client uses a method code to send a request for a resource
on a server and the server responds with a response code.
CoAP protocol provides some reliability features, such as a retransmission mechanism or a duplicate
detection using IDs. A retransmission mechanism foresees that a “confirmable” message can be
retransmitted if a default timeout expired using a simple stop-and-wait protocol and exponential back-off
1
http://collaborate.nist.gov/twiki-sggrid/bin/view/SmartGrid/SGIPCoSStandardsInformationLibrary
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between retransmissions. Asynchronous communication is another important feature for IoT and M2M
applications. A CoAP protocol provides asynchronous mechanism which foresees that when a server is not
able to respond to a request immediately, it acknowledges the reception of the message and postpones the
response. This mechanism is based on a request/response token matching.
As seen before, one of the aims of CoAP is to easy integrate smart object with the Web paradigm. For this
reason, in the CoAP core definition [1] there is a specific section dedicated to HTTP-CoAP cross-protocol
mapping process. The mechanism, as described in [4], is based on a cross-protocol Reverse Proxy which
occupies to translate HTTP request and response to CoAP and vice-versa. This mechanism allows HTTP
client to access to a CoAP network in transparent mode.
CoAP features are relevant for GreenCom for several reasons. In first place, while CoAP is still an emerging
technology, other standards (e.g. ETSI M2M) are adopting it as a key component for accessing, browsing
and controlling resources on smart objects (e.g. appliances, meters, etc.). In second place, CoAP includes a
support for “profiles”, currently under definition, which might enable seamless discovery, browsing and
control of devices capabilities. Finally, as CoAP primary networking layer is based on IP protocol, the
adoption of CoAP devices might ease re-use of existing networking tools and infrastructure, easing
integration of devices.
ETSi /M2M
ETSI M2M
The term M2M (Machine-to-Machine) refers in general to technologies able to allow wireless and wired
systems to communicate with each other. In the last years many forms of M2M communication and
architectures technologies have been implemented, providing support for integrating several kinds of
sensors, actuators and other fixed and mobile devices. The decrease of cost of communication technologies,
the improvement of networks performance, the increase of scale and the availability of dedicated services
platforms is stimulating the adoption to build large-scale M2M networks. Currently, a wide number of
communication and architecture standards already exist in the M2M market. However, the lack of
consolidated standardization results, has caused in the past proliferation of proprietary technologies, often
optimised for a particular application scenario, reducing the potential for “open” interoperable applications
leveraging large scale deployments of M2M devices.
For these reasons the European Telecommunication standards Institute has founded the ETSI M2M
Technical Committee (TC M2M), which is currently dealing with this challenge. The role of this committee is
to provide an end-to-end standard solution for the integration of the different communication technologies
deployed in the field of IoT. The committee includes some telecom operators, company and M2M experts
from several countries.
The complexity of multiple M2M technologies and services was managed in the first release of standard that
aiming to provide a standardized platform for M2M (described in (ETSI TS102 689 , 2012), (ETSI TS102 690
, 2012) and (ETSI TS102 935 , 2012) ). This release offers a set of standards describing a complete
horizontal service layer for M2M communications which enables integration of different communication
technology choices behind a unified M2M platform. ETSI M2M Release 1 is built upon existing and mature
standards from ETSI and other consortium such as IETF and 3GPP. The objective of this work is to produce
a reduction of complexity in deployment of M2M solutions with a direct result in term of development cost
and time.
The ETSI M2M standards specify several architectural components including M2M devices, gateways with
associated interfaces, Applications Programming Interfaces, access network supporting existing ICT, core
network and a Service Capabilities Layer [(ETSI TS102 690 , 2012), (ETSI TS102 935, 2012). Release 1
defines also other aspects such as security, traffic scheduling, device discovery and lifecycle management
features. The ETSI M2M Release 1 standards are published as a set of three main specifications (ETSI
TS102 689 , 2012), (ETSI TS102 690 , 2012), (ETSI TS102 935 , 2012)which are available for download
from the ETSI website.
Figure 12 shows the high level ETSI M2M architecture and its key concepts are reported as follow:
 M2M Device
Device capable of replying to request for data contained within those devices or capable of
transmitting data autonomously. A device can be directly connected to Network Domain or via a
M2M Gateway.
 M2M Area Network (Device Domain)
Provide connectivity between M2M Devices and M2M Gateways. This network can includes
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



technologies such as IEEE 802.15.1, Zigbee, Bluetooth, IETF ROLL, ISA100.11a, PLC, M-BUS,
Wireless M-BUS and KNX.
M2M Gateway
It runs M2M Applications using M2M Service Capabilities and allows M2M Devices inter-working and
interconnection to the Network Domain.
M2M Communication Networks (Network Domain)
Communications between the M2M Gateway(s) and M2M Application(s). Protocol in Network
Domain can be xDSL, HFC, satellite, GERAN, UTRAN, eUTRAN, W-LAN and WiMAX.
M2M Service Capabilities Layer (SCL)
M2M software in which common functionalities are implemented to serve the M2M Application. It can
be within M2M Device (DSCL), Gateway (GSCL) and the Network (NSCL) and provides a set of
APIs to expose the M2M Service Capabilities closest to the application using them. Service
Capability Layer is developed on top of connectivity layer and provides functions like registration,
access right, security, authentication and subscribe/notify.
M2M Applications
Applications that implement service logic and use M2M Service Capability Layer accessible via open
APIs. [ http://www.etsi.org/technologies-clusters/technologies/m2m]
Figure 12– High level architecture of the ETSI M2M.
In order to standardize the procedure used for enabling entity communication ETSI M2M specification
defines some Reference Point (Figure 12, Marylin Arndt “Standardisation on M2M at ETSI M2M platform”
the 2nd FOKUS FUSECO Forum 2011), and Service Capability Layer provides functions that are to be
exposed on these Reference Points:
 mIa - M2M application interface: it is used by the Network Applications (NA) to communicate with the
Network Service Capability Layer (NSCL)
 dIa - Device application interface: allows Device Application (DA) residing in a M2M Device to
access to Service Capability in the same Device or in a Gateway
 mId - M2M to device interface: it is used for the inter-SCLs communication
Information exchanged between M2M Application and/or M2M Service Capability Layer are based on REST
architecture style. RESTful defines four basic methods (also called “verbs”) in order to implements CRUD
(Create, Read, Update and Delete) operations. In addition to these basic methods, have been defined two
useful methods:
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

NOTIFY: used to indicate the operation for reporting a notification about a change of a resource as a
consequence of a subscription. This verb would either map to a response of a READ method in case
that the long polling mechanism is used, or to an UPDATE method in case that the asynchronous
mechanism is used
EXECUTE: for executing a management command/task which is represented by a resource. This
verb corresponds to an UPDATE method without any payload data (ETSI Technical Specification
TS 102 690, 2011)
Resources described cover different aspect like applications data, security information, buffering feature,
location, group, subscription, notification, discovery and many others. Resources are organized in a tree
structure which is completely described in [2].
A horizontal M2M platform is designed to provide support for a wide range of devices and services. Main use
cases considered include smart metering system, eHealth application, city automation, consumer
applications and car automation. ETSI Technical Report (TR) under preparation outline these and other
potential use cases is being prepared for several areas, which can be used to extend the scope of the core
specifications.
In 2012 a Smart Grid specific TR has been published [4], in order to outline relevant extensions needed to
match the smart grids requirements. ETSI TC defines smart grid architecture conceptually divided in 3
layers:
 Energy Layer: which manage the energy production/generation, distribution, transmission and
consumption. In this layer we can find sensor, actuator, storage and generation system;
 Control & Connectivity Layer: it occupies for monitoring network, system reliability, security, routing,
traffic engineering and metering;
 Service Layer: it covers all service related to Smart Grid usage such as billing, subscription
management and activation, data models and applications.
The focus of the ETSI M2M TR for Smart Grid focused on Control&Connectivity and Service layer in order to
assess the impact on M2M functional architecture. Additional requirements are being derived from this work
and in particular related to customer and provider security, real-time communication and interfacing with
legacy industrial, building and automation control protocols. Mainly related to security features, an important
differentiation has been made with introduction of the “customer domain” and “energy domain” concepts.
Where “energy domain” is the domain situated “before” energy meter and “customer domain” is the domain
situated “after” energy meter.
The ETSI M2M standard, although still under evolution, must be carefully monitored for future GreenCom
developments, as partial adoption of M2M features could enhance the impact of developed solutions.
A follow on to the ETSI M2M standards is the 1M2M committee that are drafting further standards for a
common machine to machine communications framework (http://www.onem2m.org/).
7.2 Wireless Protocols and Technologies
The smart grid is a new and emerging concept and as a result there are few specific wireless technologies
that deal with the emerging grid topologies and communications. To determine what technology is required
the system requirements need to be defined. These system requirements will include
Reliability:- The electrical distribution network is a critical infrastructure for current societal needs as a result
the control and monitoring network is going to need to be reliable with low latency in terms of response to
commands with real time or near real time monitoring
Scalability:- For most countries the grid is a vast network which may contain numerous micro-grid structures
all requiring their own monitoring and control infrastructure. A highly scalable wireless infrastructure needs
to be adopted to ensure future proofing of any solution selected.
Security:- Highly sensitive information on grid usage will be transmitted from location to location as well as
the potential for control operations to be transmitted as well. Any solution needs to ensure security on the
wireless level.
Interoperability:- Inter system communications across all aspects of the grid infrastructure will also be
important and knowing that one device can integrate easily with the existing infrastructure will be important.
Unlike the home automation environment commercially available products that combine all requirements
(metering , switch and wireless reporting) aren’t widely available. In terms of commercial technologies that
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are directed to this application space Zigbee with the Smart Energy Profile is one of the few well know
technologies out there that have commercially available components.
Zigbee Smart Energy
Freq
Zigbee
868/915/2.4G
Hz
Topolog
y
Mesh
Securit
y
AES12
8
Market
Phy
Home/Commercial
/Metering
802.15.4
Stack
Size
Up to
100K
Uses the 802.15.4 standard as the basis for its phy and MAC layers but adds additional
capabilities. These are defined in various profiles, some of the profiles of interest to this study are
Zigbee Pro (SE) Smart Energy for commercial applications, Smart Metering
Zigbee Pro (SE2) Amongst other things add TCP/IP connectivity with IPv6
Free to use*, some presence in the smart grid metering market. Some off the shelf products
available
Higher power consumption compared to some other protocols, Can still have interoperability issues
due to custom device creation, Up to 120K stack.
Future of SEP1.0 is uncertain as SEP2.0 is due to be released in the next year or so.
Market Presence
Emerging into smart grid
*Free to use for R&D purposes If developed into commercial product membership to the Zigbee
Alliance is required
Zibgee Smart Energy (Zigbee Alliance 2011) is being aimed at the HAN side energy management of the
smart grid infrastructure specifically in smart metering and energy management and control. The SE profile
has some restrictions with the general physical layer these are
1. Use channels 11,14,15,19,20,24,25 to avoid conflicting with Wi-fi
2. Restrict broadcasts to 1 per second
3. Use advanced security options
The profile also specifies clusters and devices as shown below in Table 2
Table 22 Zigbee SE Clusters and devices
General Cluster
Basic
ID
Alarm
Time
Commissioning
Power Config
SE Cluster
Price
Demand Response &
monitoring
Metering
Messaging
Link Key establishment
Load
Devices
Energy Service Portal
Metering device
In premise display
Programmable Thermostat
Load Control Device
Smart Appliance
Range Extender
The Zigbee SE profile is primarily aimed at the utility /metering side of the home automation market and this
can be seen in the requirements for advanced security options which are strictly enforced in this profile. All
communications are secured with an SE environment to protect the network from malicious and unintentional
interference.
Zigbee SE Commissioning
Zigbee PRO provides two types of encryption key. These are the Network key which is randomly generated
by the trust centre and shared amongst all nodes and the application link key which is a unique key for
communications between nodes. Zigbee SE compatible devices are required to make use of the application
link key.
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When establishing an application link key between the Co-ordinator node and a joining node (any SE
device), Pre-configured link key for the joining node is required.
The Pre-configured Link-Key is shared between the joining node and the trust centre. In order to carry this
out when the mote is manufactured the node is assigned an installation code which is distributed with the
mote. During installation the utility/network operator requires this code (communicated via phone / email
etc...) The network operator derives the link-key from this code and sends it to the Trust Centre for the SE
network. When joining the joining node sends a ‘join request’ to the Co-ordinator/Trust Centre, which returns
a ‘transport key’ containing the network key encrypted using the preconfigured link key of the newly joined
node. The Key Establishment cluster on the joining node then uses both nodes security certificates to
generate an application link key through a sequence of exchanges with the Co-ordinator, encrypted using
the network key. The established application link key can subsequently be used to encrypt communications
between the joined node and the Co-ordinator.
SEP 2.0
The future of SEP 1.0 is not clear the Zigbee Alliance is currently drafting a second version of the smart
energy profile that is focusing on integrating TCP support as well as making it compatible with technologies
that are targeting NIST objectives. The new SEP 2.0 protocol will include support for distributed generation
and storage sources as well as diagnostic supported for energy service operators. The new stack will be
called Zigbee IP in terms of stack size and hardware requirements it will be comparable to the existing
Zigbee standards but not directly compatible. SE2.0 Proposed by Zigbee and Home Plug alliances as:

A networking and application integration platform for messages between customer devices and
energy services providers.

It takes input from UCAIug, OpenSG, OpenHAN and OpenADE. State that they are targeting NIST
smart Grid interoperability objectives
Smart grid is a key target with clear Demand response and load control, pre-payment, etc use cases
defined. Distributed energy sources are included(wind, solar generators, etc.)
PEV(Plug in Electric Vehicle)/Green car is included in the specification with clearly defined use
cases.
Diagnostics and monitoring is included for energy Service operators/utilities(includes hand held
Access use cases for field testing.)
Currently the Specification is under development with both MRD(Marketing Requirements
Document) and TRD(Technical REquirement Documents defined.)





The MRD(Marketing Requirements Document) has ‘Specification openness’ as a priority
Table 23 Zigbee SEP 2.0 at a glance
Layer
Application layer
Layer contents/technology used
8. Definitions for demand response,
Comment
PEVs (Plug in Electric Vehicles),
pre-payment etc.
Transport layer
9. UDP and TCP
Adaption layer
(This layer is
different to standard
IP to bridge from
standard IPv6 to
selected
substrates/Link
layers)
Network layer

6loWPAN to be used for 802.15.4

Homeplug no adaption needed

other phy/mac network HW TBD
IPv6
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Link layer
802.15.4,Homeplug,802.11,ethernet

This is very much different to the current Zigbee SE spec (Zigbee Smart Energy Application Profile)
that was developed from the point of view of communication from a coordinator to the local devices
in the HAN via Zigbee ZCL comms only.

Network Coordinators: 802.15.4 (Zigbee Smart Energy Application profile) and Homeplug
coordinators and their networks effectively sit below the Zigbee SE2.0 specs – they state that ‘the
smart Energy Profile is designed to run over any network/target substrate’. They further state that
they will also target 802.11 (Wi-Fi.) In this manner SE2.0 has very good potential to become a
powerful smart grid player, although:
for PLC devices it is stated preferential Support of HomePlug.
It is also stated that ‘ the link layer may not be appropriate for alternative substrates’. I.e. they do not
list any other hardware Support outside of homeplug, 802.15.4 and 802.11 at the moment such as
bluetooth, Z-wave (long standing competitor to Zigbee,) wireless m-bus
An ESI (Energy Services Interface) is defined. This is defined as the link between the HAN and an
Energy Services provider and signals Zigbee SE 2.0´s intent to provide the complete, or majority
share of the Utility/Energy Service providers communication netowrk.
They are assuming that devices WILL be compromised to ensure that the security of the entire
network is maintained. A high amount of security is built into the system as recommended by NIST
and ANS among others. A whole 27 pages of the 109 page TRD is dedicated to security and
cryptography.)
A set of detailed test specifications are developed alongside the specifications to allow approving of
devices that conform to the standard
o
o



6LoWPAN and the Smart Grid
6LoWPAN
Freq
2.4GHz
Topology
Star/Mesh?
Security
AES128
Market
R&D
Phy
802.15.4
Range
Linked to
protocol
Defined in IETF RFC4944
This is unlike the other protocols in that 6LoWPAN is essentially an adaption layer between 802.15.4 and
IPv6 packets. Therefore it is possible to have an implementation of 802.15.4 that can utilise TCP/IP and UDP
in the transport network layers.
To date there has not been much commercial up take with this technology with most of its use being in
Universities and Research. But that is set to change with emerging application standards such as Zigbee
SEP2.0 incorporating IPV6 addressing.
The use of IPV6 addressing allows the use of HTTP mechanisms for addressing motes allowing an internet
of things approach to WSN development along with the use of JSON formatting and TCP UDP data transfer.
Not a lot of penetration at the moment, still very much in the research domain and as such not entirely
proven technology
Market Presence
A number of OEM manufactures are developing 6LowPan chipsets with in built wireless stacks, actual
uptake to date from the commercial sector has been limited and is currently used in research. Could be the
enabling technology for wireless integration into the smart grid
6LoWPAN was already covered technically within the HAN 2.4GHz protocols section and was considered
not suitable for the HAN due to the lack of supported technologies (requirements for smart plugs that are CE
certified to sit in between the appliance and power and to act as sub-meters and switches for devices was
one of the overall concerns for this area).
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For the distributed generation and distributed storage section of this work 6LoWPAN becomes an interesting
option as seen from the Zigbee SEP 2.0 Specifications as well as the ETSI M2M and CoAP frameworks it is
being road mapped as a potential enabler of the future smart grid.
The 6LoWPAN approach fits in with the smart grid concept where large amount of wireless(or wired)
networks will be deployed across the entire scope of the grid infrastructure (Hao Liang, 2012). Managing
these networks in a coordinated manner requires an approach that can handle the vast amount of potentially
deployed interfaces and devices. 6LoWPAN using IPV6 addressing creates an almost inexhaustible
addressing scheme for new devices and is compatible with the long existing TCP and UDP data transfer
mechanisms. While commercial uptake to date of the technology has not existed this looks likely to change
and as a result there is an opportunity for the GreenCom project to advance the state of the art in this area.
Industrial and commercial protocols
As mentioned previously wireless technology specifically targeting the smart grid application space is still in
its infancy. Within industrial applications they are a number of established protocols that address industrial
concerns such as
 Reliability
 Latency
 Scalability
 Low Maintenance overhead
 Interoperability
 Standardization
 Security
These objectives also fit in with the requirements for smart grid applications were accurate and reliable
monitoring of energy consumption and generation is required as well as responsive systems to implement
load shaving and dynamic electricity switching between distribution and storage. Two of the widely used
industrial wireless protocol technologies are WirelessHart (WirelessHart Alliance, 2011) and ISA100.11.a
(ISA.org, 2008).
WirelessHART and ISA100.11.a
WirelessHART
Freq
2.4GHz
Topology
Mesh
Security
128bit AES
Market
Process/Industrial/Energy
Phy
802.15.4
Developed by the HART foundation this is an open wireless standard that uses a time synchronised mesh
architecture (TSMP) and was approved as a full international standard by the IEC in April 2010. The
technology is based on Dust networks TMSP Mesh technology and claims to be very power efficient. Due
to its heritage this protocol has synergies with the HART process standards and is backwards compatible.
Guaranteed Interoperability between device manufacturers Frequency hopping data transmission layer
helps to increase packet transmission reliability in environments that are challenging for RF transmissions
(e.g. Industrial environments).
Market Presence
There is a presence in the market a number of the larger system solution suppliers (including Siemens,
Pepperl & Fusch and Endress & Hauser) marketing systems. The size of the market penetration is not
known.
The main competitors to WirelessHART is ISA100.11 and the incumbent wired process installations.
WirelessHart is a wireless extension to the earlier HART wired protocol that was primarily aimed at the
numerous 4-20ma communications interfaces installed around industrial sites world-wide. WirelessHart
certified products guarantee out of the box interoperability with other WirelessHart devices. It is used
primarily in industrial process control. Its penetration into the area of the smart grid is not known at the time
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of writing but researchers (Yide Liu, 2012) have suggested it as a possible option for the distribution and
storage side of the grid.
ISA100.11.a
Freq
2.4Ghz
Topology
Mesh / Star
/Tree
Security
128bit AES
Market
Automation /
Process /
Grid
Phy
802.15.4
ISA is developed by the international Society of Automation with the aim to create an open and flexible
standard for wireless monitoring and control.
The open nature of the standard creates a flexible protocol that enables the tunnelling of other
communications protocols.
Interoperability not guaranteed due to its open nature
Market Presence
Emerging market presence mentioned in NIST interim report 2009 as possible smart grid technology for
electrical monitoring / distribution.
ISA100.11 is a wireless networking standard developed by the International Society of Automation. The
principles of ISA100 is given below
The design criteria for ISA100.11a include:
 Flexibility
 Support for multiple protocols
 Use of open standards



Reliability (error detection, channel-hopping)
Security
Latency
The protocol stack, system management and security is all defined for ISA100.11 over low power wireless
networks (802.15.4). There is no application layer specified for this standard and tunnelling existing
communications protocols such as HART is possible. The network and transport layers are based on
6LoWPAN and UDP. A non compliant 802.15.4 MAC is used in the data link layer.
The ISA100 technology has been proposed as a possible technology enabler for smart grid based wireless
monitoring and control systems. While it has been initially developed for the process and manufacturing
sector the principles of the standards such as guaranteed latency and reliability can be adapted to the
mission critical applications to the smart grid (monitoring and controlling electrical distribution).
WirelessHART and ISA100.11.a
There are some differences between the two standards but overall they are more similar than different. Both
standards operate with 2-MHz wide channels in the 2.4-GHz band, using DSSS and FHSS combined with OQPSK modulation techniques, giving a maximum raw data rate of 250 kb/s. Time division multiplexing is
used by both standards and both employ self configuring self healing mesh networks, making both standards
robust enough for the industrial setting. ISA100.11a utilizes a CCA operation mode which would offer
improvements in terms of co-existence with existing 802.11 Wi-Fi networks. The HART protocol is an open
standard, master-slave token passing network protocol, where devices are connected over 4-20 mA
analogue loop. Wireless Hart adds wireless capability to the existing HART protocol. It uses 802.15.4
compliant radios to do this. WirelessHart utilities a Time Division Multiple Access technology to for
communications coordination between devices. This TDMA approach also makes the wireless network more
deterministic in terms of latency.
ISA offers the option for tunnelling existing protocols through its standard. In theory any existing protocol
which is technologically compatible could be used, such as Zigbee, 6Lowpan or even the HART protocol
itself. On the other hand the inflexibility of WirelessHart offers a better alternative in terms of “out of the box”
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plug in play capabilities, with the certainty that a WirelessHart product from one vendor will work with
another.
SNAP
SNAP
Freq
2.4GHz/868MHz
Topology
P2P/Star/Mesh
Security
128bit AES
Market
Metering/Process/Commercial
Phy
802.15.4
Synapses Radio…Peer to Peer no specific end or router nodes means the network can form itself, self
healing. SNAP is multi platform compliant able to run on any computer or microcontroller.
Protocol stack can include 802.15.4, 802.11, USB, TCP/IP, Ethernet, RS232/485. It has a high overhead
and requires complex mote synchronization techniques.
Market Presence
LED Lighting, Solar farm monitoring, transmission and delivery side of the grid
SNAP stands for Scalable Node Address Protocol and has been developed by Synapses technology based
in the U.S. The S.N.A.P protocol can run on any computer or microcontroller One of the key features of
SNAP is that it performs full mesh routing using any and all available communications interfaces. Employing
standard protocols, SNAP fully exploits the communications capabilities made available by the device upon
which it is running. These protocols may include IEEE 802.15.4, WiFi, TCP/IP, Ethernet, USB, RS232, and
RS485. When an instance of SNAP is first created it is informed as to what communications interfaces are
available for use. Message “pings” are automatically sent across these mediums to determine if other SNAP
devices are present. As SNAP devices are discovered they automatically form themselves into a mesh
network. There is no central controller in a SNAP network. Off the shelf hardware is available for the SNAP
protocol with the stacks embedded with an 802.15.4 compliant radio.
SenzaNet
SenzaNET
Freq
2.4GHz
Topology
Star/Mesh
Security
128bit AES?
Market
Metering/Process/Commercial
Phy
802.15.4
A time synchronised system
Claims routing nodes can run on batteries (unlike Zigbee) due to time synchronisation
SenzaNET is really a framework that allows the user to either incorporate WirelessHART, 6LoWPAN or
SenzaNET protocol plugins. SenzaNET is effectively a Lite version of WirelessHART and is therefore
forward compatible.
‘Can easily integrate commercial process buses such as Modbus, Profibus, CAN etc and Ethernet.
Market Presence
Seems to have a bigger play in Process market.
Panasonic have adopted a custom version of SenzaNET in its 802.15.4 modules and its specification lists
metering and Smart Grid applications as one of its target markets.
SenzaNet (www.e-senza.de) is a framework that allows the user to incorporate a number of wireless
protocols that are 802.15.4 compliant. Uses time synchronisation to allow devices to sleep and wake up at
the same time to allow router devices to enter into low power modes. SenzaNet is developed in a modular
format with abstracted 802.15.4 layers. This modularity allows the insertion of plugins to configure the
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protocol to what is required. Wireless Hart with a 6LoWPAN plug in is commonly used. Figure 13 below
shows a block diagram of the stack.
User Application
Wirele
ssHart
Application
Objectss
UDP
Hart
6Lo SN100
Plugin WP Plugin
AN
802.15.4
MAC & PHY
Figure 13 SenzaNet Stack
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10. Heat Pumps
From the business cases and user requirements being developed early as part of work package 2 of the
GreenCom project it is becoming clear that heap pump technology can play an important role within load
management and peak electricity consumption shaving. In terms of classification heat pumps can be
considered a load due to the fact that they consume energy, but could also be considered a storage device
as they can store electrical energy as heat for later use. They could also be classified as a generator due to
the fact, that they produce more heat than electricity consumed due to exploiting thermal gradients. Due to
this fact for this report they have been given a section on their own until further classification is possible as
part of the GreenCom architecture.
8.1 Heat Pump Monitoring and Control
A heat pump is a device that transfers energy from a heat source to a heat sink via a temperature gradient. A
heat pump requires some external energy source (such as mains electricity) to accomplish the task of
transferring thermal energy from source to sink. When a heat pump is used in a heating system it works
similarly to a refrigeration unit used in HVAC or Fridge Freezers but in a reverse manner. It releases the heat
into the target space taken from the source environment rather than taking it from the target space and
releasing it into external environment. Heat pumps can draw their heat from external air, the ground or water.
A ground source heat pump uses the earth as a heat source in the winter and in the summer can use it as a
heat sink. This design takes advantage of the temperature differential in the ground to boost efficiency and
reduce the operational costs of heating and cooling systems. The same principal applies to air and water
source heat pumps.
Heat Pump Monitoring
A number of reports (UK energy Trust, March 2012) have looked into what parameters to monitor within heat
pumps. These parameters are not used to derive its energy efficiency, as this has a very narrow definition.
Instead the coefficient of performance (COP), also known as the primary energy ratio (PER) and the
seasonal performance factor (SPF) are derived. COP and SPF are the true indicators of how well a heat
pump is working.
The COP of a heat pump is defined as the ratio of heating (or cooling) provided over the electrical energy
used by the device. The SPF is defined as the total ratio of the heat delivered and the total energy supplied
over the season.
i.e. COP 
SPF 
Q
W
Q
W
Where Q = is heat supplied / removed to storage reservoir
W= Energy consumed by the heat pump
In order to measure the COP two principal measurements are required these are
1. The electricity consumed by the heat pump (compressors, fans controls)
2. The heat delivered to the heating system.
This is the bare minimum required for heat pump monitoring. In order to get a better picture of how the heat
pump is performing other measurements that may be required are
1. Source temperature (Away from the source and close to the source loop)
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2. Sink temperatures: - Variations on home and the loads on the heat pump
mean that the temperature at which heat is delivered will vary between
installation to installation. This is difficult to predict this needs to be
quantified in real time for a complete analysis and to implement proper
control
These four parameters enable a complete understanding of the heat pump itself. What these measurements
fail to consider is the actual heat system / load the pump is connected to. This will also have a large effect on
the heat pump performance. To monitor that required measurements are
1. Flow and return temperatures on the heating system
2. Delivery temperatures of the supplied heat
Data Sampling suggested requirements.
The UK Energy trust issued a report (UK energy Trust, March 2012) in 2012. In this report is
recommendations for sampling rates for the metrics needed to be monitored the recommendation in
sampling between 1 every 5 minutes to 1 every 10 minutes.
This same report also recommends the following in terms of resolutions and accuracies for heat pump
monitoring
Measurement
Electricity
consumption
Heat output
Hot water
consumption
Ground and fluid
temperatures
Internal air
temperatures
External air
temperatures
Accuracy
+/-2%
Resolution
5 Wh
+/-3%
+/-2%
10 Wh
1 litre
+/-0.25C
0.05C
+/-0.25C
0.05C
+/-0.25C
0.05C
From the literature a recommended sensor layout is shown below to capture all parameters associated with
the heat pump (UK energy Trust, March 2012).
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S
Outdoor Environment
H
Indoor Enironment
S
Heat Source
Heat Sink
T
T
H
T
T
5
8
Heat
Pump
Ground Pump
E
T
6
T
T
7
E
1
Air Pump
T
W
Sensors can
be grouped
onto motes
E
T9
2
C
0
Table 24 Heat Pump Sensor suite complete list
Sensor Designation
Sensor Type
Sensor Purpose
T1
Temperature sensor
Ground temperature away from extraction
point
T2
Temperature sensor
Ground temperature at extraction point
T3
Temperature sensor
Air Inlet temperature
T4
Temperature sensor
Out-side Air temperature
T5
Temperature sensor
Temperature heat source loop in
T6
Temperature sensor
Temperature heat source loop out
T7
Temperature sensor
Temperature sink out
T8
Temperature sensor
Temperature sink in
T9
Temperature sensor
Air temperature indoors
E1
Electricity meter
Electricity consumption of pump
E2
Electricity meter
Total home electricity consumption
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H1
Humidity sensor
Outside humidity sensor
H2
Humidity sensor
Inside humidity sensor
EH1
Heat meter
Heat delivered to system
S1
Light sensor
Outdoor light levels
S2
Light sensor
Indoor light levels
W1
Wind sensor
Wind direction and speed
C0
C02 gas sensor
CO2 for air quality levels
Heat Pump Control
Heat pump control may be an integral part of a heat pump or a separate unit wired to the heat pump.
Controllers are used to set the appropriate flow and return temperatures for fluid passing through the
heat pump to set the hot water temperature if the heat pump provides this. Set the on and off thresholds
of the heat pump. The controller should also auto adjust to changes in outside temperature values. A
thermostat positioned in a room can also send signals back to turn and off the heat pump when
temperature drops below certain thresholds. To enable wireless integration may require the use of low
level interface cards where on / off control can be routed out to an external control source. This can be
connected to a wireless actuation mote and signals can be sent to switch states on the pump. Some
Zigbee HA devices are also designed for heat pump interfacing such as the HAI omnistat shown below.
Figure 14 HAI Zigbee
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11. Distributed Generation Devices
9.1 Solar Generation
Solar generation is the method of generating power from natural sunlight. For the home market two types of
solar generation exists. There are the traditional electrical photo voltaic cells as well the thermal solar
installations. Both installation types rely on panels attached (generally) to the roof of a house normally in a
southerly facing direction. Electric P.V. generates electricity that can be fed via an inverter to the home
electricity supply (or onwards directly to the grid or stored in battery).
Photo Voltaic Panels
The power output from a typical electrical P.V. system depends on the size of the installation (which more
often than not is linked to roof space) but are typically from 1 -6KWhr.. A typical direct feed solar
arrangement is shown below where the output of the solar panel is fed via an inverter to the input to the
home or grid. Key metrics to measure are Light (lux), Temperature (Celsius) and power generated (Watts)
which can be measured at the location of the panel itself. The output of a solar panel depends largely on
efficient it is on turning the light energy to electrical energy. Efficiency is determined under standard test
conditions (STC) the specification for which is typically a temperature of 25C an irradiance of 1000W/m2 and
an air mass spectrum of 1.5. Under these conditions a solar cell with efficiency of 10% with a 0.01m2 area
would produce 1 watt of power. In domestic PV where the primary technology is silicon based cells 20%
efficiency is considered a very high conversion factor, with companies such as SunPower (USA) achieving
efficiencies 22.5% and claiming double that of competing manufacturers (12% -15%).
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M1
M1:- Light ,
M2:- Electricity
delivered to the home /
possible to measure
from the inverter or at
Inverter
M2
Electric
Panel
Home or
Grid
Figure 15 Solar Panel Installation Block
Key Metrics and Sensors
From an electric solar panel Key metrics include



Light
Temperature at panel
Power to Load
Measuring the light arriving at the solar panel allows characterization of the efficiency of the solar installation.
Over time if there is power drop off versus light this can be used to feed alarms to the end users to
investigate and carry out maintenance to ensure operational efficiency of the system.
Temperature of the solar panels also affects the operational efficiency of the system. The temperature
should be measured on or as close to the panel as possible. A drop in performance of 1% per degree
Celsius after the 40C mark can be expected on silicon based panels. This temperature is the temperature of
the panel itself and can equate to about 28-32C ambient temperature, which is achievable for a number of
temperate climates in the summer months. Where the electricity produced is measured (at panel / or after
inverter) will depend on future specifications (D5.2.1 /D5.2.2). In terms of control for a solar panel relays or
smart switching inverters can be used to determine where the power generated goes (home / grid or maybe
storage)
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Thermal solar heating
Solar thermal power converts solar energy directly to heat energy and feeds this energy directly to the home
heating system. Different collector types exist: low, medium and high temperature collectors. Low temperature collectors may be used to heat small swimming pools, medium feed into a home heating system and
high are used to mass power production. They operate differently to electrical P.V. with typically higher
efficiencies.
Within the framework of GreenCom low - medium temperature solar collectors are found in residential home
heating systems. The principle behind solar thermal energy is simple: A solar collector absorbs heat from the
sun, and fluid warmed by passing through tubes in the collectors is distributed to the appropriate system.
The main differentiator between these and normal electrical generation is the energy collected cannot be fed
to the Grid via conventional means and only used for heating purposes.
M1:- Heat Meter
(KWhr)
M2:- Light and
Temperature
M3:- Temperature
on return
M
1
M
2
M
3
Tank
Boiler
Key Metrics and Sensors
Heat delivered to the load versus light at the panel is one of the Key metrics for monitoring thermal solar
panels. Metering is discussed below. Temperature in this case can be ambient temperature and the
temperature on the return line of the system. There are upper limits to what temperatures the water will be
heated and this is controlled by temperature controllers at the boiler.
11.2
Wind Generation
Wind turbines use large blades to catch the wind. When the wind blows, the blades are forced round, driving
a turbine which generates electricity. The stronger the wind, the more electricity is produced. Power output of
typical home based turbines can range from 1KWh to 15KWh.
There are two types of domestic-sized wind turbines:
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
Pole mounted: these are free standing and are erected in a suitably exposed position (output around
5kW to 6kW)
Building mounted: these are smaller than mast mounted systems and can be installed on the roof of a
home where there is a suitable wind resource. Often these provide output of 1kW to 2kW.
The wind turbine electrical set up is similar to Figure 15 above. Wind is not as popular as solar power for
home generation needs due to the space required to mount them as well as perceived issues with noise and
appearance.
Wind offers obvious advantages over solar panels in terms of availability. They offer the potential for 24 hour
generation not being tied to daylight. A wind solar hybrid offers a complementary system for generation
where the peak generation times for wind and solar are at different times of the day (Widen Joakim, 2011)
offering a more stable power generation solution.
Key metrics and Sensors

The main parameters of interest when monitoring a wind installation is power output of the wind generator
versus the wind speed. Metering is covered below in the metering section. Wind speed can be measured
with a number of methods including cup based anemometers, ultrasonic anemometers and hot wire
anemometers. All devices are shown below in Figure 16.
Figure 16 Wind Speed Sensors
The cup anemometer (and wind mill anemometer) is the more common system relying on mechanical motion
of the cups to produce an electrical signal in relation to wind speed. These are low powered systems but
require a large area for the sensor themselves.
Wind direction can be of interest when user adjustable dynamic control of the turbine is possible adjusting the
pitch of the blades as well as the yaw of turbine itself to maximize power capture from the turbine. The
majority of turbines purchased would not have this level of user dynamic control available and any control
would is automatically carried out.
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12. Distributed Storage
Distributed storage is a critical component for the smart mirco-grid infrastructure. Since the micro-grid
consists of intermittent users and intermittent generators distributed storage is the method used to match
demand to generation. Traditionally within micro-grids storage is generally achieved through electrical
storage in battery banks or through thermal storage for heating.
When a solar or wind installation is carried out the generation can be connected directly to the load (as in the
home) and to the grid. The other way is a hybrid installation where the generators can be connected to a
battery bank than load and grid. The battery bank is typically re-charged from the generators and this is fed
into the inverter for consumption by the load. The battery option per home can be expensive as extra
equipment needs to be installed primarily in the form of a charge controller and battery bank. One concept
that is being investigated within the domain of electrical storage is to develop community storage solutions.
Here a company creates a large battery bank and “rents” space on battery bank for users to distribute their
energy at low peak times for use at high peak times. Australia’s smart city smart grid (Smart Grid Smart City,
2012) initiative is running pilots on this concept using lithium batteries as the storage mechanism.
Batteries
For electrical storage for micro-grid applications the batteries is currently the most cost effective, reliable and
efficient method for storing electric energy. Different battery chemistries are designed for different types of
charge / discharge cycles. In terms of storage for solar and wind systems there are a number of
requirements a battery system should adhere to. These batteries need to be able to withstand repeated
heavy discharge followed by short periods of quick re-charging. If the battery selected is not able to
withstand these conditions then battery damage and in extreme cases battery exploding can occur. The type
of battery that is required for these systems is known as a “deep cycle battery”.
The battery also offers the greatest amount of flexibility to the smart micro-gird application. Renewable
generated energy can be fed directly to the load or stored in the battery and released later either to the load
or back to the grid. Battery based energy can also be used to power a range of loads unlike thermal energy
that can only be used for heating.
Lead Acid
There are two types of lead acid batteries. These are starting batteries and deep-cycle batteries. Starting
batteries will be used for applications where a large short burst of energy is required followed by long period
of recharging (starting a car). Deep-cycle lead acids on the other hand are the batteries more suitable for
Grid applications. Lead acid batteries for micro-grid operation come in a number of different types.
1. Flooded Lead Acid batteries are batteries with caps for water. These batteries tend be cheap and have
operational lifetimes over a number of years. They release gas when being charged and as a result need
to be placed in a vented area (preferably outdoors) they also require water top-ups.
2. Gel lead acids are batteries are more expensive but they do not vent gas and as a result they can be
used indoors.
3. Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries are considered one of the better technologies for micro-grid use.
They are the most expensive but offer longer life spans with better electrical ratings.
Due to cost considerations when a battery backup system is used lead-acid is the primary battery technology
used today.
Lithium Ion
Lithium batteries are beginning to emerge as a home electric storage option and are seen within the
emerging electric vehicles that are being produced. Lithium has a number of advantages over the traditional
lead acid including a higher energy density, higher specific energy a larger charge window a higher cycle life
and better efficiency. The main draw back with lithium batteries is the cost per kWh compared to the lead
acid counterpart. Lithium batteries are also more likely to enter what’s known as thermal runaway where a
battery heats up causing the venting of gas and explosion. The reason lithium is more likely to do this is due
to the higher energy density of the cell. Table 25 below gives a comparison of the two technologies (using
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lithium ion as the comparison). Other new technologies such as lithium vanadium are being touted as
possible solutions for storage within the smart grid. Vanadium for example has the potential to have higher
energy densities that lithium ion with extremely low self discharge rates which may make it suitable for grid
storage in the future/
Table 25 Comparison of battery types
Lead Acid
Lithium Ion
Energy density (Wh/L) (the
amount of energy stored per
volume)
100
250
Specific energy (Wh/kg) (Energy
per specific mass)
40
150
Cycle Life (Number of complete
charge discharge cycles a battery
can perform)
1200 @ 50%
1900@80%
Cost (€/kWh)
40
400
Safety
Can vent gas / enter thermal run
away
More likely than lead acid to enter
thermal run away
The main point to note for the different battery technologies within the micro-grid is they will have different
behaviour characteristics that may need to be taken into account for dynamic storage and retrieval of power.
Electric Vehicle
An electric vehicle uses electrically driven motors to achieve movement. Electric vehicles are most An
electric vehicle uses electrically driven motors to achieve movement. Electric vehicles are most commonly
associated with the emerging electrical cars such as the Nissan Leaf or Tesla roadsters but also include
buses, trains, and motor cycles. While electric vehicles can fall into a number of separate categories the type
that will have most integration with the emerging smart grid is the plug-in battery powered electric vehicle.
Here the battery in the vehicle supplies the energy to drive the motors. This energy is transferred into the
battery from charge points on the grid either in the home / work or distributed charge stations around a
community. The electric vehicle research has proven the feasibility of the concept (range, expense, charging
times etc…). With advances in EV technology as well as advances in the emerging smart grid combined with
the rise in fuel prices in recent times EV technology could become a widely adopted, critical component
within the smart grid infrastructure. Beyond load management it emerges as a potential storage and load
shifting resource (Masoum A, 2010).
The main concern with the current grid set-up is that the emergence of plug-in electric vehicles an extra load
is added at peak times to the grid further reducing the reliability of the grid as well as causing potential power
problems. Simulated results as provided by (Masoum S et al, 2010) show that a wide and rapid uptake of
plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) could result in major grid instability due to mass charging coinciding with time
of typical peak use (after work for example) . While PEVs could act as a potential threat to the reliability of
the grid system on the other hand they could possibly be seen as another distributed storage element within
the grid infrastructure. Since PEVs would be parked 95% of the time in a daily cycle there is ample
opportunity to use these devices to move energy from the grid and possibly back again. EV batteries
technologies which typically use lithium based chemistry can handle large sudden discharge events
efficiently such as those that might be experienced at peak times during a day.
The potential for using EV within the grid as a DS source is still a thing for the future when uptake of PEVs is
higher but the management and control for the grid needs to be in place to avoid de-stabilizing the electricity
supply network.
The potential for using EV within the grid as a DS source is still a thing for the future when uptake of PEVs is
higher but the management and control for the grid needs to be in place to avoid de stabilizing the electricity
supply network.
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Thermal Mass
Hot water thermal storage tanks are used for storing hot water for space heat and domestic use. These
storage systems can retain heat for days if properly insulated. They collect energy from a number of sources
but in terms of the GreenCom project the sources of interest are electric and thermal solar panels as well as
heat pumps. In terms of measuring energy produced flow meters need to be placed in line with the hot water
in-let for the solar system. With regards to electric thermal storage they are metered similarly to a heat pump
measuring power consumed versus heat output obtained.
Monitoring and Environmental Considerations
For a complete monitoring solution for storage elements within the smart grid environmental impacts need to
be taken into account. Battery performance for example can be affected by both temperature and humidity.
For example lead acid batteries which are a common chemistry used within generation and storage systems
are optimal in the temperature range from 20-25C. When the temperatures move to different extremes
outside this range it can affect the battery performance both in terms of charge characteristics, lifetime and
peak current output. For example battery capacity on a lead acid battery can reduce by 1% per degree C
below 20C while higher temperatures accelerate aging and self-discharge properties of the battery.
As a result any solution for battery monitoring within the GreenCom project should include where possible
temperature and humidity monitoring. The ambient conditions of the battery should be monitored and if
possible the temperature of the battery itself would also be of interest especially for generating failure alarms
for overcharging.
Sensors and metering required
This section is indicative of current standard installations that are in place. The GreenCom project may follow
a similar set-up or use a different approach that may present itself. This cannot be determined until year two
of the project when the holistic view of the DS &DG system is fully specified. For the storage systems the
sensors required will include metering and environmental sensors. Electricity and heat metering will be
required with similar set-ups to those outlined in the metering section above. Environmental sensing in the
form of temperature and humidity sensors will be also required. Monitoring the charge and discharge curves
of the battery as well as the overall system state will also be required to get an understanding of how the
storage systems are being used and how best to control them. Below is an outline block diagram of a
generation / storage system. The generators can either be directly connected to the battery banks first via a
charge controller and then the battery banks are connected to the load via an inverter. Or there can be
switch enabled routing of the power flow depending on what the system requires. i.e. power can be drawn
from batteries or generated electricity.
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Figure 17 Hybrid generation storage system
Technologies available
There are a number of off the shelf (non-wireless) solutions available for battery monitoring and power
control. These solutions can be connected to the battery terminals and will monitor the charge state of the
battery as well as provide information such as the last time the battery was charged. These systems are
normally compatible with a range of battery types which is selected on the device at installation (jumper
connection / switch / software set-up). These battery monitors can also have integrated digital connections
such as RS232 / RS485 lines for connection to a PC or data logging device (such as a wireless mote).
Companies such as Bogart engineering offer devices such as the Trimetric and Pentametric battery
monitoring devices for renewable storage batteries. These devices offer voltage and current measurement
as well as calculating power in watt hours. Battery monitoring can also be integrated directly with the charge
controller as is the case for the Magnum or sterling systems shown below. For the deployment planned in
GreenCom a digital interface to the motes would be required in order to switch the power supply to / from the
batteries. Simple relays that are rated for the maximum power expected can be used here.
Pentametric battery monitor.
Sterling smart battery charger and monitor
Figure 18 Smart Battery Monitors and Charger
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Metering
Heat
Any heat metering will require the use of either a digital or analogue heat meter to be installed in-line or on
the water system piping. A heat meter is used to measure the amount of heat (in terms of kWh) that has
been dissipated in a loop of pipe work A range of heat meters exist that can be used for this. Types of heat
meter include inline mechanical meters with an inline temperature sensor. In-line ultrasonic meters use an
ultrasonic sensor for the mechanical measurements. Non-invasive systems use a clamp on ultrasonic sensor
to measure flow and clamp on temperature sensor for temperature.
They can cost from 100 – 1500 Euro depending on pipe diameter and interface type. For example an inline
mechanical meter can cost as little as 100 Euro where a non-invasive ultrasonic meter with digital output
could cost between 1000-1300 Euro.
Once a meter is installed a wireless sensor mote can be attached to the meters interface (pulse output
where 1 pulse = XKWhr or 0-X volt analogue output and this can be relayed back to the central system).
Figure 19 In-Line Heat meter with LCD and pulse output
Electricity metering
For electric metering there are a number of wireless electric meters that can be connected in-line with the
electrical load. There are wireless options running the Zigbee HA and SE 1.1 protocol as well as proprietary
wireless protocols.
A full electrical metering installation will use current and voltage to calculate the power being used by the
load. The voltage measurement requires a physical electrical connection to the line while a current uses a
clamp on arrangement. If the voltage is constant (or can be assumed constant such as in a home load) than
a current clamp can be used on its own with the understanding the voltage is assumed to be constant for any
calculations.
If wireless meters are not available again a similar approach can be taken as with the heat metering where a
non-wireless electrical meter is connected into the system to be monitored. These electrical meters will have
a digital interface and can be polled by an attached wireless sensing platform via any number of serial
protocols (RS232 / Modbus over RS485).
Table 26 List of monitoring requirements for generation and storage
System
Solar (P.V)
Metric
Light
Measurement Unit
Lux
Sensor Types
Sensor
Specification
(approximate)
LDR / Photodiode
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Range
Accuracy
0-1M lux
+/- 1%
GreenCom
Solar (thermal)
Wind
Batteries
Temperature
Celsius
RTD,
Thermocouple, IR,
Digital
-200 –
+5000
+/- 1C
Power
Kilo Watt Hours
Electric
meters
(Current
and
voltage
measurements)
0
–
XkWh
+/- 2%
Light
Lux
LDR / Photodiode
0-1M lux
+/- 1%
Temperature
Celsius
RTD,
Thermocouple, IR,
Digital
-200 –
+5000
+/- 1C
Heat Delivered
Kilo Watt Hours
Heat meters
0
–
XkWh
Speed / Direction
Kilometres per hour
Mechanical,
Ultrasonic, hot wire
+/- 1m/s
+/5degrees
Power
Kilo Watt Hours
Electric
meters
(Current
and
voltage
measurements)
0160MPH
/ 0-359
degrees
0
–
XkWh
Yaw / Pitch / rotor
speed
(if
controllable)
Angle
Gyroscope
accelerometer
/
360
degrees
/ up to
250g
+/- 2000
degree
/sec and
/
+/-0
0.1g/ms
Charge Current
Amps
Shunt / Current
transformer
/
rogoski coil
0 – 1000
amps
(depends
on
current
range of
coil)
Terminal Voltage
Volts
Voltage probe
0
–
1000V
+/- 2%
Temperatures
Celsius
RTD,
Thermocouple, IR,
Digital
-200 –
+5000
+/- 1C
Power draw
Kilo watt hours
Electric
meters
(Current
and
voltage
measurements)
0
–
XkWh
+/- 2%
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13. Overall Network Topology
Unlike the home area/automation network which is primarily a localized self-contained environment the
boundaries of a network for control and monitoring of a distributed generation and distributed storage system
are not as clearly defined. Within the HAN there are distributed networked load devices within the home all
reporting to a central gateway with one gateway per house. For the generation and storage side the
infrastructure can be spread out over a neighbourhood or even several neighbour-hoods or entire
communities (such as an island). The geographically distributed nature of the micro grid means that logical
groupings of devices may be formed based on low-power network (802.15.4 for example), communications
distance with a number of connections to a backhaul network, such as 3G or GSM, to transfer data to and
from the management software. Figure 20 below outlines this concept. In the micro-grid there will be several
groupings of generators and storage systems each with their own individual gateway. The gateway is
connected to the backhaul network via a remote link (Wi-Fi to wired broadband connection, GSM network
etc…). Similar groupings have been outlined by researchers such as Hao Ling et al , 2012 in IEEE Wireless
Communications magazine.
Back Haul (Fibre / 3G / GSM)
D
D
D
D
D
Grid
D
D
D
D
Back Haul (Fibre / 3G / GSM)
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Gateways
Individual HANs
Distributed Generation
Distributed Storage
DS
Figure 20 Network Topology of DS & DG system
11.1 Wireless Considerations
The groupings in Figure 20 will be based on proximity to each other with the confines of wireless network
technology and the ranges which data can be routed reliably before it makes sense to use a gateway. Range
depends on the

Power available for transmission of the wireless signal ,

Frequency of the signal

Density of the mesh network.

Path loss

Propagation environment

Radio positioning

Antenna type
Line of site for typical 2.4GHz 802.15.4 radios for example point to point can vary from 30 meters up several
kilometres depending on factors such as radiated power , antenna selection and reliever sensitivity.
Changing the frequency can also increase the range for example an 868 radio with 25dBm of radiated power
may achieve distances up to 40km. This can be further increased by introducing repeaters and mesh
networking. An estimation of what is achievable is not possible until the environment is known including
building densities available power sources and locations for radio placements.
Propagation losses for the transmitted radio waves are influenced strongly by the environment they are
placed and influence the maximum achievable reliable range considerably. For example a radio with an ERP
of 5dbm may achieve up to 300 meters line of site range with no obstacles obstructing and a 2dbi 17cm half
dipole antenna. Within an indoor environment this could drop as low as 50 meters and be anywhere in
between for an outdoor operating environment. Propagation losses due to environment are categorized
below

Absorption losses; when radio signal passes through an object (buildings, vegetation)

Diffraction losses; object in the path causing the radio signal to reflect around

Multipath reflections; radio signal arrives via multiple paths
An understanding of the environment is required to accurately estimate the range and as a result the extent
of generation and storage network groupings that are possible within the micro-grid framework.
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13.2
Operating Environment and Technologies deployed
The main operating environment for the GreenCom project will be piloted in Denmark. This section serves
the purpose of giving and impression of the operating environment on the Island of Fur and of the
possibilities for generation and storage devices, which are already available and what the expectations are in
the future.
The Island of Fur has some very ambitious climate goals stating that the Island should be 100% CO2-neutral
in 2020 and that 20% of the power consumption should be covered by solar panels in 20152. These goals
have been defined in the Innovation Fur-project, with Branding Fur, the Municipality of Skive and EnergMidt.
In order to realize these high ambitions and climate goals, Innovation Fur will attempt to define and generate
interesting projects, which can obtain the necessary external funding from EU, the Region of Central Jutland,
different national finding and private funding.
The GreenCom project is a good example of the synergies that arise from coupling local demonstration
facilities with European expertise and external funding. It results in a project that aims at advancing the
knowledge about different technologies for Smart Grid and ICT, not only on the Island of Fur, but in a panEuropean context. The GreenCom projects therefore fits perfectly with the ambition of testing the Smart Grid
and determine the scale of production and storage and how these Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and
individual, customer related production and storage solutions could be included in the power grid.
Facts of the Island of Fur
In order to be able to relate the numbers, it is important to have an overall understanding of the size of the
Island and the activities ongoing. Therefore, this section will state some overall facts about the Island:

Size: 23 km2

856 inhabitants in 424 households

500 summer houses – 180.000 tourists (summer)

Permanent ferry connection – 70 daily departures

Companies:

2
o
“Fur Bryghus” – Local beer brewery
o
Damolin (kitty litter)
o
Skamol (insulation for industry and households)
o
10 smaller business- and service companies
Institutions:
o
Local school (0.-6. great) – 50 pupils
o
1 kindergarten
Energy Supply - http://www.energy-supply.dk/article/view/78033/ambitiose_klimamal_for_limfjordsoen_fur
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Overview of DER
In order to illustrate the primary DERs, including energy production and energy storage on the Island of Fur,
E-MIDT has created the following illustration:
Figure 21 Location of current and potential future DER from wind power on the Island of Fur - (EnergiMidt)
(Green Dot :- CHP, Blue Dot:-Wind Turbines installed, Red Dot:- Future Wind Installation)
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Local CHP - Fur Kraftvarme amba
The green point in the figure above shows the location of the
Local CHP on the Island of Fur.
The local CHP was established in September 1995, as a Small
Natural gas based CHP. Therefore, the primary production
comes from a gas engines producing electricity, where the
waste heat from the power generation process is used for
heating water, which increases the efficiency of the plant to
around 90%.
The power is sold to the power grid, while the heat is provided to
the 236 connected customers through a district heating grid with
a total length of 11 kilometers. During the cold winter months,
when the gas engine cannot provide the necessary heat a gas
Figure 22 Fur Kraftvarme A.m.b.A boiler can be used to ensure the heat for the customers. Excess
heat can be stored in two large hot water storage tanks, which contributes to a stabile heat supply3.
Chairman for Fur Kraftvarmeværk A.m.b.A, Esben Sejer Jeppesen, has provided E-MIDT with the following
specifications on the production- and storage facilities:
Gas engine:
Maximum power capacity: 980 kW
Maximum heat capacity: 1,3 MW
Gas boiler:
Maximum heat capacity from gas boiler: 2 MW
Hot water storage:
Two hot water storage tanks of 155.000 liters each, giving a total of 310.000 liters, which is
equivalent to 17-18 MWh of storage.
Due to energy political goals in Denmark, stating a vision of 100% RE in power- and heating sector in 2035
the future plan for reducing the use of natural gas has been discussed at Fur Kraftvarme. In this process of
gradually replacing the natural gas with RE sources, many different solutions has been discussed, including
biomass boilers, geothermal project and using excess process heat from a local production company,
Skamol, which is a company providing thermal insulating materials for heat-intensive industries and passive
fire protection for households, based on a special type of earth material, based on ancient deposits of algae,
which is unique to the area and in the world4.
Recently, a solution of installing a large heat pump and creating a Smart Grid Ready CHP has also been
discussed, but there is still no specific plan for the future of Fur Kraftvarme A.m.b.A.
Wind power
Based on the overview of the DERs on the Island of Fur, the blue points marks the current DERs from the
5
two small wind turbines on Fur, each with a capacity below 450 kW . As these wind turbines are quite old,
there are plans of replacing them with two new and larger wind turbines each within the range of 850 kW –
2MW capacity, which could be located where the two red points are.
In Denmark, the most typical on-shore wind turbine is the three-bladed propeller-type rotor on a horizontal
axis, placed on the upwind side of a tubular steel tower, electricity producing and grid connected. Normally,
these types are pitch regulated.
Over the recent years gearless wind turbines with compact multi-pole permanent-magnet synchronous
generators have been installed. On-shore wind turbines are installed either as single turbine, in small
clusters or in wind farms with a large number of turbines.
The wind turbines starts producing electricity from wind speeds of 3-4 m/s, but the rated power generation is
reached at wind speeds of around 10-12 m/s. For safety and security reasons the maximum operational wind
speeds are limited to approx. 25 m/s.
In Denmark the wind resources are generally quite attractive for exploiting the wind power especially at the
west coast, where the strong western winds provides almost perfect conditions for wind turbines. At the
same time Denmark is a flat country with a lot of coastline, proving many opportunities for installing wind
turbines also further inland.
3
4
5
Information about Fur Kraftvarmeværk A.m.b.A - http://www.furnyt.dk/v/index.php/alfabetisk-oversigt/64-fur-kraftvarmevaerk
Skamol A/S - http://www.skamol.com/About-Skamol.2.aspx
The Municipality of Skive - http://www.energibyenskive.dk/da/projekter/vindmoeller/
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The Island of Fur is located in an area, which in Denmark is considered to be average or slightly above
average in the scale of wind and thereby attractivity of wind turbines, as the middle wind speed over the year
is between 7 m/s – 7,5 m/s6 (Energistyrelsen, 2009).
The seasonal variation of the energy content in winds over Denmark is shown in the figure below
(Energistyrelsen, 2012):
Figure 23 Wind distribution in Denmark - (Energistyrelsen,
2012)
In Denmark, there are a number of guidelines and restrictions for erecting on-shore wind turbines, which can
be seen from the list below. All the following elements are important points, which are taken into
consideration in the final evaluation of the environmental impact and thereby the decision of realizing the
wind turbine projects(Energistyrelsen, 2009)7.




Visual implications (Evaluation of placement in the landscape, type of landscape,
size of the wind turbine etc.)
Noise limitations (maximum of 44 dB in a distance of 15 meter from the household
at wind speeds of 8 m/s)
- Shadow effects (Below 10 hours of high frequency blinking pr. year)
Effects of mounted light markings (Should be visual from a horizontal perspective
to ensure air traffic safety)
Light reflections from rotor blades (gloss index below 30)
The biggest challenge for wind power on the Island of Fur is the visual implications and the respect- and
concern for the nature and environment on the Island, as Fur is a protected and preserved area. Therefore,
wind power projects are being evaluated from project to project. Especially, the northern areas of the Island
are under extremely high levels of preservation, based on historical value and tourism activities, which
means that it is not allowed to make changes in the terrain, including new buildings and planting and larger
stones may not be removed and the public should keep quiet and are not allowed to set up tents, make bon
8
fire or even walk their dog .
Photo Voltaics (PVs)
The recent development of solar power, in Denmark are good examples of how effective own- or net
production scheme can be in terms of commercializing RE-technologies for the private segment. Last year
the energy companies experienced a boom in the sale of solar panels of about 700% per cent from May
9
2011 to December 2011, especially for private households , and the development has continued in 2012. At
some point E-MIDT was actually having a waiting list for installation of solar panels, because the company’s
supplier cannot keep up with the demand10.
6
Map showing wind resources - http://fys.dk/fipnet/9_vind/91_temaer/914_vindressourcekort/
Report from Energistyrelsen; ”Wind Turbines in Denmark” - http://www.ens.dk/Documents/Netboghandel%20%20publikationer/Vedvarende%20energi/2009/HTML/Vindm%F8ller%20i%20Danmark/pdf/978-87-7844-820-0.pdf
8
Danish Nature Agency - http://www.naturstyrelsen.dk/Naturbeskyttelse/Skov/Statsskovene/Hvad/Arealer/Midtjylland/Arealer+paa+Nordfur.htm
9
Ingeniøren - http://ing.dk/artikel/124688-solcellegennembrud-hos-private
10
Ingeniøren - http://ing.dk/artikel/124983-energi-midt-kan-ikke-foelge-med-solcelle-efterspoergslen
7
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The development is explained by some attractive schemes and subsidies for solar panels, like the Net
Metering Scheme, which allows people to “store”
excess solar power, produced in the summer, on the
power grid and use it for free in the winter. In
practice, it means that the power meter runs
backwards in the summer and normally during the
winther months with no or little solar production.
For many years it was considered unattractive to
install solar panel in Denmark, but under normal
Danish solar conditions, the solar panel have had a
ROI on 10-12 years, but depending on which net
scheme is being used, some installation might have
been closer to 7-8 years11. This is primarily due to
another attractive scheme is the possibility to write of
25% of the investment of a solar panel pr. year, until
the left over value is approximately 12.000 DKK.
Finally, it has been possible to subtract the expenses for installation over the tax bill, which is a
scheme that will run throughout 2012.
Figure 24 The seasonal variation of electricity generation
from a typical PV system in Denmark - (EnergiMidt
Strategiavis, 2012)
Besides being good investment for the customer it also good for the environment, as the solar panels have
another positive side effect. Experiences show that Danes, which has installed solar panels, are actually
using 5-10% less power, than they did before12. This is an interesting discovery, as it is important that people
begin to change their behaviour and relationship to their energy consumption in order to engage the
customers in the green conversion of the energy system, where customers should play an important role.
During the last couple of year there has been a great interest in solar panels among the inhabitants on the
Island of Fur, as they have the largest share of installed solar capacity in Denmark, with 6,4%, compared to
the average of around 2,3% in the rest of Denmark13. The 6,4% solar capacity on the Island of Fur
corresponds to 27 private solar panel solution providing an estimated current solar capacity on 108-162 kW.
However, the latest development in solar scheme in Denmark, with the stop of the Net Metering Scheme and
change to hour based billing on solar power has stopped and only few solar private solar panels have been
sold afterwards. Therefore, E-MIDT naturally expects that the same thing will happen on the Island of Fur.
Unless, the solar scheme in Denmark changes again over the next years, the capacity from solar panels are
not expected to be much more than from the 20 solar panels solutions, which E-MIDT have received funding
for. If these solar panel solutions has an average capacity of 4-6 kW, which is the typical installation size in
Denmark. This is primarily due to an earlier limit of 6 kW installations for private solar panels, but under the
new solar scheme in Denmark, there is no longer any limit.
Based on these assumptions total capacity of these new solar panels are expected to be around 80-120 kW.
With the current installed solar capacity and the expected new capacity the total capacity will be in the range
of 188 – 282 kW in 2015.
The most common technology used for solar panels in Denmark is the crystalline silicon solar cell
technology, where the silicon solar cells are typically assembled into modules of 54-72 individual cells. The
module voltage is typically 25-40 volt DC, but higher voltages can be obtained by connecting more modules,
either in series or in parallel. Most common in the market are PV modules with a capacity of 180-270 Wp, but
up to 440 Wp is available. Typical solar roof-top system in Denmark with a capacity of 4 –6 kW, will
correspond to an area of 30 – 50 m2 for crystalline silicon. A PV system with a capacity of 1 kWp will
typically produce 850-900 kWh per year(Energistyrelsen, 2012).
11
12
13
Ingeniøren - http://ing.dk/artikel/120726-prisfald-og-nyt-fradrag-goer-solceller-til-guldrandet-investering
TV2 Nyhederne - http://nyhederne-dyn.tv2.dk/article.php/id-46617875:salg-af-solceller-er-eksploderet.html
Energy Supply - http://www.energy-supply.dk/article/view/96653/solcellerekord_pa_fur
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Heat Pumps (HPs)
E-MIDT provides both ground source- and air-to-water based heat pumps from the following suppliers:
Recent analysis
Recent analysis shows that air-to-water heat pumps are becoming increasingly popular. Economic analysis
14
shows that the ROI are 8,4 years for both, air-to-water and ground source based heat pumps , but as it is
easier to install an air-to-water heat pumps, these are preferred by many, when replacing their current oil
burner.
E-MIDT has received funding for 21 heat pumps, and depending on the size of the heat pumps, which
typically varies from 2-5 kW, we can expect from 41-105 kW to be installed over the next years.
In order to ensure the best performance of the heat pump it is recommended to make an energy audit before
installing the heat pump. Over the last couple of years the inhabitants on the Island of Fur have been offered
free energy audits, and typically it is beneficial for many households to increase insulation on ceilings and
cavities, which will typically be and investment of 20-50.000 DKK or €2.650-6.650.
Many of these energy audits on Fur have been carried out by former E-MIDT energy consultant, Olav
Bliksted. His experiences from talking to the inhabitants on the Island of Fur are that many people are willing
to spend extra money, when there are already in the process of improving the climate impact. People in
general are focused on the economy, but there are also many people, who find it interesting to do something
good for the environment15.
Micro Combined Heat and Power
Micro CHP is primarily a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) solution, primarily for domestic purposes, as it
will be placed inside the household or the user in a household, but might also be useful in small office
buildings.
It is expected that Micro CHP with Stirling engines and gas engines will be commercially available within few
years, as these technologies are the most developed at this point.
However, some Danish companies, like Haldor Topsoe, IRD Fuel Cells and Dantherm Power are focusing on
developing Micro CHP’s based on the fuel cells technology, as it should be beneficial to convert power from
wind turbines or solar panel into RE gas or Hydrogen, which can be used for domestic heating. This type of
Micro CHPs technology is very flexible as it will be able to store cheap electricity from the grid as Hydrogen,
which can then be used for domestic heating. If needed, it will also be able to produce electricity to the power
grid. This solution is expected, not only be more environmentally friendly, but also more efficient16 and at the
same time it will support the ideas of a Smart Grid and a Smart Energy System, like in GreenCom.
One of the ideas of using Micro CHPs in a Smart Energy System in Denmark is to be able to connect all
these Micro CHPs, so that they will act a large virtual power plant (VPP) and in practice be considered as
one unit or one plant. The idea is that this VPP should be remotely controlled and have the same regulation
ability to the power system as a traditional CHP.
This will naturally demand a huge introduction and commercialization of Micro CHPs and will also demand a
well-functioning Smart Grid. However, the solution should help to ensure the stability of the power grid and
help to reduce or avoid investments and reinforcements of the distribution grid, without building new CHPs
and reduce the CO2 emissions17.
14
EnergiMidt A/S - http://www.energimidt.dk/privat/varmepumper/oekonomi/oekonomiske-eksempler-paa-varmepumper
The Energy City of Skive - http://www.energibyenskive.dk/media/11810/fur_kan_f__solcelle-park.pdf
16
DONG Energy - http://www.dongenergy.com/da/innovation/developing/pages/micro_chp.aspx
17
DONG Energy - http://www.dongenergy.com/da/innovation/developing/pages/micro_chp.aspx
15
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Table 27 Technical Data from 1-10KW Residential Micro SHPs and power fuel cells using Natural Gas
Some of issues or downsides of the Micro CHPs are their operating lifetime, electrical efficiency and long
start-up time, which are illustrated in the table below:
As the table also shows, these elements are expected to improve over the years, and the Micro CHPs has
the advantage compared to normal CHPs, that there is no or very little loss in the heat distribution, as the
Micro CHPs are located where the heat and power is consumed.
As Micro CHPs are developed to meet the need for covering the power and heating consumption of a
household, the typical size or capacity are between 0,5-5 kW. In the period from 2012-2015, E-MIDT have
received funding for two Micro CHPs, which should contribute with around 10 kW on the capacity on the
Island of Fur.
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14. Summary and Conclusions
Home Automation conclusions
From the review carried out it can be seen there are a number of wireless technologies available that target
the area of Home/building automation and smart metering. To narrow down these technologies to find a
suitable selection for the GreenCom project key parameters for a HAN both in general and for the Greencom
project specifically needs to be considered.
Table 28 RF Technologies comparisons
ZigB
ee
KNXRF
RfBand
2.4 868
868
Stan
dard
ZigB
ee
Stan
dard
KNX
IETF
RFC49
44
TCP/I
P
supp
ort
Mod
ulati
on
BitRate
Rang
e
(LOS
)
Yes
(SE
P2.0
)
DSS
S
Yes
Yes
FSK/
GFS
K
16.5
DSSS
MAC
Meth
od
CSM
A/C
A or
TDM
A
No
Prop
rietar
y
25040
10100
6LoW
PAN
Wi-Fi
2.4868
2.4 5.2
Senza
Net
Das
h7
Wave
nis
EnO
cea
n
433/
868
ZWav
e
868
MiWi
One
-Net
2.4
868
802.
15.1
EnO
cea
n
Allia
nce
ZWav
e
Allia
nce
Micr
ochi
p
prop
eriter
y
Yes
OneNet
open
stan
dard
2.4
433
E-Senza
Technologi
es
ISO/I
EC
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
yes
Yes
DSSS
GFS
K
ASK
FSK
DSS
S
BPS
K
250
FSK/
GFS
K
200
FHSS
250
DSSS
/OFD
M
54M
100
1-3M
125
200
250
40
100
100
100
100
1KM
1KM
1100
(dep
endin
g on
class
)
30
100
100
250
CSM
A
CSMA/
CA or
TDMA
Res
end
CSM
A/C
A
CSM
A/CA
CSM
A/C
A
No
No
No
CSM
A/CA
or
TDM
A
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
802.1
1
No
yes
433/8
68/91
5
Wave
nis
OSA
Blue
toot
h
2.4
No
No
A number of researchers (Paul Ejnar et al…, 2011) have carried out comparative analysis on a various home
automation protocols and have listed a number of key parameters that should be met when deploying a
wireless sensor network for the HAN application area. These are
 Interoperability / Future proofing
 Logistics / How widely supported/available are these technologies.
 Reliability / able to deal with reflections and noise
 Distance < 30 Meter typical
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


Low power for battery operation
Low Bandwidth requirements
Ease of installation / network set-up and use
In terms of interoperability and availability the list is quickly narrowed down to a shorter number of protocols
these are ZigBee, Z-wave, EnOcean, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wavenis. While there are a number of very promising
emerging technologies that will eventually create highly interoperable home automation network applications
mainly via IPv6 and internet compatibility, these technologies are still emerging and have not completely
entered into the market as of yet.
Reliability in this case is generally talking about radio frequency interference introduced by the home.
Sources of noise include
 Interference from other radio equipment (Wi-Fi / Bluetooth / 802.15.4)
 Interference from home equipment (microwaves etc...)
 Multiple paths transmission
 Physical failure (mote power loss, movement)
 Packet loss
The ability to form mesh networks and heal can help combat the problems above, if motes “drop out” for
whatever reason if the packages can re-route via other motes this improves the reliability. Packet loss can
also be mitigated with acknowledgments and re-transmissions and also via medium access methods such as
listen before talk. Motes need to be able to transmit up to 30 meters in the indoor environment to ensure
coverage this can be overcome with routers but this adds to installation costs and complexity.
Not all motes in a HAN will have access to a mains power supply the wireless technology used needs to be
compatible with battery operating constraints with a low watt per bit ratios. For home users adopting and
maintaining these technologies ease of installation and network maintenance quickly becomes critical
commissioning and enrolling the devices in the physical network needs to be user friendly and “easy” to
carry out.
Taking all the above into account and the number of available and compatible technologies are further
reduced down to three main options, these are:
1. ZigBee HA
2. Z-Wave
3. EnOcean
Each of these technologies offers their own set of advantages. ZigBee is completely open for use with the
standards published but there are still some questions about inter manufacturer compatibility even within the
structures of the user profiles. Z-Wave and EnOcean on the other hand require developers to sign up and
pay fees to the individual alliances. In terms of available devices Z-wave seems to have made the most in
terms of market penetration with ZigBee and EnOcean following it. When creating the infrastructure for the
home automation network primarily off the self-solutions can be used, but there will be occasions when a
custom device is required to interface with non-standard equipment (such as heat pumps or pulse output
meters). The use of open source and available material with a number of radio manufacturers will be an
important issue at this point and it is for that reason that the overall recommendation for the HAN is to use
ZigBee HA.
The home control platform will follow the format of similar technologies defined and will essentially be a
wireless sensor node with dedicated sensing and control functionalities running the wireless protocol. For the
HAN, where safety and comfort will be of utmost concern as much as possible, any technologies interfacing
with or controlling power to appliances will be off the shelf parts with safety certification, this will include the
plug devices and load control devices listed above.
The list of gateways below will be used to define the final gateway specification. Further discussions with
relevant partners in this area will define the specification based on software requirements. The final
specification will be outlined in Deliverable D5.2.1 (M8).
For the home automation / area network the main conclusions are:
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




There is hardware available for the home automation market. This hardware should be utilized to
simplify system set-up
While future technologies such as IPv6 look promising thre are not market ready at this point
Technologies selected should conform to the main requirements of the HAN
 Ease of installation and management
 Manufacturer interoperability
 Availability
 Low Power / Low data rate
 Reliability
ZigBee HA / Z-wave and EnOcean all viable options
For the GreenCom project ZigBee HA is the overall recommendation in terms of wireless
technology due to its open source nature.
Distributed Generation and Storage
This report has outlined the likely generation and storage devices that may be seen within a micro-grid. To
successfully manage generation-demand within these micro grids the first step is determining what needs to
be monitored for these devices and then how to control them. With correct monitoring better decisions can
be made when deciding what to do with generated power and the distributed storage. Correct monitoring is
also important for upper level decision layers so they can forecast what might be generated and what may
need to be stored as well as knowing the state of individual devices within the grid.
Examining what wireless monitoring and control infrastructures are available for the DS & DG portion of the
grid infrastructure it quickly becomes clear that unlike the home automation network portion of the microgrid,
technologies for this section of the grid are still in the infancy of development. The Zigbee Alliance have
made an attempt with SEP 1.0 the future of which is uncertain as the initial SEP2.0 draft looks to embrace an
IP Interface instead and as a result would not be immediately compatible with SEP 1.0.
The use of 6LoWPAN and HTTP interfacing is a promising development for control and monitoring of the
smart grid and this can be seen within the Industrial protocols which are also supporting 6LoWPAN and TCP
data transfer mechanisms. The advantages of using an internet of things approach to connect the wireless
infrastructure on the grid are instant scalability using the vast number of available IPV6 addresses as well as
interoperability, as standard internet protocols can be used for communication. The disadvantages are with
upper layer security (radio layers can still use the same AES128 based encryption) and the difficulties that
may be encountered when porting communications such as TCP on to small resource constrained devices
over a large mesh network.
For the GreenCom project the potential advantages of 6LoWPAN and the lack of a creditable alternative with
wide spread use protocol for the distribution and generation side of the grid lead to the overall suggestion to
use a wireless IPV6 approach for communication between devices over the 802.15.4 radio standard. While
ZigBee Home Automation has been suggested for the home networking portion of the GreenCom project
that decision was based on the need to use off the shelf actuators (mainly plug actuators) that have been
safety and CE certified. These constraints aren’t present within the DS and DG side of the project. As can be
seen when control or high power monitoring is required existing approved infrastructure such as power and
heat meters, or battery monitors can be used and then interfaced with a wireless sensor platform. This
ensures that there is a layer between the wireless monitoring and control and any mains / high power
devices.
If a complete IPV6 solution is to be implemented a translation layer above the Zigbee HAN devices can be
introduced either at the gateway level or on the coordinator devices. This layer can assign IPV6 addressing
to Zigbee devices as well as translate between the Zigbee communications to the TCP communications.
This has the added advantage of creating what would be a real world scenario for smart grid wireless device
networking: linking heterogeneous devices through a common framework. Also due to the fact that 802.15.4
will be the communications medium common hardware can be developed for use with the HAN and the DS
& DG where only the firmware will be different.
In terms of devices to be monitored and controlled it is obvious, looking at the proposed pilot site, that heat
pumps will play a crucial part in any deployment, with solar power and wind also contributing to the
generation schema. The metrics and sensors required to measure these have been suggested above. It is
crucial that not only the power delivered and stored is measured but also the operating environment needs to
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be taken into account for these devices. This is important for characterization but also for decision making
especially if an element of prediction is required to make decisions in advance.
Page 87 of 122
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References
(IEEE Standards Organisation 2006)
IEEE 802.15.4 MAC standard, 2006 revision,” Available at
http://www.ieee.org/. 2006
IEEE
802.15.4(a)
Standard
http://www.ieee.org/, 2007
IEEE 802.15.1 Standard for personal area networks. Available at
http://www.ieee.org/., 2003
IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi Standard Available at http://www.ieee.org/ , 2011
(ZigBee Alliance, 2011)
ZigBee Alliance, (2011), “ZigBee Smart Energy Profile
Specification”, 2011
ZigBee Alliance, (2010), “ZigBee Home Automation Profile
ZigBee Alliance (2007), “ZigBee PRO Specification”, 2007
(Microchip Corporation, 2010)
Microchip Corporation (2010), Microchip Mi-Wi P2P Wireless
Protocol, 2010
Ricquebourg, V., Menga, D., Durand, D., Marhic, B., Delahoche, L.,
Loge, C., “TheSmart Home Concept: our immediate future”, 1ST
IEEE International Conference on ELearning in Industrial
Electronics, Dec. 2006, pp. 23 – 28.
(Vincent Ricuorberg et al, 2006)
amendment
Available
at
(Nunes R et al, 1998)
Nunes, R., Delgado, J., An architecture for a home automation
system, IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Circuits and
Systems, Volume 1,Sept. 1998, pp.259 - 262.
(Yousuf M, 2007)
Yousuf, M.S., El-Shafei, M., “Power Line Communications: An
Overview - Part I”,4th International Conference on Innovations in
Information Technology, Nov. 2007, pp.218 - 222.
(Chunduru, V , 2006)
Chunduru, V., Subramanian, N., “Effects of Power Lines on
Performance of HomeControl System”, International Conference on
Power Electronics, Drives and Energy Systems Dec. 2006, pp.1 - 6.
(Homeplug Alliance,2010 )
HomePlug Command & Control 1.0 White Paper
https://www.homeplug.org/products/whitepapers/HomePlug_CC1_
White_Paper.pdf
(J. Cheng et al, 2009)
J. Cheng and T. Kunz, "A survey on Smart Home
Networking,"Carleton University, Systems and Computer
Engineering, Technical Report SCE-09-10, September 2009.
(A. Dunkels, 2004)
A. Dunkels, B. Gronvall, T. Voight, “Contiki – A Lightweight and
flexible operating system for tiny networked sensors”IEEE Annual
International Conference on Local Computer Networks, 2004.
(David Gay et al, 2007)
David Gay, Phillip Lewis, David Culler “Software design Patterns
for TinyOS” ACM Transactions on Embedded Computing Systems,
Vol. 6, No. 4, Article 22, Publication date: September 2007.
(Anders A, 2011)
Anders, A. "EnOcean Technology --- Energy Harvesting Wireless,"
EnOcean White paper 2011.
Page 88 of 122
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(The IETF Trust, 2007)
The IETF Trust “Transmission of IPv6 Packets over IEEE802.15.4
Networks”
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4944.txt?number=4944
(ISO/IEC 14543-3-10, 2010)
ISO/IEC, Information technology -- Home Electronic Systems
(HES) -- Part 3-10: Wireless Short-Packet (WSP) protocol optimized
for energy harvesting -- Architecture and lower layer protocols.
2010.
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.
htm?csnumber=59865
(EN 13757-4:2005)
“Communication systems for meters and remote reading of meters.”
Part 4: Wireless meter readout (Radio
meter reading for operation in the 868 MHz to 870 MHz SRD band);
German version EN 137574, 2005.
(ISO/IEC 14908-1:2012)
Information technology -- Control network protocol -- Part 1:
Protocol stack
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.
htm?csnumber=60203
(IEEE 1901, 2010)
IEEE Power line communications standard, 2010
(M.Eisenhauer et al, 2009)
M. Eisenhauer, P. Rosengren, P. Antolin: A Development Platform
for Integrating Wireless Devices and Sensors into Ambient
Intelligence System, 6th Annual IEEE Communications Society
Conference on Sensor, Mesh and Ad Hoc Communications and
Networks (SECON 2009) merged with IEEE International Workshop
on Wireless Ad-hoc and Sensor Networks (IWWAN), Rome, June
2009.
(Paul Ejnar et al…, 2011)
Poul Ejnar Rovsing, Peter Gorm Larsen, Thomas Skjødeberg
Toftegaard and Daniel Lux, “A Reality Check on Home Automation
Technologies” Journal of Green Engineering 2011.
(Zigbee Alliance, 2011)
Zigbee Alliance, (2011), “Zigbee Smart Energy Profile
(A. Dunkels, 2004)
A. Dunkels, B. Gronvall, T. Voight, “Contiki – A Lightweight and
flexible operating system for tiny networked sensors”IEEE Annual
International Conference on Local Computer Networks, 2004.
(David Gay et al, 2007)
David Gay, Phillip Lewis, David Culler “Software design Patterns
for TinyOS” ACM Transactions on Embedded Computing Systems,
Vol. 6, No. 4, Article 22, Publication date: September 2007.
(UK energy Trust, March 2012)
Uk Energy Trust “Detailed analysis from the first phase of the
Energy Saving Trust’s heat pump field trial”
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Media/node_1422/Getting-warmer-afield-trial-of-heat-pumps-PDF
(WirelessHart Alliance , April 2011)
WirelessHart Alliance
http://www.hartcomm.org/protocol/wihart/wireless_technology.html
(ISA.org, 2008)
ISA100.11a Release, 2008
http://www.isa.org/Content/Microsites1134/SP100,_Wireless_Syste
ms_for_Automation/Home1034/2008_02_ISASeminar_ISA100.11a
Status_Sexton_Kinney.pdf
Page 89 of 122
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( Yide Liu , 2012)
“Wireless Sensor Network Applications in Smart Grid: Recent
Trends and Challenges” International Journal of Distributed Sensor
Networks Volume 2012, Article ID 492819, 8
pagesdoi:10.1155/2012/492819
(Hao Liang, 2012)
Hao Liang, Bong Jun Choi, Weihua Zhuang, Xuemin Shen,
“Multiagent Coordination in Microgrids via Wireless Networks” IEEE
Wireless Communications 2012
(Smart Grid Smart City, 2012)
Smart Grid Smart City
httphttp://www.smartgridsmartcity.com.au/About-Smart-Grid-SmartCity.aspx
(Masoum A, 2010)
Amir S. Masoum “Impacts of Battery Charging Rates of Plug-in
Electric Vehicle on Smart Grid Distribution Systems” IEEE PES
2010
ETSI Technical Specification TS 102 689: “M2M Service
Requirements”, Sophia Antipolis, France, 2012.
(ETSI TS102 690 , 2012)
ETSI Technical Specification TS 102 690: “M2M Functional
Architecture”, Sophia Antipolis, France, 2012.
(ETSI TS102 921 , 2012)
ETSI Technical Specification TS 102 921: “M2M mla, dla and mld
Interfaces”, Sophia Antipolis, France, 2012.
(ETSI TS102 935 , 2012)
ETSI Technical Specification TR 102 935: “Applicability of M2M
architecture to Smart Grid Networks; Impact of Smart Grids on M2M
platform”, Sophia Antipolis, France, 2012.
(Marylin Arndt, 2011)
Standardisation on M2M at ETSI M2M platform”, Presented by
Marylin Arndt, ETSI TC M2M Vice-Chairman in the 2nd FOKUS
FUSECO Forum 2011, Berlin 17-18 Nov. 2011 available at
http://www.slideshare.net/zahidtg/standardisation-on-m2m-at-etsim2m-platform
(Widen Joakim, 2011)
Joakim Widen, “Correlations between large-scale solar and wind
power in a future scenario for Sweden”, IEEE Transactions on
Sustaibale Energy , 2011
EnergiMidt Strategiavis. (2012). EnergiMidt - En vindervirksomhed i vækst og udvikling. Strategiavis , 1-20.
Energistyrelsen. (2012). Technology Catalogue. Energistyrelsen.
Energistyrelsen. (2009). Vindmøller i Danmark. Energistyrelsen.
Website References
[1] http://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ietf-core-coap/
[2] http://datatracker.ietf.org/wg/core/
[3] http://hinrg.cs.jhu.edu/joomla/images/stories/IPSN_2011_koliti.pdf
[4] http://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-castellani-core-http-mapping/
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List of Figures and Tables
Figures
Figure 1 Wireless 802.15.4 mote architecture ..................................................................... 9
Figure 2 Network Topologies ............................................................................................. 10
Figure 3 Left Mica Mote, Right Smart Plug ........................................................................ 16
Figure 4 HAN Overview ..................................................................................................... 17
Figure 5 ZigBee Model....................................................................................................... 23
Figure 6 6LoWPAN in OSI ................................................................................................. 24
Figure 7 Smart Plug ZigBee HA from HAI .......................................................................... 37
Figure 8 ZigBee HA Thermostat ........................................................................................ 38
Figure 9 Load Control Actuator Z-wave ............................................................................. 39
Figure 10 Danfoss Radiator Valve ..................................................................................... 41
Figure 11- Example of CoAP stack .................................................................................... 50
Figure 12– High level architecture of the ETSI M2M.......................................................... 52
Figure 13 SenzaNet Stack ................................................................................................. 60
Figure 14 HAI Zigbee ......................................................................................................... 64
Figure 15 Solar Panel Installation Block ............................................................................ 66
Figure 16 Wind Speed Sensors ......................................................................................... 68
Figure 17 Hybrid generation storage system ..................................................................... 72
Figure 18 Smart Battery Monitors and Charger ................................................................. 72
Figure 19 In-Line Heat meter with LCD and pulse output .................................................. 73
Figure 20 Network Topology of DS & DG system .............................................................. 76
Figure 21 Location of current and potential future DER from wind power on the Island of
Fur - (EnergiMidt)............................................................................................................... 78
Figure 22 Fur Kraftvarme A.m.b.A - ................................................................................... 79
Figure 23 Wind distribution in Denmark - (Energistyrelsen, 2012) ..................................... 80
Figure 24 The seasonal variation of electricity generation from a typical PV system in
Denmark - (EnergiMidt Strategiavis, 2012) ........................................................................ 81
Tables
Table 1 Off-the Shelf Mote Summary................................................................................. 10
Table 2 Key Sensors Required for HAN ............................................................................ 14
Table 3 Sensor Typical Values .......................................................................................... 15
Table 4 UWB Channel Assignments .................................................................................. 19
Table 5 802.11 Variant Characteristics .............................................................................. 20
Table 6 Summary of Standards ......................................................................................... 20
Table 7 ZigBee V ZigBee PRO .......................................................................................... 22
Table 8 Comparing Bluetooth to Bluetooth low energy ...................................................... 27
Table 9 List of device types and protocols supported ........................................................ 36
Table 10 Smart Meters ...................................................................................................... 37
Table 11 Plug device overview .......................................................................................... 37
Table 12 Thermostat device overview ............................................................................... 38
Table 13 Load Control Actuators Comparisons ................................................................. 39
Table 14 Dimmer Switch Analysis ..................................................................................... 39
Table 15 Temperature / Humidity Sensor comparisons ..................................................... 40
Table 16 Light Sensor Comparisons.................................................................................. 40
Table 17 Occupancy Sensor Comparisons........................................................................ 40
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Table 18 Overview of energy hubs and platforms .............................................................. 43
Table 19 Comparative description of current HA projects .................................................. 47
Table 20 List of PAP .......................................................................................................... 49
Table 21 - Both opened and completed PAP ..................................................................... 50
Table 22 Zigbee SE Clusters and devices ......................................................................... 54
Table 23 Zigbee SEP 2.0 at a glance ................................................................................ 55
Table 24 Heat Pump Sensor suite complete list ................................................................ 63
Table 25 Comparison of battery types ............................................................................... 70
Table 26 List of monitoring requirements for generation and storage ................................ 73
Table 27 Technical Data from 1-10KW Residential Micro SHPs and power fuel cells using
Natural Gas........................................................................................................................ 83
Table 28 RF Technologies comparisons............................................................................ 84
Table 29 Comparisons of available GW’s .......................................................................... 93
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Appendix A Summary of gateway devices
Table 29 Comparisons of available GW’s
Name
Rasberry PI A
Rasberry PI B
Processor Core
BroaddCom
BCM2835,
ARM1176JZF (ARM
11:-ARMv6Z)
BroaddCom
BCM2835,
ARM1176JZF (ARM
11:-ARMv6Z)
Processor
Speed
RAM
WIFI
builtin
700 MHz
256MB
No
700 MHz
512MB
No
1GHz
512MB
(400Mhz)
No
Peripherials
8 × GPIO, UART, I²C
bus, SPI bus with
two chip selects,
+3.3 V, +5 V,
9 × GPIO, UART, I²C
bus, SPI bus with
two chip selects,
+3.3 V, +5 V,
96 GPIO
including I2C, UART,
I2S, SPI,
802.11b/g/n
4 TTL Lines
(UART)
ODROID-U2
ARM Cortex A8-A10
ARMv7-A
1.2GHz Allwinner
A10 ARM Cortex A8
:- ARMv7-A
Exynos Cortex-A9Quad Core
OMAP -L138
ARM9E:-ARMv5TEJ
ARM926EJ-STM
RISC CPU
Samsung
Exynos4412 Prime
Cortex-A9 Quad
Core
Beagle Bone
720MHz superscalar ARM CortexA8 :- ARMV7a
720Mhz
256MB
(400Mhz)
No
UART
2x I2C,
5x UART, I2S, SPI,
CAN, 66x 3.3V
GPIO, 7x ADC
NimbusPlug
(IONICS)
Armada Marvel
(ARM 9E:-ARMv5te)
1.2Ghz
512MB
No
Serial / JTAG
Sheeva Plug
(globaltechnologies)
1.2Ghz
512MB
(400Mhz)
No
JTAG/Serial/UART
Guruplug
Armada Marvel
(ARM 9E:-ARMv5te)
Marvell Kirkwood
6281 (ARM9E:ARMv5te)
1.2Ghz
512MB
(800Mhz)
802.11b/g/n
JTAG/Serial/UART
TonidoPlug 2
Armada 310 (ARM
V9-ARMv5te
)
800Mhz
512MB
802.11b/g/n
720Mhz
256MB
(400Mhz)
No
4 X Serial Lines /
SPI/ I2C
2x I2C,
2
5x UART, I S, SPI,
CAN, 66x 3.3V
GPIO, 7x ADC
1.2Ghz
512MB
802.11b/g/n
Serial / JTAG / UART
Cubieboard
Hackberry A10
ODROID-U
Hawkboard
Beagle Board
StratusPlug
(IONICS)
TI ARM CortexA8(OMAP3530)
Armada Marvel
(ARM 9E:-ARMv5te
)
1.2Ghz
1.4Ghz
512MB
1GB
(800Mhz)
300Mhz
128MB Ram
@150Mhz
no
1.7Ghz
2GB
(800Mhz)
no
Page 93 of 122
no
UART
UART /I2C /SPI/
GPIO
GreenCom
Beagle Board XM
DreamPlug
FriendlyARM mini
6410
FriendlyARM mini
210
D2Plug
CirrusPLug
(IONICS)
GUMSTIX
DUOVERO
Trim Slice
PandoraBoard
Via Artigo
TI ARM CortexA8(OMAP3530)
ARMV7a
Marvel Sheeva 1.2
GHz (ARMv5TE)
S3C6410 ARMCortex A8 :-ARMv7A
S5PV210 ARM
Cortex-A8 :-ARMv7A
PX-A510 Arm V7:ARMv5TEJ
Marvell Armada
88F6282 (ARM 9E:ARMv5te)
OMAP4430:ARMv7-A:- ARM
Cortex-A9 :NVIDA TEGRA 2:ARMv7-A:- ARM
Cortex-A9 :ARMv7-A:- ARM
Cortex-A9 :X86 Via Eden
Intel Atom Z530
1.6GHz / Z510
Fit PC 2
1GHz
512MB (400Mhz)
2x I2C,
5x UART, I2S, SPI,
CAN, 66x 3.3V
GPIO, 7x ADC
1.2Ghz
512MB
(800Mhz)
802.11b/g/n
JTAG / UART
533Mhz
256MB
no
I2C, SPI, UART,
RS232, 90 GPIO
1GHz
512MB
802.11b/g/n
I2C, SPI, UART,
RS232, 90 GPIO
800Mhz
1GB
(800Mhz)
802.11b/g/n
JTAG
2GHZ
1GB
802.11b/g/n
Serial / JTAG / UART
1GHz
1GB
No
GPIO/Serial
1GHz
1GB
(700Mhz)
802.11b/g/n
1.2Ghz
1GB(800Mhz)
802.11b/g/n
GPIO/Serial
GPIO/Serial
/JTAG/UART/SPI/I2C
1Ghz
4GB(800Mhz)
1GB
(400Mhz)
802.11b/g/n
RS232
802.11b/g/n
USB
1.1GHz
Appendix B Summary of energy hub platforms
1. GE Nucleus Home Energy Hub
Description
GE Appliances offering to the home energy hub market is the Nucleus device which uses GE Brillion technology.
The Nucleus can be integrated with smart meters and act as a home energy monitor. It can store house data and
estimate pricing for up to three years. It also has Wi-Fi connectivity allowing it to be accessed via internet
connections with devices such as tablets and smart phones. Technical details on the device are scarce as its mostly
marketing information that is available below is a summary of the available technical specifications.
- Electrical Rating
Input Voltage
100-240VAC/50-60Hz
Input Amps/Watts (max)3.5W
Plug
Right Angle
- Features
Power On
WiFi Connected
LED Indicator Lights
Energy Network 1 (ZigBee® from meter)
Energy Network 2 (ZigBee to devices)
Memory/Data Device On-Board Storage30 days @ 1 min; 3 yrs @ 1 hr Demand Events
WiFi 802.11b/g compatible
1 WiFi radio for in-home LAN 802.11
2 SEP 1.0
1 ZigBee radio for utility ESI 802.15.4
ZigBee Compatible Radio Receiver
SEP 1.0
1 ZigBee radio for HAN 802.15.4
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Ethernet Connection
Nucleus Configuration
SEP 1.0
RJ45 connector
1 Ethernet port for in-home LAN 802.11
CD-rom-PC Configuration (Mac and/or PC)
2. Tendril Networks, Inc.
Description
Tendril Networks, Inc. provides a cloud platform to energy service providers and their customers for their energy
management applications. The company offers consumer engagement products, applications, and services powered
by Tendril Connect, an energy management platform that creates a dialogue between energy service providers and
their customers, as well as allows customers to track energy costs and consumption by appliances, electronics, and
household devices within the home. Its display, monitoring, control, and network products include Energize, an
energy application suite for home energy management; Insight in-home display; SetPoint smart thermostat; Volt
smart outlet; LCS load control switch; Transport IP gateway; Relay; and Translate, a device for connection to
automatic meter reading networks.
Specifications
 Smart Energy ESP (Energy Services Portal) capable
 Atmel ARM-9 Control Processor operating at 180 MHz with 16MB Flash and 16MB RAM
 Embedded Linux OS
 16MB RAM, 8MB Flash
 ZigBee® Smart Energy 1.0 certified
 ZigBee/802.15.4 Radio
 2.400-2.483 GHz, unlicensed ISM band
 100mW power-amp output
 -94dBm receiver sensitivity
 Internal power consumption: 2.2W
 Over-the-Internet (OTI) software updates
 Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) enabled, or Pre-configured Key enabled, for AMI and AMR configurations
Standards
 ZigBee SE certified
 FCC certified
 UL certified
 Proprietary SW
Market Penetration
Tendril works with more than 35 energy providers as well as product and service providers and has implemented
more than 50 smart energy projects around the world.
Additional Information
http://www.tendrilinc.com
3. Sensinode
Description
Sensinode provides a unique solution for automatic metering infrastructures (AMI), enabling IP communications for
all wireless meters, submeters and home automation devices and in addition seamlessly integrates M-Bus and
Wireless M-Bus devices into IP. NanoStack™ 2.0 is integrated into electric meters, sub-meters and home
automation devices, providing an all-IP network using inexpensive radio chips, yet allowing for reliable mesh
networking. The solution allows for battery powered devices with a lifetime of years. NanoRouter™ 2.0 products
provide routing between the wireless devices running NanoStack™ 2.0 and the utility backbone. NanoRouter™ 2.0
is also available for integration into electric meters which act as the gateway to the utility backbone network. The
NanoService Platform is a ﬂexible and highly-scalable product designed to enable the deployment of challenging
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M2M applications on private server, private cloud or public cloud environments.
NanoService Platform Features
 Scales from Server to Public Cloud Deployments
 Designed for up to 20 Mnodes or 100 Mtransactions/day per clúster
 Resource registration and directory
 Push eventing and subscriptions
 Semantic naming and lookup
 End-to-end Web Services
 HTTP REST APIs
 Eﬃcient M2M with CoAP
 Web-based Admin GUI
 Complete graphical Reference Applications with source code
 Java SDK with source code
 NanoService Device Libraries
 C, Java and Android
NanoStack 2.0 Features
 Hardware Platform:
- Embedded device SoC: CC2530 RF MCU
- Access Point: NanoRouter 2.0
 Development tools: IAR Workbench ver. 8.10 (or later) for 8051
 Network layer protocol: 6LoWPAN
- ICMP (Standard based HC and RPL, ND draft version 16)
- Max packet size: 1280 bytes
- Routing table size: 40 entries
- Automatic fragmentation
 Transport layer protocol: TCP/UDP
 RPL routing with storing and non-storing modes
 Security: AES-CCM
 Socket-API: BSD style socket API for application
 Concurrent sockets: max 5
 Power saving functions
Standards
•
6LoWPAN (offered free of charge by the IETF)
•
Also have a 6LoWPAN/wireless m-bus bridge.
Market Penetration
Offices in Finland and San Diego.
HW seems to be offered to promote their SW. Potential licence fee for nanostack usage. Major contributors in the
IETF for the standardization of key technologies for the Internet of Things, 6LoWPAN and CoAP, were a founder of
the IPSO Alliance and are active members of other key industry forums such as the ZigBee
Alliance.http://www.sensinode.com
4. SpinWave Systems, Inc.
Description
Spinwave Systems offers two product lines (A3 and EM) for all your monitoring, energy management and building
automation applications. A3: wireless sensor network for harsh RF environments, integrates with virtually any
building automation system or monitoring application through open protocols and direct I/O. Using a patent-pending
frequency-hopping technology, A3 networks automatically adapt to interference for maximum reliability.
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A3 products include wireless pulse counters for sub-metering, temperature, humidity, and voltage sensors, along
with a complete line of gateways for interfacing devices with virtually any open protocol automation system (BACnet,
LON, Modbus).
EM: wireless sensor and control solution for energy management and demand response.
The BMS interface is used to interface the wireless mesh network to Building Management Systems, PLCs, and
monitoring applications.Sensor data (e.g. temperature, relative humidity, contact closures, voltage, current, meter
pulses) is transmitted wirelessly to the receiver radio and mapped to protocol objects by the gateway.
Features
 High Reliability: The Spinwave A3 Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) utilizes mesh architecture and features RF
interference avoidance through selfadapting frequency agility.
 Easy to Maintain: Sophisticated power management results in long battery life of 3 to 8years, depending on
user-selectable transmission intervals. Battery health and communication health are continuously monitored.
 Flexible and Scalable: System can grow from a few to hundreds of monitoring points. Sensors can be easily
added, moved, or removed.
 Multiple Interface Options: The A3 WSN interfaces to virtually any automation system (BMS, PLC), monitoring
application or network management tool.
 Install Quickly and Economically: Wireless system can be installed with no disruption to operations.
Specifications
 2.4GHz, IEEE 802.15.4
 Receiver Sensitivity -95dBm
 Receiver Adjacent Channel Rejection +/-5MHz, 46/39 dB
 Receiver Alternate Channel Rejection +/-10MHz, 58/55 dB
 Open field Range
 Receiver/Router: up to 3500 ft. (1 km)
 Receiver/Sensor: up to 1000 ft. (300 m)
Standards
 BACNet
 LON
 Modbus
Market Penetration
More than 30,000 devices have been used by several hundred different customers in a wide variety of applications,
including: Demand Response, Energy Efficiency, Data Center Monitoring, Energy Use Monitoring, Food and Drug
Temperature Monitoring, Energy Management, Soil and Crop Temperature Monitoring, Energy Auditing,
http://www.spinwavesystems.com/
5.
Digi International, Inc.
Description
The ConnectPort X2 Gateway for Smart Energy provides a low-cost connection between a Home Area Network
(HAN) and remote web applications or utility hosted websites designed for customer engagement. Intended to share
the connection of a homeowner's broadband Internet router, the gateway provides near real-time energy data
access and control capabilities based on the Smart Energy devices enabled in the customer's home, such as a
Programmable Communicating Thermostats (PCTs), In-Home Displays (IHDs), and Smart Energy utility meters.
iDigi Manager Pro is a feature of all Digi cellular gateways, routers, devices and components. iDigi Manager Pro
provides a robust suite of network management tools including authentication, configuration management, account
management, asynchronous updates and alerts, group and individual software updating, network data storage and
gateway programming.
Features/Standards
 ZigBee Alliance Smart Energy Public Application Profile 1.1 and backwards compatible with 1.0
 UDP/TCP, DHCP, SNMPv1
 LEDs: Ethernet status, Power, ZigBee link/activity
 10/100 Ethernet for connecting to home Internet router
 Enables the Home Area Network (HAN) and additional Smart Energy products such as Programmable
Communicating Thermostat (PCT) and In-Home Display (IHD) products available from many manufacturers
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Uses Digi-hosted iDigi® Device Cloud™ to manage connectivity, configuration and software upgrades
Security: SSL tunnels
AS70, ISO 27001, NIST, CSA, NERC CIP compliant
ZigBee: XBee-PRO® 80 mW (+19.1 dBm, including 2.1 dBi antenna) / Int'l 10 mW (+10 dBm)
Safety: EN60950
Emissions/Immunity: CE, FCC Part 15 (Class B), IC, ETSI, C-TICK, Telec
Specifications
http://www.pikkerton.com/_mediafiles/45-ds_connectportx.pdf
Cost
Service
Description
Tier
iDigi Manager Pro
Charged per month, 1 to 5
per registered device 6 to 100
101 to 10,000
Over 10,000
Digi Manager Pro Charged
annually, Annual Fee
per registered device
iDigi
Cloud
Web Charged
per Up to 2MB device to
Services
transaction
cloud,
$1.99
monthly 100MB
cloud
to
minimum
device,
(13,267 transactions) unlimited cloud to
application
iDigi SMS
Outgoing iDigi short message service
$1.99
monthly
minimum
(40
messages)
iDigi Data Streams
Per gigabyte (GB),
-
Pricing
Free
€ 1.49
€ 0.59
Quote
€ 6.48
€ 0.00014
€ 0.05
€ 0.08
Market Penetration
Sales: $190.6M (60% of sales in US). Locations in United States, Germany, Spain, UK, India, Singapore, China.
http://www.digi.com/
6. 4Noks S.R.L.
Description
4Noks supplies devices and GW with an open API to Integrators. They offer an appliance control system called
‘Intelligreen’ (similar to Plugwise). BEM/HAN solutions are supported through intelligreen & their Industrial routers
and Modbus bridge. Systems need to be created by Integrators. They supply a suite of ZigBee Pro wireless devices
from energy monitoring power sockets to temperature and humidity sensors that they supply along with a gateway to
system developers for the creation of end customer ready solutions. They manufacture three models of gateways: 1)
ZC-GW-485-EM Gateway Modbus RS485 2) ZC-GW-USB-EM Gateway Modbus USB 3) ZC-GW-ETH-EM Gateway
Modbus Ethernet
Features (of ZC-GW-485-EMGateway Modbus RS485)
 Protocol converter from Modbus/RTU to ZigBee
 Standard ModBus RS485 interface
 Coordinator function for a ZigBee network
 Local memory stores battery powered sensors data
 Transparent bridge towards other Modbus devices
 External antenna
Specifications
 Chip Ember EM2420
 Compatible IEEE 802.15.4
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Stack EmberZnet 3.4.x (ZigBee PRO)
Modbus/RTU
Supply: 12-24 Vcc/Vca (±10%); 100mA; 50/60Hz
Connections: RS485 with pull out terminals (3,81 mm pitch)
Operating temperature: -10 ÷ +60°C; <80% U.R. not condensing
Storage temperature: -20 ÷ +70°C; <80% U.R. not condensing
Degree of protection: IP 55
ETSI EN 300 328: Radio Compatibility for digitals wide band transmissions
ETSI EN 301 489: Radio Compatibility
EN 61000-6-2: Electromagnetic Compatibility - Emissions
EN 61000-6-3: Electromagnetic Compatibility - Immunity
EN 60950-1: Electric Safety
Market Penetration
OEM alliance with EasyIO, a large Singaporean corporation specializing in M2M and Building automation.
http://www.4-noks.it/?lingua_sito=uk
7. Pikkerton GmbH
Description
The easy programmable ZigBee-Gateway ZBG-100 consists of a GHz class ARM-based CPU with strong peripheral
components like Gigabit Ethernet, one SD-Card slot for data logs or applications and a 2.4 GHz ZigBee coordinator
module. The 230V power supply is integrated, therefore the device can start immediately after getting plugged into a
wall socket. The Linux environment ensures stable network services as well as easy application and interface
programming. Services like SNMP, SMTP, HTTP, etc. are easy to integrate. Furthermore optional there´s a
complete OSGi-framework available.They also offer Digi ConnectPort X Gateways, XStick USB and other Digi HW.
Features
 ISM 2.4 GHz frequency
ZigBee-Gateway ZBG-100
 6.3 mW (+8 dBm) TX power
 Internal antenna
 Approved for use in US, Canada, Australia, Europe
 Advanced mesh networking and low-power modes supported
 Customized Implementations / Integrations
 OSGi Framework
 230 VAC internal Power Supply Interfaces
 1x Gigabit Ethernet
 SD Card
 USB 2.0
 Processor Type: Marvell Kirkwood, Sheeva-Core, ARMv5TE compliant
 Clock: 800 MHz – 1,2 GHz
 L1 Cache: 16K Instruction, 16K Data
 L2 Cache: 256 KB
 RAM: 512 MB DDR2 400 MHz, 16-Bit Bus
 Flash: 512 MB NAND
 Network: LAN 1x 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
 RTC: available, battery-buffered
 I/O: 1x USB 2.0 (Host); SDIO: SD Card Slot
 Power Supply Connection: 100–240 V, 50-60 Hz, Euro plug (EN50075), integrated
 Power Max: 20 W
 RF Protocol: IEEE 802.15.4 ZigBee, Coordinator, max. 250 KBit/s
 Frequency: ISM 2.4 GHz
 TX Power: 3.1 mW (+5 dBm), 6.3 mw (+8 dBm) (Boost-Mode)
 RX Sens: -100 dBm, -102 dBm (Boost-Mode)
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Approvals: US, Canada, Australia, Europe
Operating System: Linux 2.6
Width: 69,5 mm
Height: 110 mm
Depth: 48,5 mm
Environmental Temperature: +5..+35 °C
Humidity: Non-condensing, only for dry areas
http://www.pikkerton.com/
8. Telegesis Ltd.
The ETRX2 EAP Ethernet Access point is a “gateway” allowing access to ETRX2 mesh networking modules via an
industry standard Ethernet IP Network. Once the IP address of the EAP has been established and Firewall access
set, the EAP can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Applications: Remote Diagnostics and upgrades,
networked monitoring and remote control, remote data acquisition – e.g. temperature monitoring, bridging between
Ethernet and ZigBee.
As a helpful starting point for developers, Telegesis supplies the simple Telegesis Terminal Application with the
EAP. Device deployment and network initiation are simplified with Dynamic Host Protocol Support (DHCP) and
additional IP configuration methods via the included Windows®-based Lantronix DeviceInstaller™ software.
The supported Com Port Redirector™ (CPR) software maps ‘virtual COM’ ports on a PC platform and redirects
application data destined to an attached device. Rather than going out of the local COM port, the data is transmitted
across the Ethernet network to/from the Lantronics ® XPort Direct using TCP/IP. CPR is also licensed as an API to
OEMs for incorporation into their applications on non-PC platforms such as a web pad or PDA.
EAP – ETHERNET ACCESS POINT FEATURES
 Combines a Telegesis ETRX2 module with a Lantronix® serial to Ethernet bridge.
 Complete TCP/IP protocol stack and Windows deployment software.
 Interface: Ethernet 10Base-T or 100Base-TX (AutoSensing).
 Management: Telnet and Microsoft Windows®- based utility for configuration.
 Can offer access to the remote AT-Command Interface via a virtual COM port.
 SIF interface for Custom application development and real time debugging of custom firmware.
ETRX2 FEATURES
 The ETRX2 is based on the Ember Corporation EM250 single chip ZigBee/802.15.4 solution with on-die 16-bit
XAP2b microprocessor.
 No need for RF design experience or expertise.
 2.4GHz ISM Band digital direct sequence spread spectrum transceiver.
 Hardware acceleration for IEEE802.15.4 operations.
 Hardware supported encryption (AES-128).
 Pre-programmed with Telegesis AT-Command interface based on the EmberZNet meshing stack.
 Can be configured to act as a ZigBee coordinator, router or end device.
 Up to 4dBm output power.
 Sensitivity up to -98dBm (1% PER).
Market Penetration
Telegesis is the world’s largest supplier of ZigBee modules based on technology from Ember Corporation.
Collaborating with Munisense to provide a complete technology package for Smart Lighting management through
wireless ZigBee enabled modules and home gateways. Also, Avnet Memec, a leading global technology distributor,
has recently been appointed as pan-European distributor for Telegesis UK Limited.
http://www.telegesis.com/products/etrx2_eap_ethernet_access_point.htm
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9. Energate Inc.
Description
The Foundation Smart Thermostat and Home Energy Gateway allow utilities to drive home energy management
from the pilot stage to widespread deployment. Utilities now have a cost effective solution that provides consumers
with a simple, easy to use device that provides utility-grade connectivity, security and interoperability and delivers
information on their energy consumption and costs. Foundation will be of interest to utilities with established demand
response programs as well as to those looking introduce new demand side programs to reduce energy consumption
and control peak load demand by providing devices that enable consumers to effectively manage their energy
consumption.
Features
 Support Load Control programs with a variety of control features
 Offer dynamic pricing programs (TOU & CPP)
 Offer Peak Time Rebate programs
 Optimize electric vehicle charging
 Enable Distributed Generation (e.g., solar)
 Deploy new features using Over-The-Air (OTA) upgrades Key Features
 ZigBee On Board
 Advanced environmental control algorithms that accurately and precisely control the temperature.
 Proprietary silent switching technology.
 Menu-driven user interface with extensive help screens.
 Multiple hold types: Temporary, Timed, Vacation, & Permanent.
 Supports multiple levels of event participation in voluntary and mandatory load control events.
 7, 5/2 or 5/1/1 day schedule with up to six setpoints per day
 Two levels of passwords (user & installer).
 Support for DR over Broadband using the ZIP Connect IP Gateway
 Up to 2 Heat/2 Cool (Conventional)
 Up to 3 Heat/2 Cool (Heat Pumps)
 Control Accuracy ±0.9°F @ 68°F
 Plenum Fan Control
Heat Pump Fault Input
 Automatic Short Circuit Detection
 Auto changeover hysteresis (default 2°F, option 0-6°F)
 Anticipation time
 Maximum recovery time
 Max & min setpoint range
 Timed filter reminder
 Multiple reset options
Specifications
 Size - 6.5”H x 4.5”W x 1.25”D
 Display – 2.58” x 1.45”, 128 x 64 dot matrix with white LED backlighting
 Operating range - 32°F to 122°F
 Power rating 20-30 VAC

IEEE 802.15.4 compliant ZigBee radio
 2405-2483.5 MHz channels 11-26, 5MHz Spacing
 -102 dBm receive sensitivity
 +20 dBm output power (100 mW) typ
Market Penetration
Offices in Ottawa, Toronto and California. Utility trial with Oklahoma Gas & Electric: 50,000 households. Recently
received $3 million in funding to develop and install energy management displays in 1,000 Ontario homes.
http://www.energateinc.com/
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10. Smartenit (formerly SimpleHomeNet)
Description
Smartenit’s load control devices measure power consumption and are aware of prices from the utility. This allows
the consumer to initiate a power-down of their appliances based upon certain price points, usage, time or in
response to a demand response event from the utility. Smartenit is the first to offer a smart energy multiple-relay
load controller as a solution to control dual-speed appliances such as pool pumps.
Smartenit has a wide portfolio of controlling and monitoring devices (only the Harmony Platinum gateway will be
described here – see website for information of other gateway devices). It provides the bridge between an Ethernet
connection and a wireless or hybrid home/building automation network. It is accessible from anywhere including the
Internet through built-in web services. Harmony has a built-in IEEE802.15.14 radio configurable for ZigBee PRO,
6LoWPAN and JenNet, plus an interface to an INSTEON and/or X10 network through a SmartLabs PLM (not
included.) Harmony is the first HAN gateway able to manage and harmonize these diverse protocols. Harmony
operates stand-alone with built-in sophisticated automation software, therefore, there is no need for a dedicated PC.
The computing platform is based on a 32-bit RISC CPU (AVR32) and Linux making custom powerful applications
easy to develop and deploy. Harmony XML Client API available on website.
Specifications (Harmony Platinum)
 Operating Voltage: 7.5—12 VDC @ 0.2A max
 Internal Memory: 2Mb Flash, 32Mb DRAM
 Interfaces: Ethernet: 10/100MBS
 USB: 2.0 Compliant
 Serial: RS-232C and RS-485
 Size: 5.50” W X 4.00” W X 1.25” H Exclusive of antenna
 Weight: 7.2 Oz.
 Mounting: None required. Can be placed on any flat surface.
 Indicators: Red LED for power
 Available Wireless Protocols: ZigBee PRO, JenNet, 6LoWPAN
 Reset: Accessible reset switch
 Real Time Clock: Built-in, battery-backed RTC
 Processor: AP7000—32-bit MCU/DSP
 Internal Memory: Parallel Flash: 2 or 8Mb DRAM: 32Mb or 128Mb
 Ethernet Interface: One port, 10/100Base-T
 Wireless Interface: JN5148 IEE 802.15.4 radio transceiver. Available with either ZigBee PRO, JenNet or
6LoWPAN
 USB: One port, USB 2.0 Compliant.
 Serial: One port on RJ45 jack with RS-232C and RS-485 drivers. Pin-out compatible with Smarthome 2412S
PLM.
 Real Time Clock: Battery-backed RTC
 Resource Expansion (OEM version): Connectors J5-J7 (similar to Atmel NGW100) for interfacing GPIO, SPI,
I2C, Graphics, Audio, etc.
 Storage Expansion: SD/MMC socket.
 JTAG: Available internal connector
 Power required: 7.5V—19V DC input. From either Serial or dedicated jack.
Market Penetration
Home automation and energy management mobile application: 500-1,000 downloads. They are concluding joint pilot
project with leading EV charging station provider ClipperCreek and a large US utility.
Price (Harmony Platinum)
$279.99
http://www.simplehomenet.com/
11. EcoBee
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Description
Ecobee, a Canadian company, have developed an attractively designed Colour LCD ZigBee Pro SE smart
thermostat. The device includes advanced, clearly presented information to allow a user to monitor and control their
environment. Ecobee also provide a Web based Energy Management interface as well as an iPhone app in order for
a user to monitor and control energy usage. Add-ons also available (i.e. smart plugs, remote sensor module).
Support with regards to APIs is unknown.
Features
 Wi-Fi enabled
 Free mobile apps
 Easy-to-use ecobee Web Portal
 No annual / monthly fees
 Live weather
 Full-color touch screen Humidity control
 Two dry contact inputs
 Optional temperature sensors
Specifications
 ZigBee Pro(WL) - CERTIFIED ZigBee Pro SE version available
 Temperature Ranges:
 Heat: 45 – 79°F (7 – 26°C)
 Cool: 45 – 92°F (14 – 33°C)
 Display: 40 – 100°F (5 – 37°C)
 Sensitivity: +/- 1°F (0.5°C)
 Equipment Interface Operating: -40F to 160F (-40C to 70C)
 Thermostat Operating: 32F to 130F (0C to 55C)
Market Penetration
ecobee is supported by a network of over 3,000 quality HVAC contractors and distributors across North America.
Heat Pump Compatibility Chart (http://help.ecobee.com/entries/20589382-hvac-equipment-compatibility). Extensive
Support “Knowledge Base” on website.
http://www.ecobee.com/
12. Hai
Description
HAI (Home Automation Incorporated) are a US based company who have been working in the home demotic
environment for several years. They offer ZigBee Pro SE certified devices. The Hardwired Load Control Module
is a 20 AMP Relay Module that connects directly to voltage outputs on HAI home controllers and expanders and
includes a manual override switch. Can control 120, 240 or 277V AC loads. Ideal for lighting control in small
commercial environments. Requires 120V and neutral wires. The Hardwired Load Control Module may be used
to lock out energy consuming devices when electricity costs are high using an HAI controller's scheduling
features. The Omnistat2 Thermostat supports conventional and heat pump systems and dual fuel with 2nd stage
auxiliary heat. In addition to these devices they also offer further energy control products, such as lighting control
products.
Features
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Single stage including Gas, Oil, Steam, Hydronic, Forced Air, Radiant, Electric
2 Stage Conventional
Heat Pumps, including Air to Air heat pumps or Geothermal
2 Speed Heat Pumps with 3rd stage auxiliary heat
Compatible with zone control systems that require a master thermostat
Variable Speed Fan Control
Dual Fuel Heat Pumps
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Humidity sensing and display
Humidifier control
Dehumidifier control
Dimensions: 5 1/2" W x 3 5/8" H x 1 1/8" D
Learns how your home heats and cools to intelligently control the equipment for efficiency and comfort
Graphical display of HVAC usage by week
7 day schedule with copy function
Automatic temperature setbacks for Home, Night, Away, and Vacation when integrated with an HAI home
control system
Filter reminder for peak efficiency
Built-in vacation mode feature - restores temperatures before arriving home
Communicates with HAI home control systems and other manufacturer’s automation
systems
Remote access via Internet and telephone (optional)
Expansion port for wireless communication
http://homeauto.com/main.asp
13. Control4
Description
The Control4® Wireless Thermostat adds intelligent temperature control to your home and flexibility that
supports most HVAC systems and offers up to 6 set points per day that you get to determine. Enjoy a heating
and cooling schedule personalized to your lifestyle that can be activated by a single touch. Conserve energy by
adjusting the HVAC automatically to respond to the outside temperature, season or time of day. Add
convenience by controlling the temperature from any Control4 User Interface whether you’re in the next room or
the next state.
Features
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You can specify separate heating and cooling set points. The Wireless Thermostat follows a programmed
temperature-change schedule or temperature changes that you set manually.
Navigation control options: Wireless Touch Screen, the Mini Touch
Screen, the System Remote Control (On-Screen display or LCD display), and the LCD Keypad.
The Wireless Thermostat is programmable - up to six Program Events per day (seven days a week),
including Wake, Away, Return,
Sleep, Custom 1, and Custom 2.
Communication with a Control4 controller. The Wireless Thermostat communicates with your Control4
controller to obtain scheduling commands. Along with scheduling, the Wireless Thermostat receives time
(date, day of week, and time) data from the Control4 controller and displays it accordingly. The Wireless
Thermostat also displays temperature, the mode (Off, Heat, Cool, and Auto), whether the fan is operating,
whether its buttons are locked, and whether the battery needs replacing.
Specifications
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Wired power 1/10W at 24 VAC, 50/60 Hz
Battery backup 1 – CR123A 3V
Display (H x W) 1.25” × 3” (32 mm × 76 mm)
LED backlight
User programmable schedule
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Set points per day Up to 6
Auto cooling/heating changeover
Heating/cooling overshoot, adjustable
User EVENT over-ride types Permanent, HOLD 2 hours, HOLD until next event
Exceptional programmability
Capability and expandability
Thermostat control interfaces is available on any Control4®
Controller and Touch Screen interface
User adjustable event support 6 each day: Awake, Away, Return, Sleep, Custom1, Custom2
Wake-up event , wake-up event can include Thermostat support
Critical event support, email notification or critical event support
Programmable backlight
Local adjustment lockout
Set point 40° F to 90° F (5° C to 32° C)
Operating temperature 14° F to 185° F (-10° C to 85° C)
Storage temperature 0 to 95% (non-condensing)
Operating relative humidity, common wire (5 wire configuration) recommended
Direct replacement uses standard
HVAC wiring topology
Yes, common wire (5 wire configuration) recommended
ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4), 2.4 GHz, 15-channel, spread-spectrum radio, mesh networking
Upgradable, over ZigBee
H x W x D 3.7” × 4.5” × 1.2” (94 mm × 114 mm × 30 mm)
Weight 7.4 oz (214 g)
Optional Accessories: Flush Mount Remote Temperature Sensor AC-FMTS1-W; Duct/Outdoor Remote
Temperature Sensor AC-DOTS1-W
Market Penetration
Strategic agreement with Cisco. More than 1,900 custom integrators, retail outlets, and distributors in over 70
countries. Control4 is the platform of choice for major consumer electronics companies, hotels, businesses and
utilities that require an intelligent, open and affordable control solution.
http://www.control4.com/
14. Intelligy Smarter Environments (by Millennium Electronics)
Description
Intelligy GPRS Module provides internet connectivity for the Intelligy Display and the Home Area Network
(HAN). Through this TCP/IP enabled gateway, consumers can view their energy consumption and remotely
control appliances connected to the HAN through a user friendly interface on any web browser or any webenabled device.
Millennium’s ZigBee® SE Certified Demand Response Enabling Device (DRED) provides Utilities means to
initiate Demand Response Modes on air conditioners using Thermistor Temperature Control.
Intelligy Demand Response Enabling Device (DRED) provides Utility Companies the ability to remotely initiate
Demand Response Modes on high consumption equipment such as air-conditioners (thermistor temperature
controlled) pool pumps and water heaters.
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Intelligy Serial Communication Module allows equipment, eg. Solar Inverters, that are traditionally connected via
RS-232 be connected to the Intelligy Display and the HAN wirelessly.
Intelligy Display has a large touch screen which enables consumers to monitor total home energy cost and
usage, control and monitor energy consumption of specific appliances through our innovative Power Monitoring
Switches / Devices and pictorially illustrate total household energy used and generated.
Intelligy Power Monitoring Device (PMD) provides consumers means to monitor a circuit or an individual
appliance’s power consumption, relay the data to and view it on the Intelligy Display.
Specifications (Intelligy GPRS Module)
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Input Power: 90 to 240Vac 50/60Hz
Output Power: 12Vdc, 1.5A
GPRS: Quad-band EGSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz
Output Power
– Class 4 (2W) @ 850 / 900MHz
– Class 1 (1W) @ 1800 / 1900MHz
GPRS Data
– GPRS Class 10
– Mobile Station Class B
– Coding Scheme 1 to 4
– PBCCH Support
Indoor Range: Up to 30m
Transmit Power Output: 1mW (0dBm)
Receiver Sensitivity: -101dBm
Frequency: ISM 915MHz
Specifications (ZigBee® SE Demand Response Enabling Device)
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Indoor Range: Up to 90m
Transmit Power Output: 100mW (20dBm) EIRP
Receiver Sensitivity: -98dBm
Frequency: ISM 2.4GHz
Standby power: Less than 1 Watt
Operating power: 2 Watts (Maximum)
Relay Output Connection
o For connection to auxiliary relay/contactor or AS4755 interface
o Terminal Rating: 240Vac 10A
o Relay Contact Rating:
 240Vac 10A (Resistive)
 240Vac 3A (cos = 0.4)
 30Vdc 10A
Temperature Sensor Connection
o 2-way terminal block for connection to the air thermistor circuit
o Fixed Resistor Values: 6k8, 13K, 27K
o Variable Resistor Values: 50k, 200K, 200K
o All Resistors are Rated: 0.125W or greater
Input Power: 100–240Vac, 50/60Hz
Dimensions: 165mm (L) x 85mm (W) x 55mm (H)
6.5in (L) x 3.4in (W) x 2.2in (H)
Storage Temperature: -10° C – 70° C (14° F - 158° F)
Operating Temperature: -10° C – 60° C (14° F - 140° F)
Relative Humidity: 90% Non-Condensing
IP Rating IP65
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Specifications (Intelligy Serial Communication Module)
 Indoor Range: Up to 30m
 Transmit Power Output: 1mW (0dBm)
 Receiver Sensitivity: -101dBm
 Frequency: ISM 915MHz
 Protocol: Proprietary
 Input: 5Vdc
 Dimensions: 20mm (H) x 96mm (W) x 40mm (D)
 0.8in (H) x 3.8in (W) x 1.6in (D)
 Storage Temperature: 5°C – 50°C (41°F – 122°F)
 Operating Temperature: 5°C – 50°C (41°F – 122°F)
 Relative Humidity: 95% Non-Condensing
 ZigBee® RS-232
o Indoor Range: Up to 100m
o Transmit Power Output: 100mW (20dBm)
o Receiver Sensitivity: -102dBm
o Frequency: ISM 2.4GHz
o Protocol: ZigBee® / Proprietary
 Input: 5Vdc
 Dimensions: 20mm (H) x 96mm (W) x 40mm (D)
 0.8in (H) x 3.8in (W) x 1.6in (D)
 Temperature
 Storage Temperature: 5°C – 50°C (41°F – 122°F)
 Operating Temperature: 5°C – 50°C (41°F – 122°F)
 Relative Humidity
 95% Non-Condensing
Market Penetration
Ofices in Victoria (Australia), Hong Kong and Los Angeles.
http://www.intelligy.com.au/
15. AlertMe
Description
AlertMe SmartHeating allows the user to programme and remotely control heating anywhere over the internet or
using a smartphone. They use ZigBee Pro and even have certified devices, but are unwilling to offer their devices to
integrators (including systems for large companies.). Can Link to Google Power Meter. Only interested in selling
their complete system(closed) either direct to end consumers, or to large smart grid service providers(Utilities.)
Plug an appliance into a SmartPlug and see how much energy it’s currently using as well as help control it. While
appliances that have ‘standby’ settings may not cost a lot on their own, a house full of them could save plenty. By
fitting them with SmartPlugs and turning these appliances on or off at the socket, either online or using your smart
phone, you can control your energy use even if you’re out.
Features
 Wireless enabled home thermostatic controls unit connects to the AlertMe Hub gateway
 Transforms hard to manage controls into a simple and intuitive online dashboard or Smart Phone interface
 Enables remote control of heating/cooling online from anywhere
 Set and forget it and even manage holiday mode online
 Adds convenience and enhanced comfort while addressing cost and waste
 Professional install and set-up
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Prices
SmartPlug: £25.00
SmartMeter reader: £29.00
SmartDisplay: £29.99
https://www.alertme.com/
16. Ted (The Energy Detective)
TED is a system that is based on Current Transformer HW that a user can clip to the power circuit that they wish to
monitor. Ted then couples this either with their own wireless LCD power monitors, or their PC SW. Additionally TED
is certified for use with Google Power meter. Switching on/off of devices not yet supported. Can Link to Google
Power Meter. Primarily uses a home wires for data transmission, however newer variant also uses ZigBee to
transmit data to the wireless LCD display. Seem to be open to offer their API to third parties.
All TED systems are certied to conform to UL Standards in the US and Canada (ANSI/UL STD 916 - Certied to
Canada STD C22.2 #205) by Intertek (ETL le 3185753), as well as all FCC requirements. TED series is suitable for
use only on 120/240 V single or split-phase 60Hz
service (typical of any North American home). TED is suitable for electrical service up to 200 Amps, or up to 800
Amps with four parallel 200A feeds (with 4 MTUs). TED is suitable for services with maximum 350 MCM conductors.
Market Penetration
Sold through Lowe’s Hardware chain. The device currently only works over the US power supply system, however
they are working on an EU version.
Prices
Energy monitoring packs range from $200 - $455.
http://www.theenergydetective.com/
17. Current Cost
Description
Current Cost, an English company basaed in Cambridge claim to be the World´s leading manufacturer of Energy
Real Time Displays (portable LCD displays.) current cost sell directly to the public via their web site, but also have
been completing deals with third party energy consumption device providers sometimes with Current cost supplying
their product as a ‘white box’ product that is resold by the third party.
Current cost have Current Transformer clamps that operate on both UK/EU and USA voltages. These current
clamps Transmitt data wirelessly to the Current Cost LCD displays, that may then be connected to a PC, or Gateway
to allow uploading of data to the Current Cost web Site. Additionally, current cost have power socket Energy meters
for the UK market that allows UK based users to obtain more detailed appliance level energy static information and
to be able to remotely turn off devices and thereby save energy.
C2 is found in every device and now available in individual recognition plugs, standard meters, load management
devices.
The information gathered by the C2 software can be downloaded to a PC or as a part web application so
households, housing associations and any other organisation can track improvement in energy efficiency and
wastage reduction.
Specifications (NetSmart gateway)
 Operating voltage: 5v
 Input Voltage (limits) 6-20V
 Power Adapter: 9VDC, 300mA, 2.1mm center positive. Power can also be provided using the USB port.
 Weight: 142g
 Dimensions:100mm x 76mm x 41mm
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Communication: Serial communication over USB with debug output. USB can also be used for powering the
prototype bridge.
 Automatic Software Reset: The NetSmart can be reset by unplugging the power from the NetSmart, wait 5
seconds, then re-connect the power to theNetSmart. This will do a clean reset of the NetSmart, which will then
cycle through setting up DHCP and communicating with the Current Cost broker.
 Microcontroller: ATmega168
 Memory:16 KB of flash memory
 EEPROM: 512 bytes (ATmega168)
 RJ45 Ethernet port: The RJ45 Ethernet port has two LEDs: Link/Act and 10/100. The Link/Act LED should be on
when connected. If the Link/Act LED is not ON, this usually means there is a bad network connection or bad
cable. More details about LED activity:
LED: Link Activity (LINK/ACT)
GREEN = link active BLINK = network activity OFF = link inactive
LED: 10/100
Baud Rate / Network Speed AMBER = 100Mb OFF = 10Mb
Market Penetration
Current cost have a large portfolio of LCD energy displays, are active with gas and water utilities in addition to
electric utilities and are well positioned to build market share. Partnerships with E.ON, Scottish Power, eDF, Scottish
and Southern Energy.
Price (NetSmart, various models)
30 – 43 pounds
http://www.currentcost.com/

18. There Corporation
Description
The ThereGate™ sets new platform for Home Energy Management System (HEMS) standards. It is built on robust
Open Linux Platform supporting wired and wireless technology, used in millions of devices globally.
Combination of solid technology platform and There Corporations' strong IPR portfolio has enabled us to build
unique product.
On top of the ThereGate platform we build different product portfolios that provide the right services to certain
customer segments. The product sets are built of a ThereGate router and a number of selected measuring devices
and actuators from other manufacturers and the software tying them together to provide the required services. The
different software components reside in the ThereGate and in the networks according to needs.
We already have a number of different product sets that are currently piloted by real people in their everyday life with
functionalities ranging from real-time measurement of energy consumption as well as other related parameters,
through optimized control of heating systems to load control based on dynamic electricity prices (Demand
Response).
ThereGate is the ultimate data logger because it can adapt to a wide number of different sensors, actuators and
systems using different communication technologies. This is due to the Linux based open and layered architecture
that provides the ability to abstract the underlying layers of technologies and protocols from applications. In fact this
actually enables ThereGate based solutions to use any protocol and technology – any device or system – ever
manufactured! It just needs the appropriate physical communications hardware to be added to the gateway, either
externally by the USB ports, or internally to the PCB with extension slots. Device drivers and Technology Adapters
need to be added on the software side. The communication methods and protocols can be both wired and wireless.
The following communication hardware and software are already implemented in ThereGate: Ethernet, WLAN, 3G,
Z-wave and M-bus with a large number of measuring devices from different manufacturers tested and supported as
parts of ThereGate solutions. These include:
A number of three-phase electricity main meters
Sub-metering equipment in many different forms
District heat meters
Water meters
Temperature sensors
An important part of the data acquisition is the ability to store information either temporarily or in a more permanent
fashion. So that it can be transferred to back-end servers or cloud services in the most effective way. ThereGate
provides Gigabytes of non-volatile memory for this purpose in the form of both internal and external SD cards as well
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as a database for secure data storage.
Evaluation Kit:
 1 ThereGate TG800GZ
 4 x Gbps LAN Ports
 1 x Gbps WAN Port
 4 x USB 2.0 full speed host
 802.11 b/g/n, 300 Mbps transfer rate
 GSM/GPRS/3G
 Integrated Z-Wave controller (European)
 TPM (Trusted Platform Module)
 Apache Web server
 1 TempSensor -40 … 60°C
 1 Plug-in switch/energy meter 10A/230V
 1 ThereGate API
 1 Year Software License (Remote Access)
 Installation Guide, Tips&Tricks
Market penetration
Energy management company There Corporation has begun cooperation with Smarthome Srl. in Italy. There’s
smart technology, produced under the Italian Virtuoso brand, manages home heating, among other things.
http://therecorporation.com/en
19. EcoManager by EDF Energy
Description
EcoManager is a wireless appliance controller that helps you monitor and control the amount of electricity you use at
home. Connect your appliances to the transmitter plugs included, and you'll soon see how much electricity the
appliances use, the equivalent CO2 and the potential cost of running them – even when on standby.
And once you know that, you can work out how and where you can use less electricity. Then use EcoManager to
remotely switch off connected appliances you're not using, to help you save energy and money. The product and its
underlying technology is supplied by CurrentCost Using the Current cost protocol called C2 and running in the
433MHz band. The transmission distance is quoted as 30m, this is shorter range than would normally be possible
and maybe limited to this to try and avoid interference from several other technologies in this frequency space(such
as toys, garage door remote controllers, etc.
Specifications – don’t seem to be available
Price
70 pounds
http://www.edfenergy.com/products-services/for-your-home/ecomanager/
20. EnergyHub
Description
Since 2007, more than 20 utilities across North America have chosen EnergyHub’s award-winning technology for
their demand response and energy efficiency programs. Our secure and scalable Mercury platform manages
hundreds of thousands of connected devices across a variety of networks, allowing utilities to deploy the device
technology that best meets their program goals and budgets. Mercury powers both demand response and energy
efficiency programs. EnergyHub can also help you lower utilities’ deployment and operating costs through retail
demand response programs.
Our innovative solutions lead the industry in consumer usability and appeal. By better engaging consumers, utilities
can improve program performance for both demand response and energy efficiency without additional cost. Whether
you’re an investor-owned utility, a municipal utility, or a cooperative, EnergyHub has the right solution for you.
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The Mercury platform can control thermostats from vendors such as Carrier and Radio Thermostat Company of
America, HVAC compressors, water heaters, pool pumps, and electric vehicle chargers. This extensive device
compatibility allows utilities to select the devices that fit their budgetary and operational parameters. The platform
can also operate over a variety of communication networks (broadband, AMI, cellular) and HAN technologies (Wi-Fi,
ZigBee, Z-Wave).
•
Easily program thermostat to a daily schedule
•
Put entire house to sleep with the touch of a button
•
Automatically turn off the window air conditioners when leave for work, and schedule them to turn back on
before come home
•
Automate and completely shut down devices
•
Access and control data and appliances remotely
•
Find out how much they’re saving versus others
•
Get tips from customer’s utility for lowering energy costs
If already have a ZigBee®-enabled smart meter in home—provided by the utility—the system can communicate with
the meter automatically. If don’t yet have a Smart Meter, energy hub can provide with a simple add-on that
measures whole-home usage
EnergyHub supports customizable demand response for multiple endpoints, including HVAC and major appliances.
The EnergyHub system benefits from the presence of a ZigBee®-enabled smart meter, but can operate without one.
EnergyHub is also working with AMR vendors to support legacy one-way wireless meter reading systems.
EnergyHub also offers a customizable web portal for customers to access the system’s tools. Consumers can use
the portal to fully understand their energy use and to compare their usage with others in the community. The portal
also gives consumers the same controls that they have with the Dashboard, seamlessly blending the Internet and inhome user experience.
An analytics portal gives a utility in-depth information about its customers. Utilities can gain insight into how
consumers are using energy, and can find out, for example, whether a new pricing structure is achieving favorable
results.
Market penetration
Large market share in USA. Partnerships with major HVAC suppliers. DR programs with SDG&E as well as utilities
in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
http://www.energyhub.com/
21. RaZberry
RaZberry is a Rasberry PI platform with a Z-wave interface module included into the system. The specifications for
the RaZberry are the same as for the PI B Model.
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Appendix C Summary of NIST Standards
PAP 0 - Meter Upgradeability Standard (completed)
This PAP identified requirements for meter upgradeability. More specifically, the intention here was to ensure that
technologies or solutions selected by electric utilities would allow for evolution and growth as Smart Grid standards
evolve. For example, in order to manage meter’s change as the Smart Grid grows, it is essential to be able to
upgrade firmware of smart meter in the field without replacing the equipment or “rolling a truck” to manually upgrade
the meter firmware.
Standard
SG-AMI 1-2009
(Closed Standard)
18
Description
Impact on GreenCom
The standard describes
functional
and
security
requirements for the secure
upgrade - both local and
remote - of smart meters.
This standard provides a number of suggested
functional requirements for the meters which
should be taken into account for any smart grid
deployment.
PAP 1 - Role of IP in the Smart Grid (completed)
Aim of this PAP is to explore internet protocols and technologies in order to evaluate their applicability in the Smart
Grid scenarios. Internet protocols seem a good choice for interoperability networks, for this reason this PAP want to
investigate capabilities of the existing stack and evaluate advantage in using it in Smart Grid environment. The work
in this PAP has started with a review of Smart Grid communication networks requirements and continued with a
definition of a network architecture and technologies for Smart Grid.
Standards
Description
Impact on GreenCom
IETF-6272 “Internet Protocols for
the Smart Grid”
This standard provides an
overview of all key internet
protocols of the IETF suite (i.e. IP)
which are relevant for smart grid
applications. The document
classifies standards by
communication layer (e.g.
Network, Transport) also covering
management/security issues (e.g.
service/resource discovery,
security, business architectures,
etc.)
Defines a transport independent
application-level messaging
protocol for exchanging ANSI
IEEE 1377-formatted table data
between smart meters and other
smart devices.
Smart Grid is a composition of
distributed systems. In
GreenCom project can be
helpful use existing networks in
order to drastically reduce the
costs of development,
deployment and maintenance.
IEEE 1703-2012
This protocol provides security,
reliability and speed
transferring data between enddevice nodes. These features
are required in several points
into the smart grid.
PAP 2 - Wireless Communications for the Smart Grid (Ongoing)
The main objective of this PAP is to assess the appropriateness of wireless communications technologies to meet
Smart Grid applications. More specifically, this PAP investigates the strengths, weaknesses, capabilities, and
constraints of existing and emerging standards for wireless communications. In order to achieve this task, this PAP
works with the appropriate standard development organizations (SDOs) to determine the characteristics of each
wireless technology for Smart Grid applications.
Standard
Description
Impact on GreenCom
18
Note: this is a closed standard. As for other closed standards in this list, links to standard documents have
not been provided. Information has been extracted from publicly available summaries.
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NIST IR 7761: Wireless
Guidelines v1.0
This standard is an initial guide
to the key tools and methods
that
Smart
Grid
system
designers and developers can
use to evaluate and make
informed
decisions
about
existing and emerging wireless
standards
and
associated
technologies.
This standard can be used as a guideline to
improve specifications of wireless
components of the GreenCom system, within
WP5.
PAP 3 - Common Price Communication Model (completed)
This PAP analyse value of the information and products present in a Smart Grid with particular focus on a pricing. A
common price model must be defined to evaluate impact of energy production and consumption in business
scenarios. The main objective of this PAP is to develop price and product definitions supported by several use
cases.
Standard
Description
Impact on GreenCom
OASIS - Energy Market
Information Exchange (EMIX)
Standardize price and products
definitions in order to allow a
common understanding about
information provided by grid and
automatic systems to make
decisions to optimize energy and
economic results.
Main aim of GreenCom is to
optimize energy exchange
between local installations. This
task needs an automatic engine
for decision support that must
now all relevant value in the grid
domain. This standard can help to
identify and classify these values.
Moreover, such standard might be
relevant for any business case
involving exchange of price
signals or similar information.
IEC 61970
It is a standard series for defining
software interface for Energy
Management Systems. In
particular part 301 - Common
Information Model (CIM) defines a
common ontology for information
related to electric power industry.
The aim is to allow software
information exchanges of data
regarding configuration and status
of electrical networks.
GreenCom needs to guarantee
interoperability with devices
already present in the market as
well as future technologies. To
this aim, standards such as
IEC61970 could improve the
definition of GreenCom data
models and software interfaces.
PAP 4 - Common Schedule Communication Mechanism (completed)
The main objective of this PAP, is to propose a common specification of schedule-related information across
different domains (including smart grid) to better support interactions between each other. The motivation is to better
coordinate the future increase of distributed energy resources, including both distributed energy generation and
demand response. The idea is to create a sort of coordination mechanism (similar to iCalendar used for human
interactions and human scheduling) to easy the coordination of the increasing number of physical processes that are
managed by web services. The final goal of this action plan is to survey the existing specifications for calendaring
and develop a standard describing how to schedule event and how event information is passed between and within
services.
Standard
Description
Impact on GreenCom
Standards Information
Form for WS-Calendar
This standard uses information
model of WS-Calendar to define
information payloads for web
services and service-style
This standard could be relevant to support
time-based schedule information about users,
appliances, forecasts, etc.
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interactions [SOA-RM]. The use of
WS-Calendar will align the
performance expectations
between execution contexts in
different domains. The idea is to
bringing a common scheduling
context to diverse interactions in
different domains.
PAP 5 - Standard Meter Data Profiles (Ongoing)
Main objective of PAP 5 is to define a synthetic set of devices specification that meet most of the relevant needs of
the smart grid related applications. The work starts from ANSI C12.19 standards which define an extensive set of
End Device data Tables. Devices definition is driven by a data type profiles for specific use cases and requirements
definition.
Standards
Description
Impact on GreenCom
IEEE 1377-2012
Provides a common data
structure for data exchange
between end devices. This data
structure is defined as sets of
tables which are grouped together
into segments called decades.
Each decade regards a particular
feature-set and related function
such as Time-of-use, Load
Profile, etc. Table data is
transferred from or to the end
device by reading from or writing
to a particular table or portion of a
table. Related standards are IEEE
1703 which describes IEEE 1377
devices communication over
network.
This standard provides guidelines
for end-to-end devices
communication techniques and
data interoperability. It assumes
devices as defined in IEEE 1377.
As said for PAP01, IEEE 1377
and IEEE 1703 define a set of
standards useful for energy data
representation and energy data
exchange between smart grid
components. A data model that
well fits with communication
technologies can drastically
reduce development and
deployment time.
This work is overall relevant for
device profiling activities in
GreenCom.
SmartGrid/AEIC AMI
Interoperability Standard
Guidelines for ANSI C12.19 /
IEEE 1377 / MC12.19 End Device
Communications and Supporting
Enterprise Devices, Networks and
Related Accessories
This standard could be relevant
for defining in GreenCom a
common network and model able
to support heterogeneous devices
and protocols.
PAP 6 - Common Semantic Model for Meter Data Tables (completed)
Since there are several forms of data representation, which require complex gateways to translate from one to
another representation for information sharing, the main objective of this PAP was to develop an exact and reusable
representation of the ANSI C12.19 data model to support interoperation between meters and many other
applications and services.
Standard
Description
Impact on GreenCom
ANSI C12.19 – 2008
This standard defines a table structure for
utility application data to be passed
between an end device (i.e. an electricity
meter) and a computer (i.e. a hand-held
device carried by a meter reader). The
standard does not define end device
design criteria nor specify the language or
protocol used to transport that data. The
purpose of the tables is to define
structures for transporting data to and
This standard provides a number of
suggested functional requirements
concerning transporting data to and
from end devices. GreenCom may
take into account these requirements
in order to be compliant with the
proposed table structure (e.g. in any
component
leveraging
semantic
technologies).
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from end devices. A related standard, IEC
61968 defines a CIM information model for
energy data (see PAP8).
ANSI C12.22 - 2008
This
standard
describes
the
communication of C12.19 tables over a
network.
Possibly relevant for protocol definition
aspects within GreenCom
communication protocols
PAP 7 - Electric Storage Interconnection Guidelines (Ongoing)
The objective of this PAP is to define guidelines for allow integration of storage systems in smart grid environment.
These guidelines cover standards regarding electrical interconnections, communication and implementations. A
particular interest is addressed to hybrid generation-storage systems.
Standards
Description
Impact on GreenCom
IEEE 1547-2008 “Interconnection
standards”
Provides standards for
interconnecting Distributed
resources with Electric Power
systems. Currently there are
several complementary standards
which are designed to expand or
clarify the initial standard.
Is a series of standards about
information exchange between
electrical distribution systems.
IEC 61968 defines interfaces for
major component involved in a
Distribution Management System.
This standard has been recently
updated to fit in smart grid
scenarios and to provide support
for integrating energy resources.
IEC 61968
This standard might be relevant to
cope with DSO/Microgrid
integration issues.
PAP 8 - CIM for Distribution Grid Management (Ongoing)
The main objective of this PAP is to develop an approach for integrating and expanding the application level
communications from the following standards for SmartGrid applications: IEC 61968, Multispeak, IEC 61970-301
and IEC 61850.
The purpose of integrating these standards is to provide a basis for powerful integration for both real time operations
as well as support for a variety of back office applications. Moreover, this PAP aims at obtaining a scalable strategy
to integrate other identified standards.
Standard
Description
Impact on GreenCom
IEC 61968 and Multispeak
These standards provide the
structure
and
semantics
for
integrating a variety of back office
applications.
IEC 61850
This standard provides a basis for
field equipment communications
and
provides
semantics
for
communications
with
field
equipment including both real time
operations as well as nonoperational data such as condition
monitoring.
GreenCom may take this standard
into consideration mainly regarding
the integration of back-office systems
(e.g. smart energy systems deployed
in a server room in the operators
premises).
GreenCom may take this standard
into consideration mainly regarding
the aggregation and analyzation of
real-time or near realtime data
consumption coming from devices
such as appliances, smart home
devices, sensors, actuators, etc. This
standard might be relevant to cope
with DSO/Microgrid integration
issues.
PAP 9 - Standard DR and DER Signals (Ongoing)
This PAPa aims at defining a common semantic model for standard DR (Demand Response) signals. The effort
shall ensure that DR & DER signal standards support load control, supply control, and environmental signals both
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for the demand and the generation side.
Standard
OpenADR (Open
Demand Response)
Automated
Description
Impact on GreenCom
OpenADR aims at defining a DRsupport protocol in order to have
commercial and industrial buildings
reacting to standardized electricity
price and reliability signals.
OpenADR might be relevant for
GreenCom in use cases involving
demand response tasks.
PAP 10 - Standard Energy Usage Information (completed)
The main objective of this PAP, whose status is completed, was to provide data standards to exchange fine grained
and timely information about energy usage. By using these standards, customers and customer-authorized thirdparty service providers can access energy usage information from the Smart Grid and meter, enabling them to make
better decisions about energy use and conservation as well as provide real-time feedback on present and projected
performance.
Standard
Description
Impact on GreenCom
NAESB REQ18/WEQ19: Energy
Usage Information (not available19)
Detailed information is not available
free of charge.
Possible impact on exchange of
“generalized” information about
consumption within households.
PAP 11 - Common Object Models for Electric Transportation (completed)
This PAP explores Plug-in Electric Vehicle area and wants to provide some standards to promote adoption of PEV in
society. Standards within this area could be relevant for Vehicle-to-grid application, currently out of scope of the
GreenCom scenarios.
PAP 12 - Mapping IEEE 1815 (DNP3) to IEC 61850 Objects (Ongoing)
The main objective of this PAP, whose status is still active, is to create a mapping between the communication
protocol functionalities defined by the IEEE 1815 (DNP3 - Distributed Network Protocol) with the standard IEC
61850 (see PAP 8). This action is motivated by the fact that the DNP3 standard (adopted in Norht America power
grid) is not fully capable of enabling all foreseen Smart Grid functions. Since the future Smart Grid must
accommodate and build upon the legacy systems of todays power grid, this PAP goes in this direction by creating
the mapping between the old DNP3 and the new IEC 61850. Since this standard is used in North America, it is only
marginally relevant to GreenCom.
PAP 13 - Harmonization of IEEE C37.118 with IEC 61850 and Precision Time Synchronization (completed)
Standard IEEE C37.118 defines requirements for measurement and determination of phasor values. IEC 61850 is a
standard for design electrical substation and cover aspect as requirements, architecture, communication and data
models.
Standard
Description
Impact on GreenCom
IEEE C37.238-2011 “IEEE
Standard Profile for Use of IEEE
1588 Precision Time Protocol in
Power System Application”
IEEE 1588 provides protocols and
components enabling precise
synchronization of clock in a
distributed system. IEEE C37.238
defines a smart grid profile of this
protocol.
GreenCom is mainly a distributed
system and its components need
to be synchronized each other.
Moreover, in a smart grid, most of
the data exchanged by
components are related to the
time and synchronization errors
can be reflected in uncontrollable
behaviour.
19
Link to the above standards are available only to NAESB members.http://collaborate.nist.gov/twikisggrid/bin/view/SmartGrid/PAP10EUIFinalArtifacts
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PAP 14 - Transmission and Distribution Power Systems Model Mapping (Ongoing)
The main objective of this PAP is to define strategies for integrating standards in the area of transmission
operations. So far the PAP has provided the standard IEEE C37.239 that defines a way to integrate power system
events from different standards into a common format that can be shared across the enterprise.
Standard
Description
Impact on GreenCom
IEEE C37.239
This standard defines a common format for data
files used for the interchange of various types of
event data collected from electrical power
systems or power system models. Moreover, the
standard discusses the following features:
extensibility,
extension
mechanisms,
and
compatibility of future versions of the format.
IEEE 2030 “Guide for Smart
Grid Interoperability of
Energy Technology and
Information Technology
Operation with the Electric
Power System (EPS), EndUse Applications, and
Loads”
Try to merge different world experiences on
smart grid installations and define a series of
standard to allow interoperability between smart
grid components. This work provides a concept
of interoperability in terms of hardware/software
machine-to-machine communication, data
formats and semantic of the content exchanged.
This standard is only
marginally relevant to
GreenCom as it is more
centered in the TSO/DSO
interaction domain. It could be
considered for inspiration
purposes in microgrid
aggregation scenarios.
This standard covers many
aspect of the smart grid and
offers a wide overview of the
actual technologies and
installations in the world.
PAP 15 - Harmonize Power Line Carrier Standards for Appliance Communications in the Home (Ongoing)
Power Line Communication (PLC) seems to be a promising technology to achieve appliances communication in
Home Area Network. Objective of this PAP is to explore PLCs technologies and evaluate applicability of these for
devices communication in HAN. Outcome of this work are a series of standard that allow communication between
different vendor devices and technologies.
Standard
Description
Impact on GreenCom
IEEE 1901 “Standard for
Broadband over Power Line
Networks: Medium Access
Control and Physical Layer
Specifications”
Is a standard for high-speed
communication devices via
electric power lines. This
standard can be used for
communication devices in LAN,
for Smart Energy applications,
for vehicles and other systems.
A relevant part of GreenCom is located
in HAN. HAN is an heterogeneous
environment both for communication
technologies and devices. Devices are
often provided by different vendors and
use different proprietary protocols.
Power Line Network are often used
because of its easy and not intrusive
installation, so this standard might be
considered as an additional
communication technology for wire line
systems.
PAP 16 - Wind Plant Communications (Ongoing)
Since most of the existing command and control infrastructures for wind power plants and site monitoring are based
on proprietary technologies and old protocols that are not capable of being managed or secured, this PAP, whose
status is still active, aims at ensuring the adoption of standards for wind power plant communications that guarantee
interoperability.
The standard related to this PAP is IEC 61400 standard. In particular, part 25 of this standard is focused on wind
power plant communication.
Standard
Description
Impact on
GreenCom
IEC 61400-25 standard
The standard IEC 61400-25 provides a uniform
communications basis for the monitoring and control
of wind power plants. In particular, it defines wind
This standard could
be relevant for
Distributed
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power plant specific information, the mechanisms
for information exchange and the mapping to
communication protocols. In this regard, the IEC
61400-25 series defines details required to
exchange the available information with wind power
plant components in a manufacturer-independent
environment.
Generation Issues in
GreenCom.
PAP 17 – Facility Smart Grid Information Standard (Ongoing)
To achieve balancing between power demand and production, Smart Grid needs of a systems for real-time analysis
and automatic decision. These systems require much basic and complex information such as load consumptions,
weather, day of the year, hour of the day and many others. This PAP has as objective to define a common data
model for communication between end devices and control decision systems within the Smart Grid. Currently no
standard are defined in this PAP, but it should be monitored in future developments of GreenCom.
PAP 18 - SEP 1.x to SEP 2 Transition and Coexistence (completed)
The main objective of this PAP was to develop specific requirements that must be met to allow for the coexistence of
SEP 1.x and 2.0 and to support the migration of 1.x implementations to 2.0 in smart grid applications. In particular,
this PAP assumed that the meters themselves are capable of running SEP 1.x or 2.0 via remote firmware upgrade.
The focus of this PAP was on the events leading up to and impact of such an upgrade. This PAP produced the
following white paper: PAP18 "White Paper" Final Artifact Page
Standard
Description
Impact on GreenCom
SGIP 2011-0008-1
This document addresses SEP 1.x to SEP 2.0 migration
and coexistence. In particular, it outlines the requirements
and best practices, and applies them to the migration and
coexistence of versions of other applications that are not
backwards compatible. Moreover, it focus on translation of
the SEP applications by an Application Layer Gateway
(ALG) that considers also manufacturers that would like to
include translations to other ZigBee or “non-ZigBee”
applications within the ALG.
This standard might be
relevant for GreenCom
devices integrated
through ZigBee
technologies.
PAP 19 - Wholesale Demand Response (DR) Communication Protocol (Ongoing)
Similarly to PAP 9, this PAP aims at defining a common semantic model for standard DR (Demand Response)
signals. The effort shall ensure that DR & DER signal standards support load control, supply control, and
environmental signals both for the demand and the generation side. The main difference with PAP 9 is that the focus
of PAP19 is centred on wholesale operations and could be thus more relevant in “aggregation” scenarios and
ESCO-operated contracts.
Standard
OpenADR (Open
Demand Response)
Automated
Description
Impact on GreenCom
Parts of OpenADR in the 2.0
release also focus on wholesale
operations
Wholesale operations might be
relevant for GreenCom e.g. to impact
on business models with new actors
(e.g. aggregators and ESCOs) are
entering the market.
PAP 20 - Green Button ESPI Evolution (Ongoing)
The main objective of this PAP, whose status is still active, is to foster the requirements for and establish standards
evolution that allow consumers to have access to their own energy usage information (EUI) in a downloadable,
easy-to-use electronic format, offered by their utility. More specifically, this PAP will support a robust and rapid
penetration of interoperable goods and services in support of exchange of EUI.
Standard
Description
Impact on
GreenCom
NAESB REQ18/WEQ19: Energy
A standard for EUI exchange.
To be monitored for
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GreenCom
Usage
Information
20
standard )
(closed
future GreenCom
developments.
PAP 21 - Weather Information (Ongoing)
In Smart Grid weather information assume a relevant importance, for example for automatic decision systems as
described for PAP 17. This PAP analyses aspect related to communication, measuring and forcasting of weather
data, in order to harmonize standards for bi-directional exchange of weather information. Currently no standard are
defined in this PAP, but it should be monitored in future developments of GreenCom.
20
Link to the above standards are available only for NAESB members. http://collaborate.nist.gov/twikisggrid/bin/view/SmartGrid/PAP10EUIFinalArtifacts
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Appendix D:- European Project Summary
ME3GAS (ARTEMIS EU-FP7 2010 -2013)
Objectives: The goal of ME³GAS is to put consumers in control of their appliances and energy efficiency. In
this context, ME³GAS project addresses the development of a new generation of smart gas meters, based
on embedded electronics, communications and the remote management of a shut-off valve, which shall offer
a whole range of added values: management of multiple tariffs and payment modalities, remote gas cut off,
security alarms, absolute index, temperature correction. Specification, implementation and dissemination of
an open architecture for wireless communication was also addressed in the project. ME³GAS also
incorporated a service-oriented middleware for embedded systems linksmart to create services and
applications across heterogeneous devices to develop an energy-aware middleware platform. Hiding the
complexity of the underlying device and communications technologies for application developers and raising
the level of programming abstraction to a web services layer.
Methodology / Technology used: New smart gas meters were developed as part of this project based on two
wireless technologies GPRS and ZigBee. The middleware platform was tested in a number of Pilot sites. At
the time of compiling this report 6LoWPAN via contiki was being used as well as Plugwise devices running
ZigBee Pro.
Website: http://www.me3gas.eu/
eDIANA (ARTEMIS EU-FP7 2009 - 2012)
Objectives: The goals of eDiana are similar to the objectives of ME³Gas, to increase energy efficiency of
embedded devices. The eDiana project aims at achieving a reference model-based architecture based on
the concept of cells (households) and macrocells (residential and non-residential buildings). Such cells can
then be interconnected to form more complex networks of whole districts. Technically eDiana aims at
realizing these goals by developing an open middleware helping to integrate cells into existing power grids
Methodology / Technology used: Development of a hardware agnostic middleware platform using a
reference model based architecture. Proof of concept / pilots were carried out using an extension and
modification of ZigBee standard. They mention specifically the application profiles and interoperability of
ZigBee as there main reasons for selecting this technology.
Website: http://s15723044.onlinehome-server.info/artemise/
Sofia (ARTEMIS EU-FP7 2009-2012)
Objectives: Sofia project is targeting to make "information" in the physical world available for smart services connecting the physical world with the information world. Although the Sofia project is not targeting energy
efficiency, one of their applications is dealing with this. Sofia is advocating an ontology based approach for
automatic generation of device code. However, their main focus is mainly on powerful mobile devices like
Nokia phones compared with resource-constrained devices, actuators and sensors to provide a true ambient
intelligent environment.
Website: http://www.sofia-community.org/
AIM (FP7:- 2008-2010)
Objectives: The main objective is to develop technologies for managing energy consumption in domestic
environments in real-time. Target groups are either power distribution network operators who monitor power
consumption of larger residential areas or residential users who monitor and manage their home network.
Methodology / Technology used: AIM distinguishes between the home and the outside network. Residential
users administer their home networks while functionalities are exposed as services to the outside network via
a gateway offering functions for policy management, device discovery, and proactive configuration. The
project created a energy management device (EMD) which was protocol agnostic that could connect with an
“AIM” gateway to deliver its information back. It was primarily set up over PLC but was interoperable with
ZigBee / Wi-Fi and other protocols via the provision for add on boards to the EMD. The EMD device could
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GreenCom
control white goods via a KNX interface (Assuming the device had inbuilt KNX slave device). When
commands were sent from the gateway in conjunction with the standard power metering selected
programmes could be run on the appliance it was connected to.
Website: http://www.ict-aim.eu/
BeyWatch (EU 2008 to 2011)
Objectives: Targeting environmental sustainability, energy efficiency and new power distribution business
models, BeyWatch aims to design, develop and evaluate an innovative, energy aware, flexible and usercentric solution, able to provide interactive energy monitoring, intelligent control and power demand
balancing at home, block and neighbourhood level. The system will interconnect legacy/consumer electronic
devices with a new generation of energy-aware white-goods in a common network, where multilevel
hierarchic metering, control, and scheduling will be applied, based on power demand, network conditions
and personal preferences. By scheduling and con trolling the electronic devices operation, BeyWatch aims to
minimize power distribution peaks, balancing energy load in power distribution networks and ultimately
achieving predictable large-scale energy-consumption profiles. Moreover, BeyWatch will integrate an
innovative combined photovoltaic/solar (CPS) system, which will provide hot water for white goods in order to
reduce/remove the energy-hungry heating operational cycles and generate electrical energy, which can be
utilised at home, or during peak periods even fed to the electricity network in a reverse power generation/
distribution business model.
Methodology / Technologies: Beywatch created a monitoring and control system at the appliance level as
well as a supervisory control device for the entire network called the Agent within the beywatch architecture.
For White appliances Baywatch recommendended the use of Wi-Fi , ZigBee, and Z-wave as these are low
cost interoperable and widely accepted. The agent could interface with these appliances as well as smart
meters and service providers. The Agent hardware was based on an embedded linux system which was the
ASUS Eee Box B202 RG with an Atom N270 1600Mhz proccessor 1GB RAM and 80GB harddrive.
Consumed a maximum of 20Watts of electricity,
Website: http://www.beywatch.eu/
Intube (2008 -2011)
Objectives: IntUBE will develop tools for measuring and analysing building energy profiles based on user
comfort needs. These will offer efficient solutions for better use and management of energy use within
buildings over their lifecycles. Intelligent Building Management Systems will be developed to enable real-time
monitoring of energy use and optimisation. Neighbourhood Management Systems will be developed to
support efficient energy distribution across groups of buildings. These will support timely and optimal energy
transfers from building to building based on user needs and requirements. New Business Models to make
best use of the developed Management Systems will be created. The results of IntUBE are expected to
enhance not only the comfort levels of buildings users, but also reduce overall energy costs through better
energy efficiency. These results will be demonstrated in at least three pilot cases: social housing in Spain,
office buildings in Finland and a third case defined during the project.
Methodology / Technology Used: Documentation doesn’t mention technologies deployed
Website: http://www.intube.eu/
ITOBO (SFI, 2007 to 2012)
Objectives:- ITOBO aims to develop a holistic, methodological framework for life-cycle oriented information
management and decision support in the construction and energy- management sectors. This is achieved by
making specific research contributions to ICT in Ubiquitous sensing infrastructures by supporting
seamless and dynamic end-to-end network composition and service operation through sensor and RFID
hardware. Disruptive networking paradigms by enhancing the management of large-scale, complex
networks, services, and mobile users through introducing new network and management approaches.
Decision support systems with the development of novel constraint-based preference models and
optimisation algorithms that support the configuration, adaptation, and servicing of smart buildings and the
networks that manage them. Dynamic, re-configurable service architectures: by designing a system
architecture that will support scale-free composition of service coalitions with managed operation across
several administrative (e.g. tenant, owner, building-operator) and business domains (e.g. suppliers, network
operators, facility managers).
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Methodology / Technology Used:- ITOBO used passive RFID technologies for indoor localization.
Website: use.ucc.ie/itobo/
DEHEMS (FP7 2008-2011)
Objectives: The Digital Environment Home Energy Management system (DEHEMS) investigated the ways
technology can improve domestic energy efficiency. The aim was to improve the current monitoring
approach used by residential houses.
Methodology / Technology Used: Dehems went beyond the traditional approach of looking at how much
energy was used in domestic setting to how the energy was used in domestic settings. This involved sub
metering based on wireless plug devices.This project used wireless technology as the enabler for the project
specifically Plugwise ZigBee Pro plugs.
PitFalls: This project initially looked at using PLC devices but decided against it due to the limitations of PLC
and went with wireless technology itself (while it has limitations they believed it more suitable to home
energy monitoring).
Website: http://www.dehems.eu/
Smart House / Smart Grid (FP7 2008-2009)
Objectives: This project set out to validate and test how ICT-enabled collaborative technical-commercial
aggregations of Smart Houses provide an essential step to achieve the needed radically higher levels of
energy efficiency in Europe. The project describes itself as the roadmap to mass production and uptake of
smart home and smart grid technologies. To prove the concept a number of field trials are carried out. All
technologies used in the project were to be based on open source and open industry standards.
Methodology / Technology Used: Within this project a gateway device was developed based on a Vortex x86
1 GHz CPU running embedded linux as the operating system. The wireless technologies used within the
project were wi-fi for gateway connection back to the cloud. ZigBee and Z-wave were also trialled as the
home automation technologies.
Lessons Learnt: Issues with Z-wave were described during the field trials which was mainly due to
intermediate signal loss. This resulted in device switching on more than they should. The resolution for this
problem is to ensure adequate radio surveys are carried out before wireless installations.
Website: http://www.smarthouse-smartgrid.eu/
INTrEPID (FP7 Nov 2012 – 2015)
Intelligent systems for energy prosumer buildings at district level. This project aims to develop technologies
that will enable energy optimization of residential buildings. The project looks at optimizing control of internal
systems with a residential building as well as external links to the outside world including other buildings,
producers, distributors and enabling energy exchange.
SMARTHG (FP7 Oct 2012 – 2015)
Energy Demand Aware Open Services for Smart Grid Intelligent Automation. This project focuses on the
development of Automation services gathering real time from Residential homes about energy usage and
using this data to create intelligent automation and reduce this consumption of energy.
Website: http://smarthg.di.uniroma1.it/
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d5 - GreenCom

Transcription

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