Maxim Integrated Products, another powerline chip provider, offers several options. The MAX2982 is HomePlug compatible and works with the MAX 2981, a PLC AFE and line driver IC. The MAX2990 is designed to use OFDM in the 10- to 490-kHz band. It works with the MAX2991 AFE. Both are G3 compatible. The forthcoming MAX2992 will support IPv6 packets.
Texas Instruments also has a development kit that lets you experiment with spaced FSK (S-FSK) or any OFDM-based PLC technology. It uses TI’s TMS320F28 series 32-bit DSP processors along with the company’s OPA564 and PGA112 AFE components. The F28 handles the modulation and demodulation of any PHY scheme. Then, the remaining protocol can be implemented in another processor.
No G.hn chips have been announced yet, but some are expected perhaps from companies like CopperGate, DS2, Gigle, Lantiq, Ikanos, and possibly even TI, which recently joined the HomeGrid Forum. Look for specific announcements later in the year.
WIRELESS PRODUCTS
There are also lots of wireless product choices. The Analog Devices ADF7242 short-range transceiver targets short-range wireless systems in the global 2.4-GHz industrial, science, and medical (ISM) band. It supports the IEEE802.15.4 standard and may be used to implement solutions based upon protocols such as ZigBee, IPv6/6LowWPAN, ISA100.11a, and Wireless HART. It also offers the flexibility to implement proprietary FSK-based protocols with data rates of up to 2 Mbits/s. Applications include smart meters and the Smart Grid, wireless sensor networks, building automation, industrial wireless control, wireless remote controls, consumer electronics, and healthcare.
The leading ZigBee chip vendor, Freescale Semiconductor, commands a market share that’s greater than 60% in 802.15.4 transceivers and related products. Freescale’s MC13213 chip integrates one of the company’s MC1320x 802.15.4 transceivers and an MC9S08GT MCU plus memory and I/O that targets ZigBee applications. Texas Instruments is another major 802.15.4/ZigBee radio vendor. Its CC2530/31 are complete SoCs designed for ZigBee products. RF Micro Devices also offers a front-end module with a power amplifier (PA) and low-noise amplifier (LNA) that greatly extends the range and reliability of ZigBee links.
Ember, another leading ZigBee vendor, supplies chips and software as well as complete modules and systems. The EM250, EM260, EM351, and EM357 chips with EmberZNet PRO software make it easy to put together a complete HAN product. Ember has already shipped more than 10 million ZigBee chips, which are already showing up in smart meters (Fig. 5).
The Silicon Laboratories Si1000 wireless MCUs are ideal for HAN applications. This family of devices combines a 25-MHz 8051 core with the Silicon Labs EZRadio PRO, a sub-1-GHz ISM band transceiver, 64 kbytes of flash, and a 10-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The Si1000 devices have integrated power and low-noise amplifiers and provide a link budget of greater than 140 dB without any active external components. All this comes in a 5- by 7-mm package with very low power consumption.
Silicon Labs also teamed up with Synapse Wireless to introduce a wireless mesh networking solution. It uses the Silicon Labs Si1000 RF chips and Synapse’s SNAP network operating system. This hardware/software combination is available as the Synapse RF Engine module, which makes it easy to deploy scalable low-power small-footprint wireless mesh networks for applications like smart metering, building automation, commercial lighting control, and asset tracking systems.
THE ISSUES
Real and functional HANs are a ways off. It may even be a decade before we see full-scale adoption and the realization of benefits. The starting point is the smart meter rollout. As utilities install AMI meters and provide energy monitoring and flexible pricing, consumers will then have the option of installing their HAN. Only 13 million meters, of an estimated 112 million total, were installed at the end of 2009. But 40 million to 50 million more will be installed in the next four to five years, says research firm Parks Associates.
There are no firm standards for any of the communications and networking technologies. NIST has a working list of technologies and protocols it considers worthy of consideration. As of now, it includes most of what has been discussed here. While interoperability may be an issue in the overall grid, it does not appear to be a necessity in the HAN. As a result, the HAN technology will no doubt be selected by the utility, and multiple standards and technologies will be adopted.
The key to getting the benefits of the Smart Grid according to Parks Associates is consumer buy-in (see “Consumer Attitudes Will Shape The Smart Grid’s Success”). Customers do not have to implement a HAN. Ultimately, they will have to be convinced that the savings are real. With an investment in the HAN, thermostat, monitor, and software and load control modules, customers will have to view the savings as significant or at least break even.
Consumers may even end up paying more for energy to achieve a green condition at the utility. Parks indicated that as many as 35% of surveyed homes will never want a HAN, particularly one with utility control over their power. With the significant initial investment in the HAN and the costs of the AMI meter passed along to the customer, it will be a while before anyone sees benefits, though the potential is there.