Enhancement of security and reliability with MIMO communication for the smart grid

As the intelligence of smart grid is built based on information exchange across the power grid, communication networks play a crucial role in smart grid. To ensure robustness of the backbone power network, wired sensor network based on power line communication (PLC) is apparently a suitable candidate. In contrast, wireless communications provide many advantages such as low cost and easy connection setup among different devices/nodes. However, wireless communications facing security and reliability challenges. So developing appropriate wireless communication architecture and securing that is extremely important. I have investigated the challenges related to communication between smart meter and central system. To combat severe communication impairment induced by malicious attacks or link failures, I propose to implement space-time block coding over virtual multiple transmitter and/or receiver antennas.;First, the security challenges from malicious attacks have been examined. I mainly address the malicious attack of additive pattern. Simulation shows that malicious attack could be effectively mitigated in virtue of space time block coding. Meanwhile, it is verified that more virtual source will give more diversity gain and better performance. Data piracy case has then been considered. Simulation shows that data piracy is very severe problem and cannot be alleviated by space time block code only. It is also concluded that if we could detect the attacked smart meter, performance can be improved. Reliability challenge from link failure is then considered. We show that space-time block coding could provide satisfying performances with low-complex design in link failure scenario.;Also extensive numerical studies on above cases with use of link adaptation technique and channel coding are performed. Simulations indicate that, even if the malicious attack are very severe, the receiver could provide better bit-error-rate (BER) performance in malicious attack scenario, data piracy with detection and link failure situation due to forward error correction.