Lifetime analysis of the main communication components in a smart distribution grid

This paper describes the method followed to analyze the lifetime of the main communication components involved in a smart distribution grid. This analysis was carried out in four different cases of smart distribution networks corresponding to demonstrators developed in the project UPGRID, partially supported by the European Commission. The focus of UPGRID was on real proven solutions to enable active demand and distributed generation flexible integration, through a fully controllable LOW Voltage and medium voltage distribution grid. The study described in the paper allows for the detection of critical aspects of the lifetimes of the components to be taken into account for risk assessment and security performance of future smart grid communication architectures.