Overhead and underground MIMO low voltage broadband over power lines networks and EMI regulations: Towards greener capacity performances

The factors influencing broadband capacity potential of overhead and underground multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) low-voltage/broadband over power lines (LV/BPL) systems are thoroughly examined. Special attention is given on the capacity effect of today’s well-known power constraints that are imposed to suppress BPL electromagnetic interference to other services (EMI policies).The contribution of this paper is three-fold. First, the performance of various overhead and underground MIMO/LV/BPL topologies has been studied with regard to appropriate transmission, spectral efficient (SE), and energy efficient (EE) metrics. BPL transmission performance depends drastically on the frequency, the EMI policy applied, the power grid type (either overhead or underground), the MIMO scheme properties, the multiconductor transmission line (MTL) configuration, the physical properties of the cables used, and other topological characteristics. Second, it is clearly revealed that today’s EMI policy design has derived from the compromise between BPL technology promotion and protection of existing radioservices without taking under consideration EE issues. This statement is validated using a significant trade-off relation between SE and EE metrics depicted through dynamic quasiconcave curves. Third, based on this SE/EE trade-off, proper EMI policies that: (i) satisfy SE and EE requirements and (ii) promote EE-oriented high-bitrate MIMO/LV/BPL system design; can be further proposed.