The Art of Noise Modeling and Mitigation on Power Line Communication in Distributed Energy System

Power line communication (PLC) has been widely recognized for its expansive coverage and low cost. However, power lines were not initially designed for communication, resulting in a poor channel environment and high levels of noise. With large amounts of distributed generation (DG) being connected to the power grid, the noise on PLC has become increasingly severe. To address the above issues, this article presents an extensive review of modeling and mitigation methods for PLC noise in distributed energy systems (DESs). First, the development history and modulation modes of PLC are briefly introduced. Then, common noise models in PLC are reviewed, including background noise, periodic impulsive noise (IN), and random IN. Then, this article analyzes the causes and characteristics of noise caused by power electronic equipment (PEE) and presents a noise classification method that is more applicable to DESs, which can be regarded as an extension and refinement of the traditional method. In addition, existing noise mitigation methods are reviewed to point out their operating mechanisms and the shortcomings. Finally, based on the analysis, it is recommended that future research should focus on three key areas: enhancing PLC system performance, modeling and mitigation of high-frequency power electronics noise, and developing an efficient and general noise mitigation method.