Broadband over Power Lines weeds out dope pushers

BPL is not just about delivering super fast downloads, say providers
Howard Dahdah 31/10/2006 17:11:16


The illegal hydroponics industry can potentially be weeded out if the rollout of Broadband over Power Lines technology becomes increasingly more prevalent. But catching dope growers is just one of many and varied benefits that can be delivered to service providers by this technology.

While most Australians are law abiding and pay for the power they use, the theft of electricity from the power grid is a problem. Chief among these thieves are those involved in the illegal drug trade.

"Hydroponics in ceilings requires high heat lamps.... which chew up power," said Geoff Fietz, manager of telecommunications enterprises at Country Energy, referring to the illegal marijuana cultivation industry scattered amongst the population.

He tells an anecdote about a house which burnt down in Queanbeyan, New South Wales. When the police turned up they saw the hydroponics equipment smouldering in the ceiling. Not only had they discovered an illegal drug plantation; power was being siphoned as well. "It's real. It happens," said Fietz.

Police around the world know that increased use of electricity is an indicator of the presence of an indoor hydroponics plantation. Uncovering this increased usage is difficult when illegal connections are used to siphon off the electricity is difficult.

"This strengthens the argument for BPL to address this issue," said Fietz


Intuitive network management

For telecommunication providers, hunting down the smell of MaryJane is a minor issue. For them, BPL has many selling points in ultimately delivering better service to customers.

A case in point is the heat wave which hit in South Australia this January, causing equipment failure at ETSA Utilities, the operator of the state's electricity distribution network. The intense heat caused fuses to blow, and transformers and switchgear to fail.

A subsequent inquiry by the SA government found that the utility had little ability to locate the faults, and that the result was delays in the restoration of supply to consumers.

BPL equipment available today is capable of providing that information needed in South Australia last summer, claimed Dieter Hadrian, national manager of BPL equipment at Schneider Electric.

Additionally, the installed equipment can improve maintenance operations. The condition of power lines can be monitored in order to predict the breakdown of grid infrastructure and thus prioritise maintenance.

"There are many potential benefits," said Peter Firth, manager strategy and business planning at Victorian energy transmission and distribution utility, SP AusNet.

"If we have IP connectivity to pieces of equipment in the field we can see how they perform," he said. "It is all about having more information. If we know how the network is performing we can improve the operation of it."

SP AusNet has just commenced a six month BPL trial in the Victorian Alpine town of Mt Beauty. Firth said it was early days yet, but said the purpose of the trial was to see if this technology delivered on its promise.


Light me up

Another use for BPL is regulating public lighting.

With climate change and global warming the topic du jour, Schneider's Hadrian said his company has approached local councils to try and implement new energy-saving lighting systems that are based on BPL equipment.

One of Schneider's products, called the Lubio, can regulate the voltage applied to the lights for the majority of their operating time. He said it can be set up to work with photoelectric detectors - which are used to control the lights - in several ways.

"Lights generally need close to the full nominal voltage to start and stabilise. The Lubio ensures that full voltage is available for the first 10 to 30 minutes or so and then reduces the voltage. There is a slight reduction in light output but it is generally imperceptible. However, the energy saved is significant: 30 to 40 per cent," he said.

Alternatively, the voltage available from the network transformers also varies depending on the load on the electricity network.

"High load gives low voltage. The street lighting scheme is designed to give sufficient light when the voltage is low. This is typically in the early evening when people arrive home, cook meals, and so on. For the rest of the night and early morning the voltage is usually highest. The lights are brightest, and use more energy, when few people are around and lower lighting levels would be acceptable," he said.

Hadrian said the energy reductions would qualify for Greenhouse Gas Reduction certificates in New South Wales and Queensland.

"However, to qualify it is necessary to have a means to measure the energy reduction and to communicate that data back to a management system. BPL facilitates that data collection and validates the energy savings."

Source: Computerworld