5G-Enabled Electricity Internet of Things: the Network Architecture and Key Technologies

As a combination of the Internet of Things and the smart grid, the Electricity Internet of Things (EIoT) could effectively integrate various communication resources and power resources to improve the informatization level of the power grid and the utilization of existing equipment. The EIoT would be a typical example of the Smart Energy Internet, which enjoys the features of comprehensive perception, efficient response, and flexible processing. The fifth-generation mobile communication network (5G) has the characteristics of "high rate, high capacity, high reliability, low latency and low energy consumption". The key technologies of 5G can satisfy the power grid requirements of "mass equipment access, mass power data transmission, power grid reliability, flexible cooperative response, and long equipment life". In this work, the basic concept of EIoT is presented. Then, the overall structure of EIoT based on 5G is constructed. Next, the 5G applications and its key technologies in EIoT are summarized. Finally, future research directions on 5G technology and EIoT are discussed.