  Design of an effective and reliable communication network supporting smart
grid applications requires a selection of appropriate communication
technologies and protocols. The objective of this paper is to study and
quantify the capabilities of an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) to
support the simultaneous operation of major smart grid functions. These include
smart metering, price-induced controls, distribution automation, demand
response and electric vehicle charging/discharging applications in terms of
throughput and latency. OPNET is used to simulate the performance of selected
communication technologies and protocols. Research findings indicate that smart
grid applications can operate simultaneously by piggybacking on an existing AMI
infrastructure and still achieve their latency requirements.
