Abstract
The reliance on obsolete communication infrastructure and outdated technologies, in order to meet increasing electricity demand, consists of major challenges confronting traditional power grids. Therefore, the concept of smart grids (SGs) has been adopted as an ideal solution. This concept entails the integration of advanced information and communication technologies (ICTs) into power grids, as well as allowing a two-way flow of communication. However, recent development in cognitive technologies internet of things (IoT) smart devices particularly in home area network (HAN) as well rapid growth in wireless applications have enabled the traffic of huge data volumes across SGs. Data gathered in SGs are distinguished by quality of service (QoS) requirements such as; latency, security, bandwidth, etc. In order to support the level of QoS requirements in SGs, stable and secure communication infrastructure is of great importance. Therefore an in-depth review of the stateof- the-art of existing and emerging communication architectures of SGs is conducted. Therefore, this work proposes communication architecture based on fifth-generation (5G) and cognitive radio networks (CRN).