Interoperability Context-Setting Framework
As the deployment of automation technology advances, it touches upon many areas of our corporate and personal lives. A trend is emerging where systems are growing to the extent that integration is taking place with other systems to provide even greater capabilities more efficiently and effectively. GridWise™ provides a vision for this type of integration as it applies to the electric system. Imagine a time in the not too distant future when homeowners can offer the management of their electricity demand to participate in a more efficient and environmentally friendly operation of the electric power grid. They will do this using technology that acts on their behalf in response to information from other components of the electric system. This technology will recognize their preferences to parameters such as comfort and the price of energy to form responses that optimize the local need to a signal that satisfies a higher-level need in the grid. For example, consider a particularly hot day with air stagnation in an area with a significant dependence on wind generation. To manage the forecasted peak electricity demand, the bulk system operator issues a critical peak price warning. Their automation systems alert electric service providers who distribute electricity from the wholesale electricity system to consumers. In response, the electric service providers use their automation systems to inform consumers of impending price increases for electricity. This information is passed to an energy management system at the premises, which acts on the homeowner’s behalf, to adjust the electricity usage of the onsite equipment (which might include generation from such sources as a fuel cell). The objective of such a system is to honor the agreement with the electricity service provider and reduce the homeowner’s bill while keeping the occupants as comfortable as possible. This will include actions such as moving the thermostat on the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) unit up several degrees. The resulting load reduction becomes part of an aggregated response from the electricity service provider to the bulk system operator who is now in a better position to manage total system load with available generation. Looking across the electric system, from generating plants, to transmission substations, to the distribution system, to factories, office parks, and buildings, automation is growing, and the opportunities for unleashing new value propositions are exciting. How can we facilitate this change and do so in a way that ensures the reliability of electric resources for the wellbeing of our economy and security? The GridWise Architecture Council (GWAC) mission is to enable interoperability among the many entities that interact with the electric power system. A good definition of interoperability is, “The capability of two or more networks, systems, devices, applications, or components to exchange information between them and to use the information so exchanged.” As a step in the direction of enabling interoperability, the GWAC proposes a context-setting framework to organize concepts and terminology so that interoperability issues can be identified and debated, improvements to address issues articulated, and actions prioritized and coordinated across the electric power community.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 960333
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-53687; TD5009010; TRN: US200923%%403
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: GWAC Interoperability Workshop, April 11-12, 2007. Dallas, Texas.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
AIR CONDITIONING
ARCHITECTURE
AUTOMATION
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRIC POWER
ELECTRICITY
ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
HEATING
MANAGEMENT
OCCUPANTS
POWER SYSTEMS
PRICES
RELIABILITY
SECURITY
STAGNATION
THERMOSTATS
VENTILATION
interoperability
electric system
GWAC