Smart Grids are electricity networks that use digital technology to co-ordinate the needs and capabilities of all generators, grid operators, end users and electricity market stakeholders in such a way that it can optimize asset utilization and operation while maintaining system reliability, resilience and stability. However, Smart Grids are increasingly proposing a much more distributed architecture with the integration of multiple Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) that demand different control and protection schemes. In that sense, the implementation of standards such as IEC 61850 and the integration with Ethernet-based communication networks provide novel tools to manage DER efficiently. This paper analyses the potential usage and benefits of ANSI 67/67N protection in combination with Generic Object Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE) communication service, from the standard 61850 of the International Electro-technical Commission (IEC), for providing adaptive network protection, specifying the configuration and implementation and exposing the obtained results.

The increasing complexity in the management of Smart Grids is an essential factor in the creation of new technological infrastructures capable of managing the different devices involved in the network. This network has been converted into an example of the Internet of Things. In this regard, the Web of Things enables an improvement in the processing of these data. Besides, the large amount of data in the Smart Grid domain means that a high performance architectural design is able to manage concurrently the entire information processing ability. This paper presents an initial approach for a new architecture and the first results after the system implementation.

The smart grid can be seen as a hybrid system composed by many systems. From a large scale point of view, it combines the electric power system itself and a heterogeneous information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure. Additionally, these systems are composed by many building blocks that are designed and managed as separated systems which are hard to fully integrate between each other. Relying on the experiences arisen and the knowledge gathered from the partners during the development of the FP7 European projects INTEGRIS (intelligent electrical grid sensor communications) and FINESCE (future internet smart utility services), this paper presents the software defined utility (SDU) concept for the management of the smart grid and its security, which advocates for the migration of the utility infrastructure to software systems instead of relying on complex and rigid hardware based systems. Following this approach, SDU proposes the evolution of power systems’ ICT and the usage of programmable commodity hardware, low-cost sensors, and reliable high-speed IP-based communications underneath. More concretely, this paper proposes some building blocks for the deployment of the SDU (flexible data management infrastructure, context-aware security and web of things interface) and evaluates their functionalities and benefits for the smart grids of the future.

FINESCE is the Smart Energy use case project of the Future Internet Public Private Partnership Programme. It aims at defining an open infrastructure based on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) used to develop new solutions and applications in all fields of Future Internet related to the energy sector. To accomplish this goal a cloud-based environment is proposed, providing high scalability, fast provisioning, resilience and cost efficiency, while facilitating the deployment of applications and services for utilities.The proposed solution for Smart Energy system encompasses Cloud Computing technologies taking advantage of the service delivery models that it provides (Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)) over different cloud deployment solutions (Private, Public, Hybrid, Community). Therefore, it is necessary to study their implications, particularly with regard to security and data privacy, whether in transit or stored data, of the cloud solution chosen.The present paper aims to gather basic security requirements in deploying a solution based on Cloud Computing highlighting issues in hybrid clouds because this is the deployment model used in Smart Energy use case. It also exposes attacks and vulnerabilities related to Cloud Computing to be considered for implementing a secure environment for FIDEV, the private platform implementation. Moreover, the security requirements for Smart Energy use case are defined. And, finally, the results of a security audit performed over the testbed platform that simulates a distributed storage solution for FINESCE project are presented.

Smart Grid ICT Research Lines out of the European Project INTEGRIS

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have enabled the evolution of traditional electric power distribution networks towards a new paradigm referred to as the smart grid. However, the different elements that compose the ICT plane of a smart grid are usually conceived as isolated systems that typically result in rigid hardware architectures, which are hard to interoperate, manage and adapt to new situations. In the recent years, software-defined systems that take advantage of software and high-speed data network infrastructures have emerged as a promising alternative to classic ad hoc approaches in terms of integration, automation, real-time reconfiguration and resource reusability. The purpose of this paper is to propose the usage of software-defined utilities (SDUs) to address the latent deployment and management limitations of smart grids. More specifically, the implementation of a smart grid’s data storage and management system prototype by means of SDUs is introduced, which exhibits the feasibility of this alternative approach. This system features a hybrid cloud architecture able to meet the data storage requirements of electric utilities and adapt itself to their ever-evolving needs. Conducted experimentations endorse the feasibility of this solution and encourage practitioners to point their efforts in this direction.