Smart Grid Architectural Frameworks - SGRIM, GWAC, SGAM and others

Several grid architecture frameworks have been developed in the wake of digitalization and the integration of renewable energy into the electricity grid, in order to discuss smart grid transitions. Three prominent frameworks have been developed Smart Grid Interoperability Reference Model (SGIRM), GridWise Transactive Energy Framework (GWAC) and the Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM) Framework.

“The smart grid interoperability reference model (SGIRM) was developed in IEEE Std 2030™-2011 for systems that integrate, among other assets, distributed energy resources (DER). … In the process of applying the SGIRM-2011, elements were added to reflect the changes that have occurred since 2011 in electric grids. …. The SGIRM defines three integrated architectural perspectives (IAP): power systems, communications and information technology, and business and regulatory requirements.”

Tree reformulated and expanded IAPs:

• “Component and function IAP (IAP-1): it consists of (1) the component layer, corresponding to the SGIRM-2011 Power systems IAP, including generation, storage, load and transmission and distribution assets; (2) the function layer associated with power system assets such as the DER; these assets may have built-in functions, covering load/energy management, voltage/frequency support/regulation and inverter intelligent controls.
• Information and communications IAP (IAP-2): it regroups the two corresponding IAPs of the SGRIM-2011 and consists of (1) the information technology layer, as in the SGRIM-2011, including data models; (2) the communication technology layer, as in the SGIRM-2011, including the communication systems associated, among others with the control and protection of assets and the implementation of the inverter intelligent functions.
• Business and economics IAP (IAP-3), a new and additional IAP, associated with new functions used in the operation and control of smart grids: it includes (1) the business layer, consisting of the business rules, fleet management and aggregation platforms, among others, used to manage a large number of DER, that may be aggregated using a DERMS, for example; (2) the economics layer, consisting of electricity markets, grid services transactions, market products, tariffs, incentives, regulatory and economic structures, and environmental considerations, including greenhouse gases (GHG), among others.”

Three physical domains / Zones, associated with function types:

• “Generation, storage and DER domain: it consists of: (1) bulk generation; (2) generation from renewable energy resources, typically IBR (wind and solar, small hydro), energy storage systems and hybrid systems (combination of generation and storage), connected to the transmission or distribution systems, and identified as Generation (including DER) in the NIST 2021 framework [B15]; storage may include BESS and other storage systems (thermal) interfaced with the EPS (IBR).
• Transmission and distribution domain: it consists of: (1) transmission, transmission lines and the associated infrastructure, identified as Transmission in the SGIRM-2011; (2) Distribution, including distribution lines and associated infrastructure, implementing an active (intelligent) distribution system, identified as Distribution (intelligent) in the SGIRM-2011.
• Load/end use domain: it consists of: (1) customer and end-user installations; (2) it may include new loads, such as the EV charging infrastructure, loads with an electronic interface, namely HVAC systems) and controls implementing demand response (DR), identified in the SGIRM-2011 as Customer/End-user.”

Physical locations / Zones:

• Grid-edge —Entities include devices and systems typically installed at the load/customer end of the distribution grid.
• Field/substation (or station)—Entities include field devices and assets.
• Enterprise/cloud—Entities include those that host the software-based operating systems, installed in the utility back office, an enterprise bus for example, or in the cloud infrastructure, and the monitoring and controlling devices for Field/substation assets or assets in other locations as required.

[IEEE, 2023. 2030.4-2023 - IEEE Guide for Control and Automation Installations Applied to the Electric Power Infrastructure. IEEE].

It is a conceptual framework for developing architectures and designing solutions related to Transactive Energy (TE), which “refers to the use of a combination of economic and control techniques to improve grid reliability and efficiency.” “GWAC Stack, as defined in the GWAC’s Interoperability Context-Setting Framework (GWAC 2008)… represents the dimensions of interoperability, ranging from cyber-physical at the lower levels, information interoperability at the mid-levels, and business models, market structures, regulation, and policy at the upper levels. With these three broad groupings of the GWAC Stack in mind, the strata of TE can be defined as depicted in Figure 6.”

“As depicted in Figure 9, conceptual architecture (also known as a reference architecture) is a top-level structural depiction of the abstract components, the relationships among these components, and the externally visible properties of these components.”

[GWAC, 2019. GridWise Transactive Energy Framework Version 1.1. https://gridwiseac.org/pdfs/pnnl_22946_gwac_te_framework_july_2019_v1_1.pdf]

[Source: CEN-CENELEC-ETSI Smart Grid Coordination Group; https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/eu-policy-digitalisation-energy ]

[Source: base on content prepared for presentation: Kubeczko, Klaus. ‘Die Rolle von Smart Grids In Der Transition Zu Nachhaltigen Energiesystemen’. Keynote presented at the IEA Vernetzungstreffen, Salzburg, 12 October 2017.]

[Source: base on content prepared for presentation: Kubeczko, Klaus. ‘Die Rolle von Smart Grids In Der Transition Zu Nachhaltigen Energiesystemen’. Keynote presented at the IEA Vernetzungstreffen, Salzburg, 12 October 2017.]

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