A classification of emerging and traditional grid systems

The grid has evolved in numerous distinct phases. It started in the early ’90s as a model of metacomputing in which supercomputers share resources; subsequently, researchers added the ability to share data. This is usually referred to as the first-generation grid. By the late ’90s, researchers had outlined the framework for second-generation grids, characterized by their use of grid middleware systems to “glue” different grid technologies together. Third-generation grids originated in the early millennium when Web technology was combined with second-generation grids. As a result, the invisible grid, in which grid complexity is fully hidden through resource virtualization, started receiving attention. Subsequently, grid researchers identified the requirement for semantically rich knowledge grids, in which middleware technologies are more intelligent and autonomic. Recently, the necessity for grids to support and extend the ambient intelligence vision has emerged. In AmI, humans are surrounded by computing technologies that are unobtrusively embedded in their surroundings. However, third-generation grids’ current architecture doesn’t meet the requirements of next-generation grids (NGG) and service-oriented knowledge utility (SOKU).4 A few years ago, a group of independent experts, arranged by the European Commission, identified these shortcomings as a way to identify potential European grid research priorities for 2010 and beyond. The experts envision grid systems’ information, knowledge, and processing capabilities as a set of utility services.3 Consequently, new grid systems are emerging to materialize these visions. Here, we review emerging grids and classify them to motivate further research and help establish a solid foundation in this rapidly evolving area

Development of smart grid testbed with low-cost hardware and software for cybersecurity research and education

Smart Grid, also known as the next generation of the power grid, is considered as a power infrastructure with advanced information and communication technologies (ICT) that will enhance the efficiency and reliability of power systems. For the essential benefits that come with Smart Grid, there are also security risks due to the complexity of advanced ICT utilized in the architecture of Smart Grid to interconnect a huge number of devices and subsystems. Cybersecurity is one of the emerging major threats in Smart Grid that needs to be considered as the attack surface increased. To prevent cyber-attacks, new techniques and methods need to be evaluated in a real-world environment or in a testbed. However, the costs for setting-up Smart Grid testbed is extensive. In this article, we focused on the development of a smart grid testbed with a low-cost hardware and software for cybersecurity research and education. As a case study, we evaluated the testbed with most common cyber-attack such as denial of service (DoS) attack. In addition, the testbed is a useful resource for cybersecurity research and education on different aspects of SCADA systems such as protocol implementation, and PLC programming

Research and development of accounting system in grid environment

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The Grid has been recognised as the next-generation distributed computing paradigm by seamlessly integrating heterogeneous resources across administrative domains as a single virtual system. There are an increasing number of scientific and business projects that employ Grid computing technologies for large-scale resource sharing and collaborations. Early adoptions of Grid computing technologies have custom middleware implemented to bridge gaps between heterogeneous computing backbones. These custom solutions form the basis to the emerging Open Grid Service Architecture (OGSA), which aims at addressing common concerns of Grid systems by defining a set of interoperable and reusable Grid services. One of common concerns as defined in OGSA is the Grid accounting service. The main objective of the Grid accounting service is to ensure resources to be shared within a Grid environment in an accountable manner by metering and logging accurate resource usage information. This thesis discusses the origins and fundamentals of Grid computing and accounting service in the context of OGSA profile. A prototype was developed and evaluated based on OGSA accounting-related standards enabling sharing accounting data in a multi-Grid environment, the World-wide Large Hadron Collider Grid (WLCG). Based on this prototype and lessons learned, a generic middleware solution was also implemented as a toolkit that eases migration of existing accounting system to be standard compatible.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Stanford Universit

Distribution System Voltage Management and Optimization for Integration of Renewables and Electric Vehicles: Research Gap Analysis

California is striving to achieve 33% renewable penetration by 2020 in accordance with the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). The behavior of renewable resources and electric vehicles in distribution systems is creating constraints on the penetration of these resources into the distribution system. One such constraint is the ability of present-­‐‑day voltage management methodologies to maintain proper distribution system voltage profiles in the face of higher penetrations of PV and electric vehicle technologies. This white paper describes the research gaps that have been identified in current Volt/VAR Optimization and Control (VVOC) technologies, the emerging technologies which are becoming available for use in VVOC, and the research gaps which exist and must be overcome in order to realize the full promise of these emerging technologies

CleanTX Analysis on the Smart Grid

The utility industry in the United States has an opportunity to revolutionize its electric grid system by utilizing emerging software, hardware and wireless technologies and renewable energy sources. As electricity generation in the U.S. increases by over 30% from today’s generation of 4,100 Terawatt hours per year to a production of 5,400 Terawatt hours per year by 2030, a new type of grid is necessary to ensure reliable and quality power. The projected U.S. population increase and economic growth will require a grid that can transmit and distribute significantly more power than it does today. Known as a Smart Grid, this system enables two- way transmission of electrons and information to create a demand-response system that will optimize electricity delivery to consumers. This paper outlines the issues with the current grid infrastructure, discusses the economic advantages of the Smart Grid for both consumers and utilities, and examines the emerging technologies that will enable cleaner, more efficient and cost- effective power transmission and consumption.IC2 Institut

Planning framework and methods to assess possible future high renewable penetrations in emerging economy electricity industries and security, affordability, and environmental implications for Indonesia’s Java-Bali grid

Electricity industries worldwide are transitioning away from fossil-fuels towards wind and solar generation. While these technologies are now often cost-competitive as well as environmentally preferrable alternatives to coal and gas options, their highly variable output does raise challenges for delivering secure, affordable, and clean energy. This is particularly challenging for the electricity industries of emerging economies giving growing demand and limited financial resources. This thesis aims to address some of the limitations with existing frameworks, methods, and tools for assisting policymakers to plan electricity industry development, with a particular focus on better assessing future electricity generation options for emerging economies. It uses an open-source evolutionary programming-based optimisation model, National Electricity Market Optimiser (NEMO), to assess future generation options for the case study of Indonesia’s Java-Bali electricity grid. NEMO can model geographically and temporally variable wind and solar resources and solve least cost generation mixes in a highly configurable and transparent manner. A first study assessed the potential industry costs savings possible by recognising the reality of lower reliability standards in emerging economies than often assumed for modelling exercises. Accepting lower reliability outcomes not only reduces industry costs but also supports greater solar and wind deployment, hence better environmental outcomes. Next, the underlying evolutionary programming optimisation of NEMO was used to assess not just the least cost generation mix but the wider solution space, including generation portfolios that deliver total industry costs within 5% of the least cost solution highlighted the wide range of possible technology mixes that could potentially deliver a low cost future industry. Finally, NEMO was used to explore the potential implications of high variable renewable penetrations for operating reserves and hence power system security. The inevitability of some periods with both low wind and solar availability means that high renewables portfolios still feature significant dispatchable generation capacity. This means that the power system will generally have greater levels of operating reserves to cover possible plant failures than mixes with predominantly dispatchable generation. In summary, this thesis contributes to better understanding of the challenges and opportunities of deploying possible future high renewables in emerging economy electricity industries

Energy Demand Shifting in Residential Households: The Interdependence between Social Practices and Technology Design

Emerging energy technologies, such as smart meters and solar photovoltaic systems (solar PV), are changing our relationship to energy. There is increasing evidence that households with solar PV on their roof tend naturally to shift their energy consumption in time to match their local generation, but what do people actually do to achieve this and how ICT can support them to optimize their consumption? In this paper we present a year-long user study to understand social practices around laundry routines and local energy generation. We highlight four challenges for the next generation of home energy management systems