Brian SealTom von Clef

EPRI

DateJuly 27th, 2014

Transforming Smart Grid Devices into Open Application Platforms

2© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Products vs. Platforms

Product

• Examples: appliances, automobiles, GPS

• Thought-of as a complete package: software, hardware, all in one

• All from one vendor

• Lifetime needs known at the time of purchase

• Not upgradeable, or only by the original vendor

Platform

• Examples: personal computers, smart phones

• Thought-of as a supporting foundation for applications, a starting point

• Applications can come from many sources

• New needs are determined throughout the service life

• Owner/user upgradeable

3© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Open Apps a Natural EvolutionTelevision Example

Analog Digital Platform

No one can make changes

Manufacturer can make changes

User can make

changes

4© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Why Make Smart Grid Devices Platforms?

• Advancements in microprocessor and memory technology have made it practical

• Advancements in connectedness and 2-way communication technology have made it achievable

• Need for cohesive & consistent behavior across mixed devices and systems

• Upgrading functionality over the service life (utility equipment is long-life)

• Enabling new system-level functionality

• Fostering innovation

5© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Enabling New System Functionality

Utility Logic

Open Data

Access

Utility Logic

Open Data

Access

Utility Logic

Utility Logic

Enterprise Application

sNetworks

Headend Systems

Two Principles:• Open data access out to the system edge• Ability to plant “logic” throughout

Devices

6© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Smart Meter / Smart Phone Analogy

7© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Hardware

Firmware

Open App Platform Ecosystem

Virtual Machine / Scripting and Metering API

Apps

Com

missions

App

App

App

Smart Meter Apps

Selects

Utility Personnel

Open Standard

Specification

UsesProduces

App Developers

SW Dev Tools

Develops

AMI Network

AMI Headend

Download

8© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Smart Meter Open ApplicationsProject

• Meeting weekly to develop the open platform specification for smart meters

• Other utilities and meter/AMI vendors encouraged to join the discussion

• Working towards a demonstration

9© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Smart Meter Open ApplicationsExample Use Cases

Use Case Rationale for IncludingPushed Energy Consumption Reading for Billing Purposes Universal, baseline meter application

Power Quality Monitoring Selectively deployedOutage Notification Unifying behaviors across devicesDemand Limiting Application International use case, uncommonOver-Temperature Detection Application Recently added application

Theft Detection at the Distribution Transformer Level Multi-device, system-level application

Supervision of Motor Response to Voltage Sags

Innovation, New logic, a future addition.

10© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Three Core API Sets

• APIs are standard high-level interfaces for apps• Key component of the open platform effort

API Sets:1. Metrology (i.e. reading data from meter: kWh, etc)2. Communications3. Control (power on/off, reset)

Smart Grid

DevicesOpen App Platform

WAN/HANNetworks Comm API Metrology API /

Control API

11© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Common Information Model (CIM) for Metrology API• Rationale:

– Not reinventing the wheel– Utility enterprise systems speak this language– Minimizes unnecessary translation

Enterprise Application

sNetworks

Headend Systems Devices

12© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Demonstrations Using the Java Platform

Java selected for these demos because:

• Maturity/availability

• Large developer/third-party software ecosystems

• Existing libraries

– Application models, threading models, file systems

– Complex networking/communications/security libraries

• Open source implementations

13© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Raspberry Pi as Development Platform

Raspberry Pi

“Meter” Platform

14© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Example: Comm Node as an Open App Platform

• Duke Energy Initiative

• Coalition of companies – devices, meters, controls, communications

• Demonstrated at DistribuTech 2014

• Phase 2 in process

15© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Next Steps

• Field Demonstrations

– multiple products

– independently developed apps

• Standardization

• Certification and Compliance

– for platforms

– for apps

• Launch of work on other Smart Grid Devices

• RFPs based on standardization and certification

16© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Discussion

17© 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Together…Shaping the Future of Electricity