The next type of IntelliGrid Architecture user includes people who influence
the future of the power system through legislation and their advisors.
Regulators can use IntelliGrid Architecture as a tool to ensure that the power system develops as
an integrated, reliable whole rather than a set of unstable, loosely connected
islands. The project also brings to the surface R&D issues related to the
technologies necessary to move the industry forward. These details are provided
in Volume IV Appendix D of this series.
How
to Regulate Using IntelliGrid Architecture
It is important that legislators, regulators,
and their technical consultants read and understand the concepts presented in
the User’s Guide (this volume, Volume I). The key items for a regulator to
understand about IntelliGrid Architecture include:
§
IntelliGrid Architecture
encourages a vendor neutral approach for advancing automation and consumer
communication systems. The approach taken within IntelliGrid Architecture project
is one of developing and assisting the maturity of open systems as a viable
approach to building a public infrastructure.
§
IntelliGrid Architecture
encompasses emerging requirements that are important to the management and
security of public infrastructure.
§
IntelliGrid Architecture is
not a single technology.
It starts with a ‘backbone’ common data model, common services and a set of
generic interfaces, but IntelliGrid Architecture system will also include many other protocols
and technologies that have gateways or ‘wrappers’ to connect them to the
backbone.
§
IntelliGrid Architecture will
be customized for each utility.
Not all utilities perform the same services to their customers; therefore, not
all utilities should implement every portion of IntelliGrid Architecture.
§
IntelliGrid Architecture
should be deployed gradually,
with migration plans to ensure that connectivity and interoperability are
maintained throughout the deployment process.
§
IntelliGrid Architecture will
involve process changes for utilities.
Especially in the area of enterprise management and security, deploying IntelliGrid Architecture
will require significant changes to the way utilities operate. Many of the
‘technologies’ recommended by IntelliGrid Architecture are actually behaviors and best practices
for organizations.
§
IntelliGrid Architecture
addresses life-cycle system costs and encourages a systems engineering approach.
In the medium to long term, the approach of moving to open systems and
effective life-cycle management will pay for the investment in the initial efforts
to implement such an approach.
Examining this list shows that using IntelliGrid Architecture has
much in common with the science of quality management. It may be that the way
regulators can approach the implementation of IntelliGrid Architecture is similar to that of the ISO
9001 quality standards: this set of documents defines a core ‘reference
architecture’, but each utility will implement it in a different way.
It is anticipated that consultants and service
organizations within the power industry will begin to offer IntelliGrid Architecture audit or
evaluation services. To accomplish this job, the evaluator must be familiar
with the entire IntelliGrid Architecture document set. The definition of a detailed evaluation
process is beyond the scope of this project, but an important recommendation
listed in Volume IV. The key questions an evaluator must ask in such a process
are:
§
Has the organization made use of a common object model, common services,
and generic interfaces (i.e. IntelliGrid Architecture ‘backbone’)?
§
Is the organization using technologies recommended by IntelliGrid Architecture, in the
environments recommended by IntelliGrid Architecture?
§
Are the architects of the organization familiar with IntelliGrid Architecture strategies
with respect to infrastructure, security, data management, and enterprise management?
§
Are the technologies being used either the same as those of the
organization’s business partners, or being translated through gateways?
§
If gateways are used, are the common object model and semantics
preserved across organizational and technology boundaries?
§
Is the architecture deployed in all areas of the organization?
§
Has the organization made the process changes needed to support the
architecture?
§
Are migration plans established in areas where the answers to the
previous questions are ‘no’?
§
Is the organization participating in the process to improve and
implement missing technologies required to establish IntelliGrid Architecture?
§
Is the organization providing feedback to IntelliGrid Architecture database to improve
the quality of IntelliGrid Architecture models?
Regulators must recognize that organizations
will not deploy IntelliGrid Architecture all at once throughout their networks; therefore
migration plans must be in place. A strong migration plan will be based on the
recommendations presented in Volume IV, which can be accessed through IntelliGrid Architecture
website. The steps required to develop such a plan are as follows:
1.
Choose IntelliGrid Architecture environment that most closely matches the area of the
organization that is the focus of the migration plan.
2.
Examine the Platform Independent Model and determine where data from
this environment should be mapped into the model. The goal here is to
develop a migration plan that can achieve interoperability without necessarily
requiring specific technologies. Separation of design decisions
from implementation decisions such as technology provides maximum flexibility
and extensibility in the face of varying business conditions.
3.
Select appropriate technologies to implement the Platform Independent
Model from the list of recommended technologies for that environment.
4.
Examine the discussion on that technology to identify any areas that be
lacking with respect to IntelliGrid Architecture Platform Independent Model. Deploy technology
or processes to address these concerns.
5.
Develop a migration strategy to implement the new technology. Typical
strategies include:
§
Installing gateways to convert one technology to the other.
§
Simultaneously using both old and new technologies as older devices or
links are phased out.
§
‘Forklifting’ all links and devices in
selected parts of the environment where cost and environment boundaries permit.
6.
Establish links between the new technology and IntelliGrid Architecture based
integration infrastructure.
7.
Develop training plans to alter the organization’s processes to make use
of the system.
