Abstract-The evolution toward emerging active distribution networks (ADNs) can be realized via a real-time state estimation (RTSE) application facilitated by the use of phasor measurement units (PMUs). A critical challenge in deploying PMU-based RTSE applications at large scale is the lack of a scalable and flexible communication infrastructure for the timely (i.e., sub-second) delivery of the high volume of synchronized and continuous synchrophasor measurements. We address this challenge by introducing a communication platform called C-DAX based on the information-centric networking (ICN) concept. With a topicbased publish-subscribe engine that decouples data producers and consumers in time and space, C-DAX enables efficient synchrophasor measurement delivery, as well as flexible and scalable (re)configuration of PMU data communication for seamless full observability of power conditions in complex and dynamic scenarios. Based on the derived set of requirements for supporting PMU-based RTSE in ADNs, we design the ICN-based C-DAX communication platform, together with a joint optimized physical network resource provisioning strategy, in order to enable the agile PMU data communications in near real-time. In this paper, C-DAX is validated via a field trial implementation deployed over a sample feeder in a real-distribution network; it is also evaluated through simulation-based experiments using a large set of real medium voltage grid topologies currently operating live in The Netherlands. This is the first work that applies emerging communication paradigms, such as ICN, to smart grids while
Limited scalability, reliability, and security of todays utility communication infrastructures are main obstacles to the deployment of smart grid applications. The C-DAX project aims at providing and investigating a communication middleware for smart grids to address these problems, applying the informationcentric networking and publish/subscribe paradigm. We briefly describe the C-DAX architecture, and extend it with a flexible resilience concept, based on resilient data forwarding and data redundancy. Different levels of resilience support are defined, and their underlying mechanisms are described. Experiments show fast and reliable performance of the resilience mechanism. I. INTRODUCTION Power distribution networks are undergoing major changes in operational procedures and monitoring, thereby evolving from passive to active networks [1], [2]. Advanced smart monitoring tools result in faster and more reliable real-time state estimation (RTSE) [3], [4]. Especially extensive synchrophasor measurements can achieve a more complete view and improve control of power networks [4], [5], [6]. Main obstacles to the deployment of smart grid (SG) applications are limited scalability, reliability, and security of todays utility communication infrastructures. The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) working group on SGs [7] identified reliability requirements for SG communication flows.The Cyber-secure Data and Control Cloud for power grids (C-DAX) project [8] aims to provide such a communication middleware by applying the emerging information-centric networking (ICN) [9] and publish/subscribe (pub/sub) [10] paradigm to the electric utility network of sensors and controls. The major advantages of C-DAX architecture are resiliency, inter-domain communication, cyber security, flexibility, and support for real-time applications.The main contribution of this paper is a brief description of the overall C-DAX architecture, and a detailed presentation of its flexible resilience concept. Instead of a fixed resilience concept for all SG applications, C-DAX' resilience concept provides four different levels of resilience support, which can be selected per information channel by application developers. Parts of the resilience concept are already implemented in the C-DAX prototype, and will be deployed in a real-world power grid as part of a field trial.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.