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The IntelliGrid Architecture is a world-wide and industry-wide project to develop the infrastructures necessary to support the next generation of energy conversion, delivery and end-use systems. The development of an Industry-level Architecture is driven by several business and technical drivers outlined below. The IntelliGrid Architecture builds upon work within several developing and emerging open standards to enable not only interoperable equipment but provide a framework for the development of the next generation of automation applications. The Architecture focuses on the effective integration of two infrastructures:
The development and advancement of these two infrastructures are linked and must be advanced together as the industry moves forward. Architectures provide a necessary view systems development from a height that reaches across not only the enterprise but the industry as a whole. What is an Architecture? In brief Architecture is defined as "Architecture - The structure of components, their interrelationships and the principles and guidelines governing their design and evolution over time". This definition of an architecture is from "A Practical Guide to Federal Enterprise Architecture". This guide was put together by the Chief Information Officer Council, for the Federal Government Agencies that need to effectively integrate operations. Motivation for the IntelliGridSM Architecture The drivers for the IntelliGrid Architecture can be categorized into Business, Technical and Security. Business Drivers The business drivers behind architecture development are directly traceable to the costs associated with designing, building and maintaining and securing advanced automation systems over their useful lifetime. Competitive Procurements - Mature open systems that constitute the architecture are necessary for competitive procurement of products. Reduced Life-Cycle Costs - Standardized open systems also contribute to long-term cost effectiveness of systems maintenance. Advanced Management and Security Features - Advanced management capabilities will enable large scale deployments through improved systems administration capabilities that are emerging in the advanced standards. Technical Drivers In addition to the business drivers noted above the following are some of the technical drivers behind IntelliGrid. Integrating Industry Standards and Consortia Work - Significant industry standards work has been progressing for years but the industry has reached the point where this work needs to become integrated on higher levels. Developing Integration Strategies - A key area of remaining standards and technology work is in the area of large-scale systems integration. The Architecture is a tool to recognize both where and how systems can be integrated to meet future needs. Consistently Applying Management Policies The future of systems integration brings the need to effectively manage the deployed networks and equipment. Architecture is necessary to consistently apply management policies across equipment deployed within and between enterprises. Consistent security policy management is one of the key drivers for Architecture. Applying Systems Engineering Methods Open systems development and systems deployment will not be easy given the foreseeable complexity of the future power system. The future requires more rigor in the way systems are specified and documented. Systems engineering approaches are a requirement for Architecture development. History and Approach The IntelliGrid Architecture development began with an initial project known as the Integrated Energy and Communications System Architecture - IECSA). This project provided an initial set of requirements that represent "architecturally significant" applications, analyses and guidelines to help direct the industry toward the development of advanced automation systems that can be integrated on large scales. The results of the initial project, presented in this website are a work in progress and you will see additions and improvements to these sites over time. The IntelliGrid Architecture is focused on the effective use of advanced automation products that can be integrated through the use of open standards, many of which are now reaching maturity. Architecture development is necessary to manage the complexity of future applications and technologies and to assist the development of advanced devices and systems that are interoperable. Architecture Development is an Imperative not an option Given what can be seen as the future of advanced automation and consumer communications, Architecture development is not an option but rather an imperative for advancing the future of the energy and power industry. Within the pages described below you will find the initial results that represent the starting point for the future of the industry. Architecture development is a work in progress since the standards that form the building blocks of the architecture are themselves in progress. However, the Architecture is not just about standards but how interoperable systems can be built across the enterprise and across the industry. Scope of the IntelliGrid Architecture The scope of IntelliGrid Architecture is as large as the existing energy conversion, delivery and end-use technologies. The scope encompasses initial energy conversion through consumer end-use equipment. This is a very large scope but it is necessary to encompass the levels of integration that by definition constitute an industry-level architecture. Technical Domains For context with existing power system taxonomy, the team initially categorized the work by traditional technical domains as follows:
It should be noted however that many of the architecturally significant applications cut across traditional operating domains such as those listed above. Stakeholder Groups Another way to view project scope is to consider the list of key "Stakeholders" that either use or could be impacted by the architecture. In addition to utility operations personnel, stakeholders include energy consumers, regulators, vendors and independent systems operations and energy service providers. Materials and Collaborative website How the Architecture Works - A Scenario Frequently Asked Questions Press Kit IntelliGrid Architecture Fact Sheet
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Architecture