Deployment Scenario Principles

This section previews Section 4 and briefly describes the principles used to define guidelines for deploying IntelliGrid Architecture. These include:

· Deployment in layers

· Migration plans

Enterprise Layering

An analysis of this enterprise architecture brings us back to the fundamental goals of IntelliGrid Architecture project: The notion that we need a common framework for layering information models and an information access model on top of one another to support increasing levels of integration and abstraction. Analysis applications on the enterprise network need a global view of the enterprise as well as the ability to drill down to more detailed view of data. On the other hand, operational applications need more detail so that operators may make more immediate decisions. Layering these common information models and interfaces are the key to integrating the previously un-integrated in a cost effective manner.

The previous discussion of environments highlighted the diversity of deployment scenarios for utility functions. However, at a higher level of abstraction, there is a set of “super environments” that must be accommodated. Table 0‑3 describes three levels of the enterprise:

Table 0‑3 Enterprise Levels
Level	Concerned with	Examples
Enterprise Level	Functioning of the utility business	· Finance and risk management, · Resource planning and allocation · Enterprise security · Customer satisfaction · Wholesale and retail market operations
Operations	Operation of the overall power system	· Energy management · Reliability, stability and optimization · Physical asset management · System/network management
Device	Monitoring and control of specific devices in real-time	· Power system related IED’s such as protective relays and substation controllers. · Communication related devices such as routers and firewalls. · Computing hardware such as servers and workstations.

Figure 22 illustrates how a utility might be constructed from three general enterprise levels:

Figure 22 Utility Integration Layering

The levels are significant because communication between levels is generally controlled to some degree. Applications at a higher level may only see an aggregated view of applications at a lower level. That is the specifics of how a multiple lower level applications model data may be hidden at a higher level. In some ways, a higher level should treat the entire lower level as a black box.

This does not mean that lower level data is hidden from a higher level, only that the specifics of how to communicate and the semantics of lower level applications may be wrapped by a higher level communication mechanisms and semantics. Some applications on the enterprise network need both a global view of the enterprise as well as the ability to drill down to more detailed view of data.

Discussion of enterprise layering brings us back to one of the fundamental goals of IntelliGrid Architecture project: The notion that we need a common framework for layering information models and a common set of services to support increasing levels of integration and abstraction.

Migration

Besides enterprise layering, a second fundamental principle in the deployment of any given IntelliGrid Architecture project will be migration of legacy technologies to the architecture. IntelliGrid Architecture must outline migration paths for each of the recommended technologies, either to be phased out or to be made compatible with the architecture.