Software defined utility: A step towards a flexible, reliable and low-cost smart grid

Abstract

TheSmart Grid relies in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) but usually there is still a lack of integration in their deployment. They are designed as separated systems and managed that way too. In addition, the changes in the electric network areso complex and dependable on a very rigid hardware architecture. Based on the work done in the European project FINESCE, this paper presents the “Software Defined Utility“(SDU) concept, which advocates the migration of the utilityinfrastructure to software systems instead of relying on complex and rigid hardware based systems. Thisnew approach providesa prospective view on the evolution ofpower systemsthat will benefit from softwaresystems and high-speed data network infrastructures. More concretely, as a first SDU building block, the paper proposes a data storage and management system based on a hybrid cloud infrastructure to meet the storage requirements of electric utilities. In this regard, the following dimensions have been analysed: the most appropriatemethodology to select where data resources should be allocated; security requirements and threadstaking into account its deployment in a critical infrastructure like a Smart Grid.