IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2020 - 33

outcome is having more satisfied customers through increased
system reliability. The key lessons from this exercise include
making an interoperability protocol a requirement for any new
software purchase to de-risk future technology integrations,
which ultimately saves utilities significant time and money.

Enabling ADMS Integration
These two case studies are among many examples that show the
importance and benefits of ensuring interoperability by integrating multiple disparate systems from single and multiple vendors
in a seamless, cybersecure, cost-effective, and standardized way.
As mentioned, ADMSs employ an à la carte approach that may
combine OMSs, SCADA, DERMSs, mobile, and advanced
applications from single and multiple vendors. Clearly, the
ADMS and best-of-breed approaches are identical in terms of
their requirements, design, and challenges. Most of the components and systems required for an ADMS platform (OMS,
SCADA, mobile, and advanced applications) are integrated in
the best-of-breed use case studies (AMI, OMS, IVR, SCADA,
CIS, GIS, EA, staking, and CVR). Thus, ensuring interoperability between an ADMS and other utility systems is the most
optimal solution to the complex, time-consuming, and expensive software integration issues and the single largest challenge
for ADMS design and deployment.

Summary
Traditional electric distribution utilities are evolving to overcome new challenges in technology, policy, planning, and
operations. Distribution utilities are no longer simple resellers of power in a one-way transaction with consumers; they
are now dealing with two-way power and data flows. The
successful deployment of ADMSs has the potential to fundamentally and positively impact the planning and operations of distribution utilities and provide the advanced tools
and technology needed to evolve into the future of a modern grid. Once deployed, the benefits of ADMSs include
increased operational flexibility, system efficiency, reliability, resiliency, and the ability to facilitate higher levels of
DERs. However, ADMSs must first overcome the obstacle
of expensive software integration with existing utility systems to leverage their advantages. Once this challenge is
solved through implementing interoperability standards, the
ADMS has the potential to become a practical and ubiquitous solution for distribution utilities of all sizes.
The past challenges of custom software interfaces are
almost identical to the current ADMS integration obstacles:
an à la carte approach; siloed utility functions; and complex,
unscalable, and expensive custom interfaces. Connecting disparate systems creates complex difficulties that are timeconsuming and costly to resolve. The advent of interoperability standards solves the integration issue. Interoperability
standards are setting the global benchmark for distribution
system integration and interoperability testing and certification. Interoperability can potentially provide a standardized integration solution to cost-effectively and securely
january/february 2020

deploy ADMSs in electric distribution systems regardless of
size. Together, interoperability standards and ADMSs can
empower utilities to successfully transition to the modern
grid and, ultimately, continue to provide safe, reliable, and
affordable electricity while ensuring that there is flexibility in
the power supply and options for consumers.

For Further Reading
E. Charlette, "How utilities are defining ADMS today," EnergyCentral, Nov. 28, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www
.energycentral.com/c/pip/how-has-definition-adms-evolved
Y. Agalgaonkar et al., "ADMS state of the industry and
gap analysis," Pacific Northwest Nat. Lab., Richland, WA,
Rep. PNNL-26361, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www
.pnnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/
PNNL-26361.pdf
National Institute of Standards and Technology, "NIST
framework and roadmap for smart grid interoperability standards, release 3.0," U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Washington,
D.C., Rep. 1108R3, 2014. [Online]. Available: https://www
.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/smartgrid/Draft
-NIST-SG-Framework-3.pdf
D. Holly, "MultiSpeak: An 'ecosystem of solutions'," Rural
Electric Mag., Feb. 2, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www
.cooperative.com/remagazine/articles/Pages/Multispeak-An
-Ecosystem-of-Solutions.aspx
G. Gray et al., "MultiSpeak harmonization," in Proc.
21st Int. Conf. Electricity Distribution, Frankfurt, Germany, 2011. [Online]. Available: http://www.cired.net/
publications/cired2011/part1/papers/CIRED2011_0538_final.pdf
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, "Meeting the challenges of today's integrated distribution network
with MultiSpeak," Cooperative.com, Nov. 1, 2017. [Online].
Available: https://www.cooperative.com/topics/operations/
Pages/meeting-challenges-todays-integrated-distribution
-network-multispeak.aspx
R. Karaim, "Co-op tech: Drawing a line," Rural Electric Mag., Oct. 15, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www
.cooperative.com/remagazine/articles/Pages/Co-op-Tech
-avoiding-animal-outages.aspx
D. Holly, "MultiSpeak: 'Co-ops should be proud'," Rural
Electric Mag., Feb. 5, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www
.cooperative.com/remagazine/articles/Pages/multispeak
-global-standard-for-distribution-system-integration
-interoperability-testing.aspx

Biographies
Alvin Razon is with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Arlington, Virginia, and Aerinet Solutions,
Herndon, Virginia.
Tony Thomas is with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Arlington, Virginia.
Venkat Banunarayanan is with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Arlington, Virginia.
p&e

ieee power & energy magazine

IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2020