IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2020 - 38

poor system interoperability can lead to the uncoordinated
management of centralized and distributed generation sources.
This, in turn, can negatively affect system stability, reliability,
and electricity costs (see "Minimizing the Knowledge Gap").
When upgrading software or integrating new applications of ADMSs, small utilities should focus on the following aspects:
✔ the protocols and standards that can be used to communicate and exchange data with other enterprise
systems, field equipment, mobile workforce solutions,
and analytics programs
✔ the value of an integrated ADMS platform that allows
utilities to add applications over time, in an evolutionary manner

✔ the ease and cost-effectiveness of maintaining these

systems over time and minimizing the barrier for interoperability (see "Interoperability in Action").

Case Study 2: Lessons Learned From
Holy Cross Energy
Utility Spotlight
✔ Who: Holy Cross Energy
✔ What: a nonprofit rural electric cooperative
✔ Where: Glenwood Springs, Colorado
✔ Territory: Western Colorado
✔ Number of customers: 43,000 members and their

communities.

Plan
Monitor
Control
Optimize

* Aging Assets (Reliability)
* Knowledge Retention
* Shrinking Baseload
Generation (Peak/
Reserves Management)

* Intermittency
* Dispatchability

(a)

* Resiliency and Security
* Protection and Control
* Big Data

(b)

* Intermittency
* Interoperability
* Dispatchability

(c)

figure 2. Utilities must find an energy balance between (a) traditional forms of generation, DERs, and distribution
networks and consumer demand and (c) the two-way power flow of consumer-generated DERs, all while addressing the
challenges of each. (b) The distribution utility plays an important role in merging the past with the future.

Minimizing the Knowledge Gap

Interoperability in Action

In addition to improving stability, reliability, and cost con-

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is working

trol, observability and data sharing play a role in minimizing

on a multiyear program funded by the U.S. Depart-

knowledge gap issues that can arise as key personnel retire.

ment of Energy called GridAPPS. This program evaluates

Utilities see a greater return on investment when data are

open-source platforms and infrastructure that can help

shared easily among infrastructure, applications, and peo-

utilities and vendor communities build interoperable

ple and when applications have complete visibility of the

applications for advanced distribution management sys-

grid and the data needed to automate activities. For optimal

tem solutions. The objective is to minimize the system's

effectiveness, utilities must have a bidirectional data ex-

implementation and integration efforts and maximize

change between devices in the field and the control room

the interoperability between different vendors' solu-

as well as the ability to exchange data across operational and

tions to meet the operational needs of the utilities.

information technology systems in near-real or real time.

38

ieee power & energy magazine

january/february 2020
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2020

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