IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - September/October 2019 - 44

distributed generation. Separating a DER facility
from the premises load allows for the utility to directly
monitor the generation provided locally much more
accurately than current estimation techniques. The
advanced meter with a service disconnect switch could
also be directly operated by the utility, allowing the system to be disconnected from the grid temporarily when
necessary to manage the electric system. This provides
a standard means of control and access with minimal
additional infrastructure upgrade beyond that needed
for advanced metering infrastructure. This approach
is also technologically possible now without having to
wait for future developments, and it facilitates future
growth of exporting DERs.
✔ Remotely controlled device: A few vendors have
also introduced meter collars as a modification to
the traditional meter socket for a net energy metering system. Another solution coming to market is
an interconnection device that uses a smart circuit
breaker configuration that provides metering, monitoring, and control of the interconnected DERs.
These adapters provide a metering point for exporting DERs and the capability to disconnect the systems when necessary.
The Hawaiian Electric Companies are pursuing this twopart control architecture using primary control methods to
manage normal operations and backup controls for system
reliability. This control strategy will be the most cost-effective for customers and aggregators.

The Grid as a Platform

Outage Information

Customer DER Programs

Locational
Value Analysis

Dynamic
Analysis

Optimization
Analytics

Market
Oversight

Market
Settlement

DER Portfolio
Optimization

Hosting
Capacity

Probabilistic
Planning

Smart Meters

Advanced
Meters

Volt-Var
Management

DER
Management

Fault Analysis

DMS

OMS

GIS

Network Model

Power Quality
Analysis
DER and Load
Forecasting

Power Flow
Analysis

SCADA

Automated
Field Devices

Operational Data Management
Sensing and Management
Operational Communications (WAN/FAN/NAN)

Advanced Protection

Core Components

Customer
Energy Information and Analytics

Applications

Customer Choice Decision Support Analytics
Market Portals

Grid Data
Portal

DER
Provider
Data/Info

Customer
Portal

The grid that Hawai'i needs is based on the concept of a
platform that enables the integration of customer DERs and

the utilization of DERs as system resources. The Hawaiian
Electric Companies are applying the concept of a core platform as described by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
in the DSPx project:
Platform relates to the structure of the cyber-physical
grid where certain components remain stable forming
the core platform, while other complementary modules are integrated over time through interoperable
interfaces. This modularization of a complex system
like the distribution grid enables functions to evolve
incrementally as needs dictate, consistent with the
overall architecture. For example, the physical infrastructure of wires and transformers comprise part of
the platform, but other components, such as sensing
and operational communications, should also be considered as core in a modern grid.
As noted by the Hawai'i Public Utilities Commission,
this type of platform will necessarily involve technologies
with different life cycles, as more digital and software components are integrated with legacy systems. Interfaces with
customers and DER systems, such as inverters and aggregators, will likely be even more dynamic, as these systems
will have different lifecycles. The structure and use of open
standards are key to achieving an open and flexible grid.
The grid modernization strategy combines the adoption of
standardized protocols and interfaces with an architectural
structure recommended by the Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory's grid architecture effort to develop high-level
architecture that can create a more cost-effective cyberphysical grid and lower the risk of technological obsolescence.
The proposed platform will integrate physical infrastructure with advanced communications, sensing, and
measurement and with distribution automation, protection,

Physical Grid Infrastructure

figure 3. The U.S. DOE's DSPx next-generation distribution system platform. DMS: Distribution management system; OMS: outage management system; GIS: geographic information system; WAN: wide area network; FAN: field area network; NAN: neighborhood area network; SCADA: supervisory control and data acquisition. (Source: U.S. DOE, Modern Distribution Grid, Vol. 3.)
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IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - September/October 2019

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