From bridge to control hub — The power Smart Grid evolution

Smart Grid´s vision is about a bold program of research, development and demonstration that charts a course towards an electricity supply network that meets the needs of Europe´s future. The Smart Grid will include automation software and intelligent electronic hardware systems that control the transmission and distribution power grids. For developing distribution management and functionality of electricity market one essential objective is to make the customer active for efficient use of energy. The evolution from grid to Smart Grid is based on different functions and on the complexity of the nodes starting from interconnection between local control and central control and arriving to the Smart Grid control hub with a great level of independence and a complex functionality. The Smart Grid of the future will act much more like an interactive web, or “energy Internet,” with two-way communication, multi-directional power flow, distributed intelligence including close-loop control, stability and balance performed on site and optimization at its core. The paper presents the authors view about Smart Grid state of the art and point out the stage in standardization and practice. The contribution is on defining the functions performed by each development stage of equipment: bridge, gateway, node and control hub, the control hub architecture and the demonstrator for the gateway and protocol converter.