Integration of heterogeneous small test beds for emulating large-scale smart power grids the emphasis on cyber architectures

This paper proposes a data-driven model-based computer platform to support modular integration of: 1) various hardware test beds enabled with “smarts” currently under development by the electric power industry; together with 2) the virtual software test beds simulating other parts of the real-world power systems. The ultimate goal is to emulate real-world electric energy systems and the dependence of their performance on embedded smarts. The architecture used for this is based on our Dynamic Monitoring and Decisions Systems (DYMONDS) framework. This framework utilizes physics-based multi-layered structure of: 1) internal models representing (groups of) power grid sub-components; and 2) interactions of these interconnected sub-components within a large-scale power grid. Using this structure it becomes possible to define minimal information exchange cyber protocols between the sub-systems so that their sub-objectives align with the objectives of the interconnected system, and therefore, make the system as a whole sustainable. In this paper we extend this multi-layered structure to define principles for coordinating interactions of heterogeneous modular test beds within a multi-test bed computer platform.