OPC UA goes semantics: Integrated communications in smart grids

In the energy domain a transition process has begun aiming at the realization of smart grids, where many perspectives on smart grids and thus, different definitions, exist. However, one aspect is widely accepted, namely that ICT is needed to support future smart grids. IT approaches are used to deal with the upcoming data exchange among the different stakeholders. The traditional supply chain, from centralized generation to conventional consumption, has evolved into a multi-dimensional, highly dynamic and complex system. Many new stakeholders such as service providers and prosumers participate in smart grids. Also, automation becomes more and more important, especially novel communication standards like the OPC UA. In this contribution the application of the OPC UA as well as its extension by annotating meta-data to enable semantic web service communication is introduced.