GridStat: a flexible QoS-managed data dissemination framework for the power grid

With the increase in the monitoring of operational data at very high rates in high voltage substations and the ability to time synchronize these data with global positioning systems, there is a growing need for transmitting this data for monitoring, operation, protection, and control needs. The sets of data that need to be transferred and the speed at which they need to be transferred depend on the application--for example, slow for postevent analysis, near real rime for monitoring and as close to real rime as possible for control or protection. In this paper, we describe GridStat, a novel middleware framework we have developed to provide flexible, robust, and secure data communications for the power grid's operations. Test results demonstrate that such a flexible framework can also guarantee latency that is suitable for fast wide-area protection and control. Index Terms--Computer control of power systems, distributed control, energy-management systems, power system measurements, power system monitoring, power system protection, quality of service (QoS), supervisory control and data-access (SCADA) systems, wide-area control.