International telecommunication union

Simplified Domain Model in ICT perspective

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  Grid domain (bulk generation, distribution and transmission);
  
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  Smart metering (AMI);
  
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  Customer domain (smart appliances, electric vehicles, premises networks (Home/ Building/ Industrial Area Network));
  
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  Communication network; and
  
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  Service provider domain (markets, operators, service providers).
  

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  Reference Point 1 – Between Grid domain and Communication Network: It enables the exchange of information and control signals between devices in Grid domain and the Service provider domain, the examples of SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) and other operations are listed below:
  
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    Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) in transmission systems to enable SCADA operations;
    
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    Intelligent Electronic Devices (IED) in transmission systems to interact with SCADA operations in the Service provider domain;
    
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    Plant control system interacts with SCADA and EMS (Energy Management System) in the Service provider domain;
    
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    Plant control system interacts with Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO)/ Independent Systems Operators (ISO) wholesale market in market operations (e.g., the control signals of monitoring, reporting, and telephony between bulk storage domain and markets to enable wholesale markets operations control hence optimizing portfolios of sources);
    
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    Information and control signals and power generation information between Grid domain (e.g., Bulk generation) and Service provider domain (e.g., control and operations);
    
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    Grid domain (e.g., transmission sensors and measurement devices) provides information from the transmission line to the Service provider domain (e.g., transmission operation, protection and control) for transmission line maintenance information, monitoring, reporting, and SCADA;
    
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    Information exchange and coordination between Grid domain (e.g., power generation) and Service provider domain (e.g., power transmission operation and control);
    
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    Distribution sensors and measurement devices provide distribution system information for use by Distributed Energy Resources (DER).
    
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  Reference Point 2 - Between Smart metering domain and Communication Network: It enables the exchange of metering information and interactions through operators and service providers in the Service provider domain towards customers in the Customer domain. Some examples are listed below:
  
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    Management of meters, retrieval of aggregated meter readings from Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) head-end/controller in operations and service provider in Service provider domain;
    
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    Interacting with customer Energy Management System (EMS) to exchange pricing, data related to Demand Response (DR), including the load shedding information, and relevant information enabling automation of tasks involved in a better use of energy;
    
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    Billing in Service provider domain that interacts with the meters in Customer domain.
    
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    Smart meters interact with billing in Service provider domain;
    
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    Smart meters form a metering infrastructure to ensure reliable communication to the meter head-end through this reference point.
    
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  Reference Point 3 – Between Customer domain and Communication Network domain: It enables the interactions between operators and service providers in Service provider domain and devices in Customer domain. Some examples are listed below:
  
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    The HAN communicates over this Reference point either through a secure energy service gateway or through public network (e.g., Internet);
    
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    Energy Services Interface (ESI) / HAN gateway interacts with the metering/ billing / utility back office in Service provider domain (Operations);
    
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    ESI / HAN gateway interacts with the load management system / demand-response management system in Service provider domain (Operations);
    
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    Customer EMS interacts with energy service provider in Service provider domain;
    
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    Billing in Service provider domain interacts with customers in Customer domain;
    
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    Customer EMS interacts with distribution management system in Grid domain;
    
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    Customer EMS interacts with aggregator/ retail energy provider in Service provider domain;
    
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    Monitoring and controlling the information exchange for distributed generation and DER in Customer domain;
    
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  Reference Point 4 – Between Service provider domain and Communication Network domain, it enables communications between services and applications in the Service provider domain to actors in others domains to perform all Smart Grid functions illustrated above.
  
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  Reference Point 5 – Between Smart metering and Customer domain, it conducts services through ESI. Some examples are listed below:
  
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    Smart meter interacts with devices, including customer EMS, ESI in home, customer appliances and equipment;
    
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    Devices in Customer domain, including customer EMS, ESI in home, customer appliances and equipment interact with smart meters.