Standards-based approach integrates utility applications

Today's utility business environment of deregulation and more volatile energy markets has forced utilities to operate more efficiently and become more flexible. However, utilities cannot adapt to changing business conditions without having a flexible information technology (IT) infrastructure as well as information about and complete control of operational systems. While traditionally the business and power system control functions in an electric utility were run more or less separate and apart from each other, such isolation inhibits efficient operation and inhibits high-level, profit-oriented analysis from occurring. What is needed is a framework that enables data to be quickly shared, coalesced, and transformed into usable information. This framework should be robust enough so that, as new situations arise, information can be exchanged and analyzed in ways not previously anticipated. This article discusses utility application and data integration issues and related standards activities. A summary of work going on within the Electric Power Research Institute's (EPRI) Control Center Application Program Interface (CCAPT) task force, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) working groups 13 and 14, and the Utility Domain task force in the Open Management Group (OMG) is provided. EPRI's Common Information Model (CIM) and Message Bus are described with emphasis on how they can be used to create a powerful and flexible enterprise architecture.