A Smart Grid Interoperability Maturity Model Rating System Predicting “Plug and Play” Integration Probability

This paper evaluates proposed models for assessing Smart Grid interoperability and other models referenced as instructive for this effort. This paper suggests dividing the GWAC IMM into a Smart Grid Interoperability Maturity Model (SGIMM) and a Smart Grid Interoperability CAPABILITY Maturity Model (SGICMM). We propose a specific Smart Grid Interoperability Assessment model and rating system framework for actually rating organizations using the proposed SGIMM model as to their actual interoperability with other stakeholders in their electrical grid. The Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI) developed by Carnegie Mellon's Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is the de facto standard for models of software development capability maturity. However, it does not directly translate to the problem of assessing the maturity of interoperability of technologies. Both Carnegie Mellon's SEI and the GridWise Architectural Council (GWAC) 1 Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, CMMI, have proposed models for Smart Grid Maturity models. However, one is not directly http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/. 2 Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, SEI Smart Grid Maturity Model Overview, V1.0, July 2009, http://www.sei.cmu.edu/smartgrid/ 3 GridWise Interoperability Context-Setting Framework,, GridWise Architecture Council, March 2008, http://www.gridwiseac.org/pdfs/interopframework_v1_1.pd f. applicable to assessing interoperability and a rating process has not been adopted for either model by which to measure an organizations' Smart Grid Interoperability Maturity.