Adaptive Data Collection Mechanisms for Smart Monitoring of Distribution Grids

Smart Grid systems not only transport electric energy but also information which will be active part of the electricity supply system. This has led to the introduction of intelligent components on all layers of the electrical grid in power generation, transmission, distribution and consumption units. For electric distribution systems, Information from Smart Meters can be utilized to monitor and control the state of the grid. Hence, it is indeed inherent that data from Smart Meters should be collected in a resilient, reliable, secure and timely manner fulfilling all the communication requirements and standards. This paper presents a proposal for smart data collection mechanisms to monitor electrical grids with adaptive smart metering infrastructures. A general overview of a platform is given for testing, evaluating and implementing mechanisms to adapt Smart Meter data aggregation. Three main aspects of adaptiveness of the system are studied, adaptiveness to smart metering application needs, adaptiveness to changing communication network dynamics and adaptiveness to security attacks. Execution of tests will be conducted in real field experimental set-up and in an advanced hardware in the loop test-bed with power and communication co-simulation for validation purposes.