Designing a Human Supervisory Control System for Smart Grid

Abstract

Smart Grid refers to a developing electrical infrastructure expected to meet future power demand by the intensive usage of information and communication technologies. This future-oriented setting will allow electric deliver companies to operate the grid as an integrated system, letting them improve the energy supply. One of the main challenges of this new reality is concerned with the operation of the Smart Grid within control rooms. The continuous sensing of the grid state, the increasing interconnectivity and complexity of the infrastructure, and the rising amount of operational information to manage require new control systems that support new operational models, based not only on identifying breakdowns but also on diagnosing critical situations. In particular, achieving an appropriate situation awareness level by control room operators will be an essential factor for success. This paper presents a graphical user interface for Smart Grid grounded on the application of Situation-Awareness Oriented Design principles.