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         Studies Systems Technology Analysis
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Utility Communications and AutomationOverviewThe electric power system can be considered one of the most significant technical achievements of the 20th century because of the far reaching impact it has had on the quality of life in all sectors of society. In the 21st century, this role is expected to continue as a driver for improving the quality of life and enabling even more amazing innovations in technology. However, the existing utility infrastructure is in serious need of upgrading, especially if it is to fulfill its role in the 21st century. The system needs to be re-architected in a variety of ways to fully take advantage of the ability to interconnect and interoperate with power systems at the utility, industrial, commercial, and consumer levels. As society moves forward with improving the utility infrastructure to meet the increasing demands being put upon it, it should be noted that there are actually two infrastructures that must be developed - the electric power delivery infrastructure and a data network communications infrastructure. As the power delivery system has become more complex, computer technologies are being applied to manage that complexity. Most of the early implementations of this communications and computation infrastructure were done in an ad hoc fashion with little or no interoperability with foreign systems and few if any standards available to improve the situation. To move forward, the electric power delivery system will require a much higher utilization of integrated communication networks and intelligent equipment. This parallel system - collectively referred to as 'distributed computing' - is a significant infrastructure on its own. It must evolve in a way that ensures that systems are interoperable. An interoperable, standards based distributed computing infrastructure for the electric power industry will enable power system planners, engineers, operators, and marketers to operate the power system with the level of efficiency and reliability necessary to drive a technology based economy. Advanced concepts such as the self-healing power grid become possible to implement with such an infrastructure. EnerNex® Corporation is at the forefront of undertaking the core research and developing the standards and practices necessary to realize the vision of a fully interoperable, utility communications infrastructure. EnerNex personnel have been involved in key strategic projects with government, industry, and private research organizations over the past 15 years. EnerNex personnel are known for their technologically advanced, yet practical approach to solving new electric power infrastructure problems. By taking an evolutionary, standards based approach to solving real-world power systems operations problems with distributed computing technologies, EnerNex implements solutions that work, are cost effective, and are able to keep in step with technological advances as they are developed. CapabilitiesOur staff has decades of experience in all aspects of electric power system communication and control. We have experience starting with the business models associated with a utility communications project, network design, software development, project management, and all the way down to designing, implementing, and installing remote terminal equipment and communications network infrastructure. In our Utility Communications and Automation practice line, we utilize and support the latest domestic and international standards as well as off-the-shelf tools wherever possible to cost effectively solve customer problems. This limits exposure to proprietary software and hardware that often becomes too expensive to continue to maintain and support. Our personnel have participated in a number of important industry activities including development of the Utility Communication Architecture (UCA®), IEC 61850 suite of standards, development of the EPRI IntelliGrid Architecture, and the OpenAMI initiative. Our staff play a key role in various industry standards organizations. ServicesOur utility communications and automation capabilities support a number of service offerings for our clients, including:
Our clients include electric utilities, renewable energy developers, manufacturers and vendors, and research organizations. Learn more about our support of the IntelliGrid Architecture Learn more about our capabilities in cyber security Learn more about our support of numerous communication protocols Learn more about our support related to IEC 61850 Learn more about our work in various smart grid initiatives
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