A Secure Decentralized Data-Centric Information Infrastructure for Smart Grid

In recent years the power grid has been undergoing transformative changes due to the greater penetration of renewable energy sources and increased focus on power demand shaping. These innovative transformations on the grid require a flexible IP-based communication grid that is reliable and secure. In this article we describe an IP-based decentralized and data-centric information infrastructure that can reliably, securely, and cost-effectively support the operation and innovative applications of the next generation grid. The proposed infrastructure differs from a typical distributed system since it addresses the specific requirements of power applications such as security, distributed data sources, latency sensitive data transactions and real time event updates. The work presented here paves the way for a future data-centric power network infrastructure.