American Electric Power and the Electric Power Research Institute have collaborated to develop multiple-use cases that were used for interoperability testing in conjunction with the AEP gridSMART demonstration project. This project integrates various smart grid technologies including commercially available products, new technologies, and new consumer products and services within a single, secure, two-way communication network between the utility and its customers. The goal is to develop a more efficient and interconnected power delivery system.
These use cases documented the significant business functions of the AEP gridSMART demonstration project from an interoperability testing perspective. The use cases identified interfaces that were thought to be testable for interoperability. In less than two weeks, EPRI and AEP developed 21 use cases to describe interoperability requirements that would be needed in several smart grid applications including Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Demand Response (DR), Distributed Grid Management, Electric Transportation, and Energy Storage.
The use cases were pivotal to the successful design and creation of interfaces for the gridSMART project. These use cases have since been used by organizations such as OpenSG, Multi-
Speak and the NIST Smart Grid Interoperability Panel for their priority action plan efforts. Many groups involved in smart grid developments are searching for smart grid use cases that can be used to prepare requirements, standards and test cases.
