Why: The Electric Grid must be re-tooled as an Intelligent System of Systems

What: An Intelligent Shared Infrastructure serving utilities, people and machines

Where: Focus is on the rural USA thru the National Rural Electric Cooperative

How: What does it take to deliver on the promise using a community of practice.

Why: “Our Race with Intelligent Machines” can be easily seen when viewing the world’s state of readiness amongst its communication networks and electric power grids. These critical systems face the challenge of connecting hundreds of millions of machines, devices and sensors, with people and things in the face of significant gaps in security and infrastructure. The path we are now on will not sustain the data tsunami being unleashed. Presently we are badly losing this race. If we are to win this race to transform how we work with intelligent machines newer, faster communi-cation networks and reliable electric power infrastructures are needed along with mil-itary grade security covering all 7 layers of the stack.

Today’s electric power networks operate by and large using historical, or “near” real-time data and tools to manage the flow of information and operate critical in-frastructure. Communication networks supporting streaming data and enabling milli-second decision and response is lacking. This presents a gap that must be bridged if we are to deliver intelligence to the edge of the grid enabling the digitization, de-centralization and decarbonization of our nation’s power systems. Retooling our com-munication networks to enable the retooling of the electric grid is an essential first step in creating the building blocks for the “next generation” levels of real-time data processing and machine learning required to create and deliver this intelligence.

What: The Agile Fractal Grid (AFG) delivers a scalable, highly secure, broad band communications network and grid edge-based supercomputing infrastructure platform to be shared amongst utilities, communities, telecom carriers, service companies and customers alike. AFG orchestrates the digital transformation of the electric power grid and provides a digital marketplace clearinghouse platform for designing and de-livering innovative service solutions and for creating new measures of value for all stakeholders.

Where: AFG’s Security Fabric Alliance’s “Community of Practice” proposes a path to the future that is surprising in its simplicity. It starts, as shown in the following illus-tration, with the deployment of a multimodal, multi-purpose (shared infrastructure), small cell, high speed digital communications network throughout rural America which represents 72% of our nation’s land mass and over 14% of our population. Adequate broadband communications coverage exists in only 47% of this territory, creating both

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a unique challenge and opportunity. There are 960 cooperative electric utilities serv-ing these 46 million customers. The small cell network will be deployed at the edge of the distribution power systems operated by these cooperative electric utilities, shar-ing the electric utility’s poles, transformers and substations to close the gap in accel-erating delivery of the next generation of broadband needed to get back in the race to win.

Numerous benefits accrue to the utility in return for granting AFG the use of its assets and right-of-ways to deploy the communications and computing network. The utility receives access to broadband services for itself and the community at large, plus use of the network in implementing key services for reducing energy costs, increasing grid reliability and launching new innovative services. The placement of super-computing data pods at the utility’s substation deliver new, energy use revenue streams and a platform for community services.

Architecting a new infrastructure starts with creating intelligence at the edge. Aside from communication, one must also move computation, control and decision making to the edge. This emerging intersection of practices between computer science and electrical engineering is called FOG (or edge) computing and will support connecting people, machines, and the energy internet of things (IoT) today and well into the fu-ture. Winning the race with intelligent machines is dependent upon our success in creating this shared infrastructure.

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AFG’s small cell networks and edge computing platform is integral to delivering the next generation intelligent grid system. The cell provides secure end-to-end real time communications between sensors, devices, equipment and distributed energy re-sources and data super-computing pods installed at the utility substation eliminating potential latency. Placement of these data pods collocated with the power grid en-sures a reliable source of power supply. The small cell networks deliver bi-directional data communication and control all the way to the edge providing super-fast LTE broadband access to the community’s businesses and residents. These small cell net-works integrate seamlessly with fiber backhaul systems, supercomputing data hubs, cloud-based analytics and application platforms, distributed energy resources, the utility’s internal operational systems, public service networks and the internet of things (IoT).

How: AFG provides the turnkey engineering design, funding, program management and installation of the multi-purpose communications network and the super comput-ing infrastructure. AFG delivers this shared infrastructure, as well as, the back-office services platform supporting creation of the digital marketplace, for use by the utili-ty, the community, carriers, and service providers. AFG continues to operate and maintain this shared infrastructure and platform as a managed service, as well as, or-chestrating the introduction of application providers and their services in responding to the utility’s and community’s needs.

AFG’s engagement with the utility begins with a discussion for determining the cur-rent state of fiber and broad band cellular network deployments within the communi-ty and service territory. Working together, the utility and AFG define the scope of a pilot and select an area for assessment, engineering design and construction of the AFG network and computing infrastructure. Existing utility fiber and cellular installa-tions are leveraged within AFG’s design. The pilot offers a path to first deploy a shared multi-purpose network and computing infrastructure which is then followed by service offerings selected and delivered from AFG’s digital market place such as: 1) Volt-VAR optimization applications to optimize line voltage reducing distribution ener-gy line losses by as much as 10% and minimizing line damage; 2) synchro-phasor ap-plications for locating and analyzing sources of voltage and frequency anomalies and greatly increasing situational awareness; 3) micro-grids and virtual power pools for integrating, controlling and monetizing distributed energy resources and for optimiz-ing grid operations allowing for deferral of capital investments; 4) building au-tomation applications for improving efficiencies of facilities and equipment reducing overall utility and customer energy costs; and, 5) trans-active retail energy ap-plications for designing and delivering to customers new energy offerings and value. Each service selected by the utility is deployed at a pace matching their business strategy and needs. Other community focused digital marketplace offerings support-ing internet and cellular services, education, public safety, health, etc. are also made available.

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The initial pilot is followed by a staged deployment of AFG’s shared network and com-puting infrastructure throughout the utility’s service area. The digital marketplace platform is built upon this infrastructure. What emerges is an ecosystem platform of infrastructure and services supporting the creation of an industrial Internet and com-pleting the digital transformation of the utility’s power grid ensuring interoperability, performance, security, scalability, serviceability, reliability and agility between the grid, micro-grids, distributed energy resources, electric vehicles and, other IoT equipment and devices - all in need of real time data coordination. AFG’s small cells are the building blocks for gathering and distributing knowledge… resulting in an in-telligent “social” network of machines.

The digital marketplace produces a repository of active knowledge surrounding both people and machines that can be shared in real-time as a mechanism for continuously enhancing the intelligent network. The intelligent architecture produces an in-frastructure enabling processes for machine learning, automation, analytics to under-stand machine behaviors, and the design of algorithms, rules, and decision models. AFG and its partner companies, use agile development techniques to iteratively de-sign services together with the utility and other community members, to ensure ser-

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vice applications successfully deliver to expectations and needs. Over time, the result is a national network and platform that grows up organically and self-learns with every pilot to assemble the ecosystem of network infrastructures and services drawn from the hundreds of partners that are asked to participate. This bio-inspired process scales itself from one project at a time to eventually merge into AFG’s platform of platforms.

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