IEEE TAPS ODU'S TOLK FOR HIS SMART GRID EXPERTISE

The world's energy grid has been identified as critical infrastructure that could be at risk from technology changes, future energy demands and unforeseen events.

IEEE is the world's largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. The IEEE Computer Society is sponsoring a series of workshops on computing aspects of a vision for a "smart" energy grid, and Andreas Tolk, professor of engineering management and systems engineering at Old Dominion University, has been invited to participate.

The IEEE Computer Society Smart Grid Vision group met for the first time August 8-9 in Chicago. A second workshop will be held in October, after a draft Vision document has been prepared.

"The purpose of this project is to develop a vision for the Smart Grid from a computing perspective, looking forward 30 years into the future," Tolk said. "This project will take into consideration disruptive computing technologies that shape the Vision, and incorporate 'blue sky' thinking, looking into the future."

Tolk was invited by the IEEE Computer Society to present his work on the studying of interoperability and composability - the need for various computational systems to work together to accomplish complex goals.

This project will help articulate the smart grid research and development needs that will bring the Vision to life. "The direct beneficiaries of this Vision are industrial and academic organizations engaged in long-term research and relevant funding entities."

As part of the first workshop, Tolk presented his works on interoperability, including his Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model, which has already been successfully used to shape the GridWise Interoperability Context-Setting Framework developed for the U.S. Department of Energy.

The IEEE is running parallel Smart Grid Vision projects through its Communications Society, Power and Energy Society, Control Systems Society and Intelligent Transportation Society, with a goal of sharing information about the ongoing evolution of the smart grid.