Smart Grid Data Cloud: A Model for Utilizing Cloud Computing in the Smart Grid Domain

This paper presents a model for smart grid data management based on specific characteristics of cloud computing, such as distributed data management for real-time data gathering, parallel processing for real-time information retrieval, and ubiquitous access. The appliance of the cloud computing model meets the requirements of data and computing intensive smart grid applications. We gathered these requirements by analyzing the set of well-known smart grid use cases, most of which demand flexible collaboration across organizational boundaries of network operators and energy service providers as well as the active participation of the end user. Hence, preserving confidentiality and privacy, whilst processing the massive amounts of smart grid data, is of paramount importance in the design of the proposed Smart Grid Data Cloud.