Open Distributed Systems Operations or OpenDSO Grid Edge Enablement Portfolio is built on best-of- breed open-source technology and is compatible with all common industry standards and protocols. It fills a critical gap between proprietary solutions from large traditional software vendors and start-ups with new ideas for operating or participating in the electric grid. It does this by enabling utilities to rapidly innovate and deploy new solutions without requiring the replacement of existing assets and operational systems.
OpenDSO Overview
Finding its roots in a utility-led collaboration to solve the operational challenges and IT limitations of centralized distribution operations and systems, OpenDSO is comprised of:
- A core open-source software platform providing the common services needed to develop, deploy, and operate applications at the edge of the electrical grid (OpenDSO Grid Edge Enablement Platform)
- A portfolio for grid-edge applications for high-value use cases focused on optimizing the operations and value of DER resources on the electric grid (OpenDSO Execution at the Edge™ Applications)
- OES' OpenFMB™ Adapter Ecosystem for interoperable integration of grid-edge assets across a variety of industry protocols. These assets may exist on utility transmission and distribution systems as well as at a customer premise.
OpenDSO is designed to scale from the smallest customer owned to the largest investor-owned utility, allowing for the seamless interaction desired by software application providers, asset owners, and grid operators.
OpenDSO Footprint
The OpenDSO Portfolio follows a layered architecture comprising three major patterns illustrated below:
Interoperability at the edge
The challenge of interoperability comprises three major areas:
- Interoperability with legacy grid protocols: Using NAESB’s Open Field Message Bus (OpenFMB) standard, OpenDSO enables interoperability with grid devices and DER assets through a suite of adapters and gateways that can run on low-cost communication nodes co-located with grid assets.
- Communications and interoperability between edge devices: Using a lightweight, publish / subscribe (pub/sub) message bus along with OpenFMB adapters, edge compute devices can communicate with edge grid devices and with each other to enable distributed intelligence (i.e., peer-to-peer).
- Communications at scale: The use of a pub/sub message bus at the edge is also the foundation of communications at scale. Communications between devices are based on published topics, and subscribers only listen to topics of interest and based on their security profile.
Edge device and lifecycle management
OpenDSO facilitates an open approach toward promoting a healthy ecosystem of edge applications that utilities can choose from. The architectural domain of device and lifecycle management comprises:
- Secure, automated deployment of containerized applications and microservices to edge-compute devices
- Management of application containers and node clusters
- Management of the lifecycle of deployed applications / microservices across initial deployment, configuration, update/upgrades, and removal/retirement
For the same business use case, utilities can choose to deploy an application developed by OES, a third-party application developer, an OEM or internally.
Intelligence at the edge
As an enabler of grid-edge applications, OpenDSO complements and can seamlessly integrate with a grid operator’s existing centralized control systems. It is uniquely positioned to solve the anticipated challenges of large-scale DER penetration in today’s distribution networks. OpenDSO supports the interconnection of customer and utility-owned DER and EV infrastructure while considering both grid reliability and resiliency needs and financial value that asset owners realize from their interconnected assets. It enables utilities to deploy grid-operations applications at the edge and realize benefits from real time measurements, monitoring, response, and control without requiring major changes to existing utility ADMS systems and related centralized processes.