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Customer Energy Services Interface White Paper Version 1.0 Smart Grid Interoperability Panel B2G/I2G/H2G Domain Expert Working Groups Editor - Dave Hardin, EnerNOC, [email protected] Keywords: facility interface; ESI; SGIP; Smart Grid; (a.k.a. GWAC Stack)2 and NIST Framework and Roadmap standards for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, Release 2.03. Abstract An ESI is a bi-directional, logical, abstract interface that The Energy Services Interface (ESI) is a concept that has supports the secure communication of information been identified and defined within a number of Smart Grid between internal entities (i.e., electrical loads, storage domains (e.g., NIST Conceptual Model1). Within these and generation) and external entities. It comprises the domains, an ESI performs a variety of functions. The devices and applications that provide secure interfaces purpose of this paper is to provide a common understanding between ESPs and customers for the purpose of and definition of the ESI at the customer boundary through facilitating machine-to-machine communications. ESIs a review of use case scenarios, requirements and functional meet the needs of today’s grid interaction models (e.g., characteristics. This paper then examines the information demand response, feed-in tariffs, renewable energy) and that needs to be communicated across the ESI, and looks at will meet those of tomorrow (e.g., retail market the standards that exist or are under development that touch transactions). the ESI. This is a general definition of an ESI as applied to the This white paper provides input to the Smart Grid customer boundary. Real implementations will have Interoperability Panel (SGIP) as well as international efforts variations arising from complex system inter-relationships: to understand grid interactions with the customer domain diverse customer business and usage models with different and the standards that govern those interactions. This in turn types of assets in different types of customer facilities provides guidance in product and service development. A controlled by a range of energy management systems. shared understanding of the requirements and architecture and standards framework of the customer interface will lead 2. THE CUSTOMER DOMAIN to improved interoperability and more effective integration The NIST Smart Grid Conceptual Model provides a of customer resources to meet the challenges of grid definition of the customer domain (see Figure 1): reliability. “The customer domain is usually segmented into sub- 1. WHAT IS AN “ESI” domains for home, commercial/building, and industrial. The A primary business requirement driving an Energy Services energy needs of these sub-domains are typically set at less Interface is the need to effectively and efficiently enable than 20 kW of demand for home, 20-200 kW for customer energy assets (i.e., electrical loads, storage and commercial/building, and over 200 kW for industrial. Each generation) to actively participate in maintaining electric sub-domain has multiple actors and applications, which may grid reliability while improving both grid and customer also be present in the other sub-domains. Each sub-domain energy efficiency. has a meter actor and an ESI that may reside in the meter or on the energy management system (EMS) or in an The ESI helps promote interoperability by providing an independent gateway.” abstract interface between energy services providers (ESP) and energy customers. The foundational frameworks for achieving system-to-system interoperability are the GridWise Interoperability Context-Setting Framework 2http://www.gridwiseac.org/pdfs/interopframework_v1_1.pdf 1 http://collaborate.nist.gov/twiki- 3www.nist.gov/smartgrid/upload/NIST_Framework_Releas sggrid/bin/view/SmartGrid/IKBDomains e_2-0_corr.pdf 1 Customer Energy Services Interface White Paper SmartGrid Interoperability Panel B2G/I2G/H2G Domain Expert Working Groups The NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, Release 2.0, and Section 3.6 Figure 1 - Conceptual Reference Diagram for the Smart Grid Interface to the Customer Domain provides an Customer Domain (Source: NIST Framework, V2) ESI description: Table 1 Typical Energy Management Applications “The interface between the Smart Grid and the Customer within the Customer Domain domain is of special importance as the most visible part of Application Description this domain. The conceptual reference model depicts two Building/Home A system that is capable of distinct elements that together provide the interface to the Customer Domain: Automation controlling various functions within a building such as • The Meter, and lighting and temperature control. • The Energy Services Interface (ESI), which serves as the Industrial A system that controls industrial gateway to the Customer Premises Network. processes such as manufacturing Automation or warehousing. Through these interfaces, electricity usage is measured, Distributed generation includes Distributed recorded, and communicated; service provisioning and all types of generation (e.g., Generation maintenance functions are performed (such as remote solar, wind, and hydro) that connection and disconnection of service); and pricing and convert local energy to demand response signaling occurs. electricity, including within a customer location. These New and innovative energy-related services, which we may generators may be monitored, not even imagine today, will be developed and may require dispatched or controlled via additional data streams between the Smart Grid and the communications. Customer domain. Extensibility and flexibility are important considerations. The interface must be interoperable with a wide variety of energy-using devices and controllers, such as thermostats, water heaters, appliances, consumer 2 Customer Energy Services Interface White Paper SmartGrid Interoperability Panel B2G/I2G/H2G Domain Expert Working Groups electronics, and energy management systems. The diversity commercial and industrial consumption decreases while of communications technologies and standards used by residential consumption may increase. devices in the Customer domain presents a significant interoperability challenge. In addition, ensuring cyber- The electrical phase of loads also varies between home security is a critical consideration.” Typical applications and C&I customers. C&I customers often employ large within the Customer domain are listed in Table 1. inductive loads which often require regulation through volt/VAR ancillary services. The diverse energy assets (i.e. loads, storage and generation) within the customer facility can be characterized by: Economic Impact on Customer Electricity bills vary based upon the electrical Electrical Capacity consumption, demand, number and types of energy Homes and small commercial and industrial (C&I) assets (loads, generation, and storage) and represent a facilities typically have less than 20KW of demand and portion of the overall costs of operating a home or contain a relatively small number of low-power loads. business. As the relative economic impact of energy Medium C&I facilities and multi-tenant residential increases, more financial resources are applied to customers are typically between 20KW and 200KW of controlling costs based on return-on-investment. This is demand. C&I customers typically contain significantly often reflected in increased expenditures for energy more diverse loads than multi-tenant residences. Large management and automation systems to help control C&I facilities have greater than 200KW of demand and energy costs. contain a large number of specialized loads. Positive economics for commercial and industrial Operational Characteristics customers have fueled the development of diverse and Most homes and commercial facilities currently have competitive control and automation industries. appliances and other loads but few have generation Historically, home automation has been limited to high- capabilities. Most facilities have heating, ventilation, air end homes due to cost. Use of home automation may conditioning, lighting and general plug loads. In the increase over time as the relative economic impact of future, more commercial facilities may have fuel cells energy changes. or other backup generation. Large facilities and campuses may have distributed generation, backup Another factor affecting the economic impact is the generation, and cogeneration for power. This will financial responsibility of the customer for energy evolve over time as innovation increases the costs. Home residents are personally responsible for economically-viable distributed energy options energy costs while commercial and industrial customers available to customers such as plugin electric vehicles are not personally responsible but rely on business (PEV) and renewables. operating revenue to pay for energy costs. The electrical energy consumption of homes is Operational Flexibility of Customer relatively predictable in the aggregate as compared to The capability for customers to react to opportunities commercial and industrial customers. This is one of the and challenges that occur in the energy system (i.e. reasons that residential electrical tariffs have been dynamic pricing, demand response events and retail relatively simple and broadly applied. energy transactions) is highly dependent upon the Energy consumption in commercial and industrial customer’s flexibility given the constraints that are facilities tends to vary over time as large loads

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