DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE)

NASPInet Design and Specification Development, 2008-2009

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), which is part of the US DOE national laboratory system, implements a broad spectrum of energy research and development programs. The North American Synchro-Phasor Initiative (NASPI) is part of an electric power industry effort to improve grid reliability.

This grid improvement will be achieved via Wide-Area Monitoring, Protection and Control (WAMPAC) systems that use increased precision time-synchronized measurement technology and applications. In part, this improved synchronization is enabled by the availability of GPS signals. NETL is sponsoring a communications program, NASPInet, which will enable systems to share this time-synchronized information to achieve improved power system planning, operation, maintenance and protection across the North American grid.

NETL has selected Quanta Technology to develop the NASPInet system design and specifications for subsequent NETL procurement and implementation. The draft design and specifications will be based on the high-level conceptual design requirements detailed in the Quanta Technology proposal to NETL. The draft documents will be reviewed and approved by industry stakeholders. As a minimum, the NASPInet design and specifications will include the following attributes:

  • A decentralized data publishing/subscribing system
  • All transported data must meet their Quality of Service level requirements
  • Publishers of data shall be able to maintain full control on the accessibility of their data
  • Subscribers shall be ensured that data will only come from publishers to which they subscribed
  • Resilient to various types of cyber attacks and certain level of system failures
  • Highly flexible, scalable, and manageable
  • Vendor neutrality

Additional information on Quanta Technology’s WAMPAC services. We encourage your review of the paper by Dr. Damir Novosel et al, Dawn of the Grid Synchronization, IEEE Power and Energy, January/February 2008, and the presentation by Dr. Yi Hu, NASPInet Specification Project, DOE V&C Peer Review Meeting, October 21, 2008.