Managing smart grid information in the cloud: opportunities, model, and applications

Smart grid (SG), regarded as the next-generation electric grid, will use advanced power, communication, and information technologies to create an automated, intelligent, and widely distributed energy delivery network. In this article, we explore how cloud computing (CC), a next-generation computing paradigm, can be used for information management of the SG and present a novel SG information management paradigm, called Cloud Service-Based SG Information Management (CSSGIM). We analyze the benefits and opportunities from the perspectives of both the SG and CC domains. We further propose a model for CSSGIM and present four motivating applications.