Fault Tolerance for Software-Defined Networking in Smart Grid

Abstract

Smart Grid consists of diverse digital operations including smart meters, smart appliances, power control. The Smart Grid represents an unprecedented opportunity to bring the energy system into the intelligence area. In this regard, the data acquisition infrastructure is the essential part of Smart Grid and energy communication network take an integral function in the Smart Grid. To support reliable data transmission, a network system is designed to fail safe (i.e., fault tolerance) in general and the energy communication network is not an exception. In this paper, we provide a brief overview of a mechanism for increasing the resilience of energy communication network. To achieve this, we apply Software Defined Networking (SDN) concept to Smart Grid. We show that the advantages of SDN enabled Smart Grid and how the system can guarantee of high resilience for network failures.