The theory and practice of ubiquitous power Internet of Things need to be iteratively advanced

State Grid Corporation of China first proposed the concept of ubiquitous power Internet of Things at the "Two Sessions" earlier this year, and on March 8, it fully deployed the construction of ubiquitous power Internet of Things. Over the past six months, State Grid has carried out many fruitful explorations and practices.

Ubiquitous power Internet of Things is a specific application of industrial Internet of Things in the energy industry, which is of great significance to China's energy revolution and digital revolution. Based on this, this newspaper sincerely invites researchers from professional industry-related institutions to form a research team to propose key factors and paths for the construction of ubiquitous power Internet of Things based on extensive research and in-depth discussions. Subsequently, this newspaper will continue to report in the form of special topics to jointly promote the construction of ubiquitous power Internet of Things and share the development results.

2019 is the first year of the construction of the ubiquitous power Internet of Things. State Grid Corporation of China issued the 2019 construction plan, which comprehensively arranged 57 construction tasks, 25 comprehensive demonstrations and 160 self-expansion tasks; compiled a three-year (2019-2021) plan and three special plans for application systems, data platforms, and network security. At present, various key tasks are being steadily promoted. At the same time, the 27 provincial companies under it have formulated plans for the construction of the ubiquitous power Internet of Things and explored them in accordance with local conditions in light of the actual situation.

In theory, the research on the ubiquitous power Internet of Things started from a high starting point, and the "four-layer" architecture system including the perception layer, network layer, platform layer, and application layer was basically clarified. At the same time, relevant experts further expanded on the above "four-layer" architecture. For example, Wang Jiye, president of the State Grid Energy Internet Technology Research Institute, recently proposed a "five-layer" architecture including the perception terminal layer, edge layer, network layer, cloud layer, and artificial intelligence layer at the "Ubiquitous Power Internet of Things Intelligent Perception Technology Forum". It can be seen that the theory and construction of the ubiquitous power Internet of Things are still being optimized and adjusted.

Construction tasks cannot be decomposed according to the "four-layer" architecture

At present, the practical exploration of the ubiquitous power Internet of Things "from bottom to top" is mostly based on "point" breakthroughs, that is, it is mainly based on situational expansion to adapt to the current/local conditions; the theoretical discussion of the ubiquitous power Internet of Things "from top to bottom" is mostly based on "layer" decomposition, that is, it is mainly based on hierarchical description from the perception layer to the application layer.

The ubiquitous power Internet of Things can be understood from the "four-layer" structure of the perception layer, network layer, platform layer, and application layer, but the construction tasks cannot be decomposed according to this "four-layer" architecture because there is no clear boundary between the layers. For example, the new generation of smart meters can be used as a metering tool for the perception layer and can also provide business scenarios such as smart home management for the application layer. Therefore, the current relationship between theory and practice needs to be continuously optimized and adjusted, otherwise it will make it difficult for "top-down" theoretical discussions to be implemented, or it will lead to repeated "bottom-up" exploration and practice.

Innovative applications of the Internet of Things in the power vertical field

The essence of the ubiquitous power Internet of Things is the innovation of the Internet of Things in the vertical field of the power industry, which has both the characteristics of the power industry and the characteristics of the Internet of Things industry. Among them, the strong smart grid is the carrier of the innovative development characteristics of the power industry, and it is also an important part of the State Grid's "three types and two networks" strategy. Therefore, based on the comparison between the strong smart grid and the ubiquitous power Internet of Things, we can better understand the essence of the ubiquitous power Internet of Things.

From the perspective of construction goals, building a strong and smart grid is to continuously improve the ability to optimize the allocation of energy resources and the level of intelligence, better adapt to the needs of intensive development of power bases and large-scale grid access of new energy, distributed energy, energy storage, interactive energy facilities, and meet the people's increasingly diverse service needs; the construction goal of the ubiquitous power Internet of Things is to apply modern information technologies and advanced communication technologies such as mobile Internet and artificial intelligence to promote the interconnection of all things and human-computer interaction in all aspects of the power system, and realize comprehensive status perception, efficient information processing, and convenient and flexible application.

From the perspective of the carrier, the strong smart grid mainly carries the energy flow and power flow of all links such as generation, transmission, transformation, distribution and use; the ubiquitous power Internet of Things mainly carries the data flow on both the supply and demand sides of the energy industry such as conversion, transaction, operation, dispatching, energy conservation, load, and information flow on economic and social development.

From the perspective of dialectical relationship, the "two networks" complement each other, develop in an integrated manner, and supplement each other, while each has its own focus. For example, considering the real-time and safe operation needs of the strong smart grid, the ubiquitous power Internet of Things should be based on the "limited openness" of the strong smart grid energy and power big data for efficient matching and deep value-added; considering the comprehensive perception and extensive interconnection characteristics of the ubiquitous power Internet of Things, the strong smart grid can effectively solve the randomness problems on both the energy supply and demand sides based on the ubiquitous power Internet of Things.

Data, technology, scenarios, security, and systems are key factors

By further summarizing the common characteristics of the development of the power and Internet of Things industries, we should focus more on the key factors that can organically integrate the "four-layer" architecture of perception layer, network layer, platform layer, and application layer, namely the five elements of data, technology, scenarios, security, and systems.

Among them, data flow opens up the "four-layer" architecture. The organic connection between the "four-layer" architecture is achieved through data flow. By integrating data inside and outside the power industry, a closed loop for the implementation of the ubiquitous power Internet of Things is formed; the technical system drives the industrial ecology. The ubiquitous power Internet of Things involves a wide range of sub-sectors and requires many technologies. Various technical systems are supported by the industrial ecology. The technical systems in the "four-layer" architecture need to be classified and sorted out; business scenarios are the core driving force. The specific technical function design at the perception, network, platform, and application levels needs to be oriented to the final business scenario, and the determination of the business scenario is crucial.

The security system runs through the entire business. The security of the ubiquitous power Internet of Things is a typical multi-dimensional cyberspace security, which requires horizontal protection of the interface isolation between the smart grid and the Internet of Things, and vertical support for the hierarchical isolation of business architecture related elements (data, equipment, etc.); institutional policies are the cornerstone. The digital China and energy revolution strategies proposed by the country have provided strong support for the top-level design and macro layout of the ubiquitous power Internet of Things.

(The authors work at Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Internet of Things Think Tank, and Beijing Information Science and Technology University respectively)