An estimated 70% of the energy grid is more than 30 years old,

making it prone to stress and failure, requiring high maintenance,

and posing environmental risks. There is widespread agreement

that the ways in which the world has traditionally produced, distrib-

uted, and consumed energy must change, for both environmental

and economic reasons.

Fossil fuels still account for more than 80% of global energy produc-

tion, but renewable sources are gaining ground year after year, now

approaching 10% of total generated power. The distribution system

will need to accommodate energy from an array of sources—wind,

solar, hydro, wave, and geothermal—in addition to coal-fired gen-

erators. Moreover, energy from natural processes is unpredictable.

Providers will need to be able to plan for variability of supply.

The smart energy grid—which is somewhere between vision and

reality—promises to address these issues.

• It will integrate traditional and emerging power sources and

make the delivery of energy cleaner, safer, and more economical.

• Operators will have the transparency and visibility to monitor

and analyze the flow of energy, and two-way communication with

consumers’ smart meters to analyze consumption patterns.

• Intelligent devices that collect and analyze massive volumes of

data will enable operators to plan for contingencies for variable

resources.

• Smart IoT devices will manage the distribution of energy based

on real-time data and situational awareness, as opposed to

historical data patterns.

• Predictive maintenance capabilities will alert operators when

a component needs attention or repair, reducing the need for

ongoing inspections.

• Adaptive analytics will enable systems to automatically balance

energy loads to reduce stress and prevent overheating.

Intelligent energy distribution also pays an environmental dividend.

Connected devices can perform power management tasks with finer

precision and faster response times than manual, human-dependent

systems, thereby saving energy, prioritizing usage, and setting poli-

cies for response to outages.

ADDRESSING CHALLENGES

Realizing this vision faces four major challenges:

• Securing the grid from hackers and acts of cyber-sabotage:

The ability for devices to communicate over wired or wireless

networks makes the grid vulnerable. According to the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security, energy systems are under

virtually constant attack. This requires a comprehensive security

approach from the boundaries of the Internet to the device level.

Security needs to be built into every device starting at the base

of the software stack.

• Connecting and protecting legacy “brownfield” systems—

the older, aging parts of the existing energy infrastructure:

This can be accomplished by building secure Internet gateways

that enable cloud-based central control systems to collect local

intelligence data from the systems while blocking attacks.

• Building intelligence into “greenfield” systems out of the

box: New systems and devices built for the smart grid must

deliver manageability, security, and connectivity. Smart systems

should be able to perform more tasks with fewer devices, driving

down the cost of development and deployment.

• Protecting the privacy of energy consumers: The data gener-

ated from smart metering has the potential to expose sensitive

customer information. The same security principals that apply to

the energy enterprise must also be applied at the consumer level.

INTERNET OF THINGS: ENERGY USE CASE

The Intelligence in the Internet of Things

Wind turbines can autonomously detect maintenance needs and reduce mechanical load to extend lifespan

WIND RIVER SOLUTIONS

Few companies are as well equipped as Wind River® to help

organizations determine how to leverage the Internet of Things (IoT)

today. In fact, Wind River has been delivering solutions that power

interconnected, automated systems for decades. With more than

30 years of embedded leadership and innovation, our technology is

at the heart of more than 1.5 billion embedded computing devices

around the world.

Wind River has translated that unmatched embedded experience

into deep expertise in the energy sector, making us a trusted partner

for power providers. We combine superior embedded technology

with professional design services to develop end-to-end solutions

that unlock new business potential and unleash productivity.

A global leader in embedded technology, Wind River provides

the operating systems and software that deliver the underlying

intelligence—including security functionality—that enables

smart grid networks and devices to perform safely and reliably.

Wind River Intelligent Device Platform enables developers of smart

energy applications to jump-start development, with pre-configured

software components that leverage Wind River Linux and incorporate

security features.

Wind River has substantial experience in upgrading legacy systems

and connecting them with smart networks. We help customers expand

capabilities, maximize existing infrastructure, and manage risk as

they identify the best and fastest path to value. By helping convert

data into actionable insight, Wind River is helping enterprises realize

the promise of IoT. Together with our partner companies, Intel®

and McAfee, we provide comprehensive solutions for connectivity,

manageability, and security in the smart grid.

Wind River is a world leader in embedded software for intelligent connected systems. The company has been pioneering computing inside embedded devices since 1981, and its technology is

found in more than 1 billion products. To learn more, visit Wind River at www.windriver.com

©2014 Wind River Systems, Inc. The Wind River logo is a trademark of Wind River Systems, Inc., and Wind River and VxWorks are registered trademarks of Wind River Systems, Inc. Rev. 02/2014

The Intelligence in the Internet of Things

Smart Grid Protocols UPSTREAM ENERGY (SUBSTATION AUTOMATION PROTOCOL) 61850

DNP3

FROM CONTROL SYSTEMS TO SCADA OPC

OPC/UA

DOWNSTREAM ENERGY (DRIVES AND AUTOMATION) Real-time Ethernet

PROFINET/PROFIsafe as a safety layer

Ethernet/IP/CIP Safety as a safety layer

Sercos III/CIP Safety or openSAFETY as a safety layer

EtherCAT/Safety over EtherCAT as a safety layer

POWERLINK/openSAFETY as a safety layer

TT-Ethernet

LEGACY WIRED AND WIRELESS FIELD BUS PROTOCOLS WirelessHART

CANopen

Profibus

Modbus

TO THE CLOUD MQTT

XMPP

DDS