Electric grid reliability research

Abstract

Background: Energy informatics (EI) is the area of research that addresses the application of technology to resolve complex problems in the energy domain. Goebel et al. (BISE 6:25–31, 2014) provided an EI research framework to encompass all aspects of EI research. Due to rapid EI improvements, many current research areas have not been incorporated into this framework. Specifically, this research posits that grid reliability is an underrepresented research area and should be incorporated into the framework. The rapidly changing nature of energy generation, and new developments in the electric-power network, are driving the need for grid reliability research. The goal of this paper is to extend the EI research framework offered by the Goebel et al. through a systematic review of current literature. Methods: This literature review includes current publications (2015–2017) in power utility and technical reference libraries together with the earlier foundational EI papers. Results: The systematic literature review is based on a broad automated search of appropriate digital sources (IEEE Xplore and the Web of Science) using relevant search terms. The paper also details the components of grid reliability research as well as their accompanying use cases. Conclusion: The expanded EI research framework presented in this literature review should help researchers identify areas for future research endeavors. In the extended EI research framework, service reliability is now included as a third research component adding to the existing energy efficiency and renewable-energy supply components.