Toward a unified multi-layered modeling and simulation paradigm for electric energy systems

In this paper we briefly describe the broad industry problem of solving the best infrastructures deployment comprising an overlay of energy, communications, control and regulatory networks. Solving this problem would provide key enablers for meeting the needs of very diverse social-ecological energy systems (SEES) across the world. As a way forward, we propose a unified modeling framework which is a formal description of a system in multi-disciplinary terms that allows research and results from different domains (engineering, economics, and environment) to interact and be incorporated into a cooperative solution. The framework is based on general laws of physics and economics defining interactions within an SEES. Interaction variables are technology- and policy-agnostic and are used to model mutual effects of different system participants (modules) expressed in terms of common: engineering variables (power, rate of change of power, energy, time); economic variables associated with the same physical variables (prices, time); and, environmental variables (pollutant mass). We describe how the proposed modeling can be used for deployment of cyber systems solutions at value. Simulation approach based on the same unified modeling is essential for educating ourselves regarding their potential technical impact on reliability and resiliency, economic and environmental impact on value created to different industry participants in different network architectures.