Definition[]
A Smart Grid domain is a high-level grouping of organizations, buildings, individuals, systems, devices or other actors with similar objectives and relying on (or participating in) similar types of applications.
Overview[]
Communications among actors in the same domain may have similar characteristics and requirements. Domains may contain sub-domains. Moreover, domains have much overlapping functionality, as in the case of the transmission and distribution domains.
Seven Smart Grid domains[]
The NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, Release 1.0 identifies seven domains within the Smart Grid: Transmission, Distribution, Operations, Bulk Generation, Markets, Customer, and Service Provider. A Smart Grid domain is a high-level grouping of organizations, buildings, individuals, systems, devices, or other actors with similar objectives and relying on, or participating in, similar types of applications. The various actors are needed to transmit, store, edit, and process the information needed within the Smart Grid. To enable Smart Grid functionality, the actors in a particular domain often interact with actors in other domains, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Interaction of Actors in Different Smart Grid Domains through Secure Communication Flows