Highly Available Distributed RAM (HADRAM) for Data Exchange between Power Utilities

Power Control Centers need to model their systems in real-time to support the necessary control and security functions. Neighboring independent system operators and regional transmission organizations also need to exchange system data. In the USA, a data exchange structure based on EPRI's common information model and XML is evolving. Currently, this data exchange is implemented by providing each local provider with an agent that mediates between data exchange messages and the local database. We propose here a different technology for data exchange built of main memory of commodity computers at different independent system operators to provide a universally accessible database. While distributed memory offers scalability and excellent access times (compared to disk based systems), it is also vulnerable to node outages. Our proposal, Highly Available Distributed RAM (HADRAM) is highly reliable and has the speed and bandwidth advantages of distributed memory. This enables it to be used as a standard for the timely exchange of system models and real time SCADA data between power utilities.