Intelligent Signal Processing and Coordination for the Adaptive Smart Grid: An Overview of Data-Driven Grid Management

In today's era of the Internet of Things (IoT), the amalgamation of information and communication technologies with actuating devices has reached all corners of the modern world. In the context of critical infrastructures, such as the power grid, this cyberphysical transformation has permeated all system levels as evident in devices ranging from crucial operational components (e.g., generators) and advanced sensors [e.g., phasor measurement units (PMUs) and programmable controllers], to consumer-centric devices [smart meters, electric vehicles (EVs), and smart appliances]. These extended cyberphysical functionalities have opened up signal processing opportunities that can be harnessed to empower actuating devices to adaptively and synergistically acquire data, conduct analytics, and respond to system and environmental changes for better power-grid operations. In this article, we demonstrate how a hierarchical signal processing and actuation framework can enable the tractable all-encompassing coordination of thousands of actuating power entities to maintain efficient operations while accounting for physical infrastructure limits.