The digitalization of the power grid is a crucial developmental priority to enhance resilience and support advanced functionalities in the evolving power landscape, characterized by increasing dynamics of distributed energy resources. This paper focuses on the utilization of synchrophasor measurement systems, particularly Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs), to address the monitoring challenges in distribution grids.

A reliable, scalable, resilient and cost-effective ICT infrastructure is essential for the successful implementation of a synchrophasor measurement system at the distribution grid, requiring support for real-time large-scale data processing within specific latency constraints. To tackle these challenges, innovative ICT technologies such as virtualization and orchestration represent promising solutions.

In this context, we propose the adoption of the FLUIDOS (Flexible, scaLable, secUre, and decentralIseD Operating System) computing continuum [1]. Developed within the FLUIDOS European project, FLUIDOS acts as a meta-operating system, creating a decentralized computing continuum between various nodes, from cloud to edge resources.

It facilitates seamless orchestration of multiple services across different physical locations, optimizing costs and energy usage in the continuum. Pursuing the Zero-Trust paradigm, FLUIDOS will securely control and access resources while providing strong isolation and guaranteeing a safe deployment of applications and services. The paper introduces an ICT architecture based on the FLUIDOS computing continuum, ensuring seamless phasor data concentration and grid state computation.

A detailed evaluation of use case requirements led to specific features in the FLUIDOS project, addressing scenarios involving ICT outages and grid reconfiguration. The architecture minimizes the risk of electrical downtime during outages and, through specific orchestration policies, allows seamless migration of phasor data concentration functionality during grid reconfiguration, reducing data loss. Furthermore, the proposed ICT architecture simplifies maintenance through service offloading in nearby nodes, enabling local processing to mitigate error escalation during communication breakdowns.

Additionally, the FLUIDOS meta-operating system reduces the need for hardware duplication within a geographical area, eliminating the requirement for effective redundancy. Initial tests of the presented architecture are conducted on the experimental portion of the distribution grid at RSE’s Distributed Energy Resources Test Facility, assessing applicability from the cloud to the fog and edge layers.