The Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM): A Framework for Coherent Design

Any new digital architecture for the UK energy system must be grounded in a coherent conceptual framework. The Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM), developed by the CEN-CENELEC-ETSI Smart Grid Coordination Group in response to the European Commission's Mandate M/490, provides exactly this.

The SGAM is a three-dimensional framework that maps the entire smart grid landscape across three axes:

Domains (horizontal axis): The five domains of the energy conversion chain — Bulk Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Distributed Energy Resources (DER), and Customer Premises.

Zones (vertical axis): The six hierarchical management zones — Process, Field, Station, Operation, Enterprise, and Market.

Interoperability Layers (depth axis): The five layers of abstraction through which interoperability must be achieved.

3.1 The Five SGAM Interoperability Layers

The five interoperability layers of the SGAM are particularly important for the design of EnergyOS, as they define the different levels at which standards and interoperability must be achieved. The SGAM framework makes clear that achieving interoperability in the smart grid is not a single problem but a multi-layered challenge. A solution that addresses only the communication layer, for example, will fail if the information layer remains fragmented. EnergyOS must address all five layers in a coherent and coordinated manner.

3.2 Mapping the UK Energy Actors to the SGAM

When the principal actors of the UK energy system are mapped onto the SGAM framework, the scale of the digital coordination challenge becomes apparent. NESO operates primarily at the Operation, Enterprise, and Market zones across all domains. DNOs/DSOs operate at the Station and Operation zones within the Distribution domain. Aggregators and VPPs span the DER and Customer Premises domains across multiple zones. SSES and SLES systems operate primarily within the Customer Premises and DER domains. Behind-the-meter coordinators operate at the Process and Field zones within the Customer Premises domain.

The key insight from this mapping is that EnergyOS must provide a coherent digital architecture that spans all five domains and all six zones of the SGAM. It must enable seamless data exchange and coordination between actors operating at very different levels of the energy system hierarchy.