Abstract — This position paper presents starting research on assessment of ICT system characteristics and their impact on controllability and observability of future electricity distribution grids. The aspects of controllability and observability for active grids are key factors for guaranteeing safe, efficient and reliable network operation. An assessment framework is proposed for analyzing the impact of ICT system quality on controllability and observability of the power distribution grid. The proposed assessment method is based on architectural models extended with a probabilistic inference analysis engine. For this, a combination between Enterprise Architecture meta- models and extended influence diagrams are proposed. The paper presents how the framework is constructed and the method on applying it for analysis. The paper is concluded with an example providing an instantiation of the assessment framework. Index Terms—ICT Quality, ICT Infrastructure, System Analysis, Quality Assessment, Enterprise Architecture. I. INTRODUCTION N the near future distribution grid operators will face new challenges and requirements for monitoring and controlling their system. Due to the integration of distributed energy resources into the distribution grid, the former paradigm of uni-directional flow of power from the transmission grid is changing. This implies that previously implemented automation, control and supervision functionality needs to be revised to ensure safe and reliable operation. From a system operation perspective, it can be said that the observability and controllability of the distribution grids changes [1]. When the concept of active distribution grids are discussed the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is often stated as critical [2]. Without a proper ICT infrastructure capable of supporting the future functionality, controllability and observability of the distribution grid will not be achieved. However, it is much less common for the characteristics of this supporting ICT infrastructure to be discussed or analyzed. It is often assumed that the contemporary high speed of development within the ICT field will provide the necessary tools and systems for operation of the future distribution grid. With the increased This work was supported by EKC² - The Swedish centre of Excellence in Electric Power Engineering. J. Konig and L. Nordstrom are with the department of Industrial Information & Control Systems, School of Electrical Engineering, KTH – The Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10044 Stockholm, SWEDEN. (phone: +46- 8-790 6824; e-mail :{johank | larsn}@ics.kth.se). interdependence between the distribution system and the ICT infrastructure, proper assessment of ICT system characteristics are critical in order not to risk the reliability of the power system. Architectural modeling is a well-recognized approach in the ICT community for describing and understanding complex systems. A variety of models can be found, all suited to fit a purpose. Within system development models are used as blueprints describing both static and dynamic relations between system components, i.e. supporting different viewpoint of the development process. Similar models exist for the information being processed at operation. One approach used for organizing an enterprise’s information system portfolio is Enterprise Architecture (EA). The discipline of EA partly comprises a base of architectural models applicable for supporting decision-making [3]. Other models e.g. used for simulation or impact analysis are aimed to support other stakeholders and their purpose. Independent from the purpose modeling is an effective way of spreading information in a coherent way and powerful method for gaining overview of complex interactions and relations between systems and their components. Thus, using models provide useful support when constructing high quality ICT infrastructure. A. Scope This paper presents the first steps in development of a method, supported by modeling formalisms, intended for evaluation of ICT system characteristics that are critical to achieve observability and controllability of active distribution grids. The long term goal of the research is to provide a tool for decision support when designing protection, automation and control systems architectures for active distribution networks. B. Paper outline The subsequent section includes a descriptive overview of the proposed analysis method. Section III continues with a thorough descriptions of the comprised ICT quality attributes. In section IV, the analysis framework is presented in detail. Section V includes an example where the analysis framework is applied and in section VI concluding remarks and future work is discussed. Assessing Impact of ICT System Quality on Operation of Active Distribution Grids J. König, Student Member, IEEE, L. Nordström, Member, IEEE I 1 Paper accepted for presentation at 2009 IEEE Bucharest Power Tech Conference, June 28th - July 2nd, Bucharest, Romania 978-1-4244-2235-7/09/$25.00 ©2009 IEEE