Selecting Communication Technology Components for the Smart Grid: A Technology Configurator.

—The shift towards a decentralized electricity supply based on renewable energy sources requires constant communication between the entities in the electric grid. To satisfy this communication need, energy market players have to select suitable communication technologies for their use cases. Conventionally, these decisions are made on a case-by-case, non-systematic basis. This paper proposes a technology configurator, which is a systematic, solution neutral approach for energy market players to select the most suitable communication technology for their communication use case. The developed methodology consists of eight steps, in an interaction between a user and a system, leading to a prioritized list of technology recommendations for the given use case. In conclusion, the proposed approach presents energy market players with a systematic way to select the best suitable communication technology to connect their system to the smart grid.