November 20179 systems to upgrade, replace and add to obtain Smart Grid benefits as they upgrade their distribution networks.Drivers of transformation: Distributed Energy Systems and DigitalizationDistributed energy systems and digitalization enforce each other and are shaping future energy systems which pose new challenges as well as opportunities. Customers seeking out two primary services, reliability and resiliency have good reason to opt for a micro grid. Distributed generation close to demand reduces transmission losses and use of renewables minimizes dependency on fossil fuel and reduces CO2 emissions. If distributed generation and consumption in a certain area are integrated into one system, reliability of supply is increased significantly.Digitalization is fundamentally changing societies and economies. Digital twins and simulation software are helping design better and more resilient electric power grids. Transparency about generation and consumption, costs, and power quality are becoming increasingly important as a result. The goal is to put the active customer (prosumer) at the centre of the business ­ with the help of systems deeply linked on different levels (Fig. 1).In the ASEAN region, there is a growing awareness on the needs and necessities for Digital Grids with implementation of several projects, especially in Automated Metering and Infrastructure, in varied stages of progress. Digital substation pilots are being conducted to demonstrate robustness and reduced lead-times while a single platform approach is being recommended for energy management solutions. There are also plans afoot to improve SAIDI and SAIFI through feeder automation technologies. Focus areas are depicted in (Fig. 2). Way forward..Planning the future energy supply means defining optimum trade-offs between reliability, sustainability, and costs. The grids of the future have to be easily adaptable to new challenges in order to manage our changing energy systems.The Siemens integrated platform strategy combining the grid control (OT) platform and the grid applications (IT) platform offers added value to utilities through various use cases. Using smart meter information in OT platform helps grid operators to identify network problems before receiving customer calls. That enables faster outage detection and restoration time. On the other hand, the IT platform utilizes outage information from the OT platform to notify the consumers pro-actively about the outage situation, restoration activities, expected duration via e.g. web-channel or mobile app.Furthermore, the IT platform also offers an analytics environment based on state of the art technology, and advanced analytics applications to leverage more value from the existing data. In order to enable cross vertical use cases, new business models, and new service offerings to consumers and prosumers in a networked ecosystem with multiple infrastructure domains, Siemens has launched a cloud-based, open protocol operating system for Internet of Things termed MindSphere. Another technology with disruptive potential is Blockchain which can be used for a variety of applications, ranging from recording transactions Figure 1
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