Towards improving throughput and reducing latency: A simplified protocol conversion mechanism in distributed energy resources network

For our research, we built a new entity which integrates two other entities which are normally separate devices in a DER: a DER Management Server (DER-MS) and Modbus Feeder Master (MFM). Consolidating these two entities into a single box allows us to replace network inter-process communication with local inter-process communication, eliminating significant time sending messages from the remote management centers to peripheral elements in a DER (e.g. emergency generators) and back again. Using the same DER, we quantified network delay and throughput for: (a) our newly built simplified protocol conversion device and (b) the common configuration with MFM and DER-MS. We tested both configurations by benchmarking data requests from a remote management center to an emergency generator. Latency and throughput results obtained through experiment demonstrate that, our solution outperforms the common configuration with MFM and DER-MS.