Smart Grid panel agrees on standards

New Smart Grid standards allow consumers and utilities to communicate effectively.

Frank Andorka, Source: Industry Week

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The governing board of the public-private Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) voted in favor of a new standard important for two-way data communications between utilities and their customers.

The board's vote concerns a foundational standard for the information used to communicate between utilities and the customer, and the way in which that information is organized. This new "energy usage data model" standard was achieved through completion of Priority Action Plan 10, one of 17 Priority Action Plans (PAPs) established within the SGIP to address critical standards needs in order to realize an energy-efficient, modern power grid with seamlessly interoperable parts.

The data standard was developed by the North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) at the request of the SGIP and the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and will reportedly allow utilities and customers to exchange detailed information about electricity usage in a consistent format, enabling consumers to track their electricity usage and help them better manage their energy consumption and costs. Developed through NAESB's American National Standards Institute-accredited process, the model is a ratified NAESB standard and will be included in NAESB's filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission next month.

- Edited by Amanda McLeman, Consulting-Specifying Engineer, www.csemag.com