You are not worthy! says NIST to smart grid communications vendors

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Quick Take: The NIST-sanctioned Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) has issued new guidelines to make sure future wireless communications will be "grid-worthy" and they are sure to have vendors scrambling to make sure they comply. The main points of contention:

• Decreasing latency since many grid applications cannot tolerate delays between transmission and reception
• Making meters remotely upgradeable so they won't go obsolete as quickly
• Creating minimum metrics for all devices and networks

  – Jesse Berst

Jesse Berst, founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News, has been covering smart grid technology and marketing trends for the past decade.

A new standard designed to ensure that smart meters don't quickly fade into obsolescence and a set of guidelines to promote fast, efficient wireless communications for the smart grid were approved this week by the governing board of the NIST-created Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP).

The new guidelines and standard, referred to as Priority Action Plans (PAPs), are critical for a modern, energy-efficient electric grid with seamlessly interoperable parts. "The standards and guidelines resulting from PAP 0 (meters) and PAP 2 (communications) are crucial for ensuring that metering devices can be upgraded remotely and reliably, and that the sort of fast, efficient wireless communications typical today with cell phones becomes a part of the future electricity grid," said Erich Gunther, SGIP administrator.

Paul Molitor, Industry Director for Smart Grid at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, said the standard is designed to "future-proof" new meters. "More than 50 million houses across the country will need new meters for the smart grid to function, and PAP 0 will ensure that this substantial upfront investment of time and money is protected," he said. "Some state utilities have considered halting the deployment of the new meters because of uncertainty about upgrading the meters. PAP 0 addresses their concerns by making it possible to upgrade any meter as the standards evolve, and to do so remotely to boot."

The PAP 2 guidelines recommend standards that will be needed for wireless communications between all devices connected to the smart grid – not just residential meters, but the variety of components in power plants, substations and transmission systems.

NIST's Nada Golmie commented, "Technologies like WiFi and Bluetooth were not designed with smart grid in mind. What PAP 2 does is ensure that any technologies we use – whether off-the-shelf or not – will provide the features the smart grid needs."

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