How to Avoid Being a Standards Dinosaur

By Christopher B. Kelly

Editor’s Note: Sixty-five million years ago, an asteroid hit the Earth near the Yucatan, creating catastrophic climate change that may have wiped out the dinosaurs.

Standards are about to impact the Smart Grid industry with a suddenness that will wipe out certain companies. The heaviest casualties will be "old-line" vendors who aren't nimble enough to survive in a new landscape that requires constant product updates. But utilities are at risk too. Those who don't understand and adopt standards quickly will find themselves stranded in a technical backwater, unable to access the powerful, low-cost applications that will arise in the standards era.

It's a perilous time and the only solution is to stay on top of developments. That's why we have launched a Standards Channel to collect important resources in one place (see link below to Version 1.0 and stay tuned for an expansion soon). And that's why we asked expert Chris Kelly to study and summarize EPRI's recent standards report to NIST. Read on for the quick highlights, with a link to his full analysis at the end.

Since the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) was enacted in 2007, NIST, FERC, and the Department of Energy have been working to identify standards for the Smart Grid “Interoperability Framework.”  The enormity of this task combined with the large number organizations and stakeholders involved has made following the standards development quite challenging.  Thankfully, the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) recent report to NIST, in a succinct 270 pages, explains (1) where we are in Smart Grid standards development, (2) how NIST is approaching the Interoperability Framework, (3) the areas NIST will be focusing on in near future, and (4) the progress made so far.

A user-friendly summary of the EPRI’s Report can be found on the Standards page of SmartGridCentral. It is designed to help Smart Grid stakeholders identify aspects of the Report worth investigating further.

Where are we in the standards development process?

• January 2007 – Congress enacts the EISA and NIST begins work on the Interoperability Framework.
• February 2009 – Congress enacts the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  NIST seeks to expedite development of the Interoperability Framework.
• June 2009 – EPRI submits its report to NIST on the Smart Grid Interoperability Standards Roadmap.  NIST requests public comment on the Report via the Federal Register.
• Currently – NIST is working on its “interim roadmap,” which will take into account the EPRI Report, subsequent public comments, and FERC’s recent policy statements.
• September 2009 – NIST expects to release its “interim roadmap.”
• Winter 2009 and Beyond – NIST will continue standards development until a sufficient consensus is achieved.  FERC will then institute a rulemaking to adopt the Smart Grid standards.

NIST’s Approach: The Smart Grid Conceptual Model

The EPRI report sets forth a Smart Grid Conceptual Model for use in describing, discussing, and developing the final architecture of the Smart Grid. At the highest level, the Smart Grid is divided into a number of domains. Examples of domains include markets, operations, service providers, bulk generation, transmission, distribution, and customers.

Each domain or subdomain in turn is divided into actors and applications. Actors are devices, systems, or programs that make decisions and exchange information in order to perform applications.  Examples include smart meters, control systems, and solar panels.  Applications, on the other hand, are tasks performed by one or more actors within a domain.  For example, corresponding applications may be home automation, energy management, and solar generation.

Priority Smart Grid Applications and Requirements

The report also identifies the following Smart Grid functionalities as priorities for near-term standards development.  For each functionality, the EPRI report describes a series of use cases, or examples of how a particular functionality might be used in the Smart Grid context, along with technical requirements for satisfying each use case. (See link at bottom for more on use cases.)

·       Wide-Area Situational Awareness (WASA)

·       Demand Response

·       Electric Storage

·       Electric Transportation

·       Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)

·       Distribution Grid Management (DGM)

Cyber Security, Identified Standards, and Near-Term Actions

EPRI’s study also highlights significant cyber security concerns, including classes of vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.   In addition, it includes a profile of currently identified standards and standards gaps organized by domain.  Finally, the report names specific near-term actions necessary for timely development of the Interoperability Framework. 

Should You Read the EPRI Report?

While a thorough review of the entire EPRI report will be overkill for many, a review of this article will help those interested in development of the Interoperability Framework determine which sections of the report are pertinent to their business.  Keeping in mind that NIST is aiming to release its own roadmap in September, the general update provided in the article should be sufficient for most until the NIST roadmap is released.

   Email Chris Kelly

   Full version of this article (16 pages, PDF)

   SGN: More about standards

   The Case for Use Cases