NIST unveils framework for US smart grid

Energy Efficiency News - The US Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) unveiled the first stage of a national smart grid framework at the end of last week. NIST was assigned by the US authorities to develop the necessary framework for smart grid devices and systems under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act.

The first stage of this work is publication of the Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, an initial list of standards, a preliminary cyber security strategy and other elements of a framework and roadmap.

Release 1.0 includes a reference model to help the design of the smart grid architecture and an initial 75 standards. It also identifies what additional standards are needed and sets actions plans for their development by standards-setting organisations. Once there is consensus on the standards, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will formally adopt the smart grid functionality and interoperability standards and protocols.

“NIST is working closely with FERC and state utility regulators [to] coordinate development of additional technical information on individual standards to support their evaluation and potential use for regulatory purposes,” says NIST’s smart grid coordinator George Arnold.