NIST reports progress in transforming the power grid into a Smart Grid

The other day George W. Arnold (National Coordinator For Smart Grid Interoperability) reported to the House Committee on Science and Technology Subcommittee on Energy and Environment United States House of Representatives on the progress in transforming the U.S. power grid into a Smart Grid.

Mr. Arnold reported that "Modernizing and digitizing the nation’s electrical power grid—the largest interconnected machine on Earth—is an enormous challenge and a tremendous opportunity. Success requires a combination of quick action and sustained progress in implementing and integrating the components, systems, and networks that will make up the Smart Grid. ... it is important that we base our standards, wherever possible, on international standards or work to get our approaches adopted as international standards. This will maximize the opportunities for U.S. suppliers to address a large, global market opportunity. Fortunately, we are well-connected to International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), IEEE and other international organizations and are pursuing those connections vigorously in our effort. ... it is essential that we base the Smart Grid on open standards."

Click HERE for the full (10 page) Testimony.

NettedAutomation GmbH (Karlsruhe/Germany) believes that the Net(works) will automate the future power generation, transmission, distribution and power consumption: The Net is the Automation. 

The driving force behind the standardization is to effectively and efficiently perform seamless device data integration and sharing information based on a rich, fine-grained data-stream about the state of the “power world” in any given instant. Every node in the network would have to be awake, responsive, flexible, and – most important – interconnected with everything else: A distributed energy web.
(from "Seamless Communication with IEC 61850 for Distributed Power Generation" by Karlheinz Schwarz, SCC, Karlsruhe, Germany)

Click HERE for a copy of the full paper on Seamless Communication with IEC 61850 for Distributed Power Generation presented at the 2002 DistribuTech in Miami (FL).