MultiSpeak – CIM Harmonization initiated at International Level

IEC TC 57 has published a new document (57/1437/CD - IEC 61968-14 TS Ed.1) trying to figure out the need for harmonization between the international standard series IEC 61968 (CIM) and MultiSpeak:

IEC 61968-14 TS:
Application integration at electric utilities
- System interfaces for distribution management - Part 14:
MultiSpeak - CIM harmonisation

Commenting period closes 2014-05-02

Please contact your national TC 57 mirror committee for a copy of the document.

I guess that more and more people all over realize the benefit of International Standards – good for utility customers. Here is an excerpt of the Introduction of the new document:

“Multiple standards that cover the same information domain present a problem for the vendor community when developing products, and for the customers that would use these products. The classic challenge becomes one of determining which standards to support or how best to support one or both standards. The problem for the customer is integrating products that follow different standards to work with each other.”

Fortunately the situation for IEC 61850 is quite different: Most of the definitions in the standard series are very unique … with little or no competition. That’s one of the reasons why the standard is liked all over.

First Release of the NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today (2009-09-24) unveiled an accelerated plan for developing standards to transform the U.S. power distribution system into a secure, more efficient and environmentally friendly Smart Grid and create clean-energy jobs.

The NIST Draft Publication "NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards Release 1.0 (Draft)" published by the Office of the U.S. National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability" is the result of thousands of working-hours of hundreds of smart people from many states and countries.

Smart Grids will be build on standards. The most crucial standards are required for the following areas:

• Demand Response and Consumer Energy Efficiency
• Wide Area Situational Awareness
• Electric Storage
• Electric Transportation
• Advanced Metering Infrastructure
• Distribution Grid Management
• Cyber Security
• Network Communications

NIST found that the market has reached already consensus on 16 standards. After review of this list, there are now 31 standards understood as crucial for the smart grid. Many crucial IEC standards like standards from IEC TC 57: IEC 60870-6 (TASE.2), IEC 61850, IEC 61969/61970 (CIM), IEC 62351; IEC TC 65: IEC 62541; other committees: ISO/IEC 15045, ISO/IEC 15067, ISO/IEC 18012, ... are members of the list of the 31 standards!

The experts identified some 70 gaps in the list of standards. 14 gaps have been identified as MOST CRUCIAL to be solved:

"For each, an action plan has been developed, specific organizations tasked, and aggressive milestones in 2009 or early 2010 established. One action plan has already been completed. The Priority Action Plans and targets for completion are (in bold = impact from/on standards of IEC TC 57):

1. Smart meter upgradeability standard (completed)
2. Common specification for price and product definition (early 20I0)
3. Common scheduling mechanism for energy transactions (year-end 2009)
4. Common information model for distribution grid management (year-end 20I0)
5. Standard demand response signals (January 2010)
6. Standard for energy use information (January 2010)
7. IEC 61850 Objects / DNP3 Mapping (2010)
8. Time synchronization (mid-2010)
9. Transmission and distribution power systems models mapping (year-end 20I0)
10. Guidelines for use of IP protocol suite in the Smart Grid(mid-year20I0)
11. Guidelines for use of wireless communications in the Smart Grid (mid-year 2010)
12. Electric storage interconnection guidelines (mid-2010)
13. Interoperability standards to support plug-in electric vehicles (December 2010)
14. Standard meter data profiles (year-end 2010)

Click HERE to read the press release of today (2009-09-24).

Click HERE to download the 90 page Draft Release 1.0 of the NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards

With that official Draft it is confirmed that crucial international Standards published by IEC TC 57, TC 65, and TC 88 are key for the sustainable interoperability of smart devices and smart systems in smart grids - developed by smart people.

Click HERE for a discussion on the availability of smart people.

CIM and Multispeak announced collaboration

The MultiSpeak Initiative and International Electrotechnical Commission’s TC 57 Working Group 14 (WG14) announced to collaborate on the development of two new international integration standards to improve data exchange among electric utilities. The two groups seem to have understood that seamless standards are crucial for the future.

Read the press release [pdf].