NIST releases update to smart grid standards

The National Institute of Standards and Technology on Wednesday released additional details on requirements for developing the smart electric grid.

The NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, Release 1.0 addresses more than 400 public comments in response to a draft document published in September 2009. The draft proposed standards for the security and technical capabilities of the smart grid.

"One of the major differences in this revision is that we've addressed all those comments," most notably by developing "action plans that come up with gateways and mappings between different networking technologies already in use with grid," said George Arnold, deputy director of technology services at NIST.

The guidance balances the need to be forward-looking and facilitate the use of two-way communication systems to better monitor energy use, and also to "accommodate technology already on the grid," said Mark Bellow, a spokesman for NIST. "We want to make sure existing investments aren't strained."

The revision also added more details about the status of the standards, potential issues and how they're being addressed. And NIST focused more on development of the grid's customer interface to ensure users can easily understand how the technology addresses power requirements for homes.

"We've identified 75 families of standards in this document, and that's just the start," Arnold said. "But what's also important is that we've identified where we have gaps, and where we need to revise existing standards or create new standards to ensure we can implement the kind of functionality envisioned."

An update to a supplemental cybersecurity strategy for the smart grid is scheduled to be released in February, and will include responses to comments received on a September 2009 draft version and new information prepared by a 300-member cybersecurity working group. NIST intends to finalize the smart grid cybersecurity strategy in late spring.

NIST also launched an interoperability panel in November 2009, made up of about 500 members from the public and private sectors, to help evaluate and implement standards.

The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act gave the Energy Department responsibility for developing and implementing the smart grid. NIST establishes standards for development, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission enforces standards for most of the nation's power plants.

"We work on a daily basis with Energy and FERC, but other agencies are also involved and represented in an interagency task force," Arnold said. Those agencies include the Defense and Interior departments, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Communications Commission.

"The framework defines an overall reference model, which provides a common way of thinking about what the smart grid is and how the different segments have to interact," Arnold said. "That's where the standards are most needed -- for interoperability. But really, the framework is just a start."