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My wife asked me about the program, what I’d be talking about, and so forth. Our discussion prompted me to provide her with my summation of the progress of smart grid development to date.
I’ll spare you the details. But know this: By encouraging innovation through the adoption of open technology standards, we have built remarkably interoperable foundations that will drive our economy, ranging from the familiar electricity socket to the transformative information superhighway that is the Internet.
We are in the process of doing the same for the consumption of energy.
For perspective, take a look at your cell phone. Could you imagine your life without it? And think about the great things your phone does with Bluetooth? That’s a standard.
The iPhone is a tremendous success. But it would only be a twinkle in Steve Job’s eye without the help of standards. As with other society-shifting changes in technology, like the advent of cell phones or the Internet, standards feed the engine that ensures progress. Standards allow cell phones to seamlessly transfer from one cell tower to the next, avoiding disruption to our calls.
Standards are running in the background everywhere you look and they have empowered monumental shifts in human behavior – how we communicate (cell phones) and how we digest information (Internet). Today the spotlight is on standards development for the smart grid. Standards being created now will ensure the energy saving technologies of smart grid are enabled. After all, not much point in buying a ‘smart’ dishwasher if it can’t talk to your smart meter.
Today the development of smart grid standards is a priority endeavor for all of the smart grid players. As head of the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Smart Grid Interoperability Panel Governing Board (SGIPGB), I’ve personally invested my time insuring that these standards develop so that the smart grid can change how we view energy use. But to tap smart grid’s potential we need to first solve simple problems – that’s where standards come in.
Take communication – getting appliances to communicate requires a standard language and standard communication channel. A single communications standard is unrealistic as some neighborhoods or cities may want a wired solution (connecting your dishwasher with wires to the smart meter) while others will go wireless. To get around this tricky issue, all you need is a standard network card in the appliances and meters that can talk with or without wires.
There is nothing worse than an unhappy consumer who received a high – or incorrect – bill. Standards are the key to ensuring that costs are explained to consumers and a stable fee/billing structure is in place so that consumers don’t go into shock because they recharged their PHEV during peak hours and are later paying a premium.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is fired up to tackle the standards issue. It identified existing standards to be used for Smart Grid. Defining our standards will hasten the development of ever-improving solutions and help American innovation set the worldwide standard for Smart Grid efficiency, reliability and performance. [Panel on Establishing Smart Grid Standards from Fora.tv]
Be on the lookout for announcements from ConnectivityWeek that discuss standards.
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