Subcommittee Democrats Review Progress on Smart Grid
(Washington, DC) – Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation held a hearing to review efforts to develop open standards for and drive innovation in smart grid technologies. As directed by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is coordinating the development of a common framework and interoperability standards for the smart grid. A witness from NIST joined public and private stakeholders to testify before the Subcommittee.
A smart grid is an electric grid that incorporates two-way communication capabilities between electricity suppliers and consumers. It would enable monitoring, analysis, and control, capacity to the national electric delivery system to improve our ability to prevent blackouts and brownouts, which cost the U.S. economy $80 billion per year, and provide detailed information on power disruptions to grid operators so that power can be restored more quickly and efficiently. It would also provide consumers with access to real-time information on their electricity usage and the current market price of electricity so that they can use electricity as economically as possible and facilitate the use of smart appliances that will help save consumers even more money on their electricity bills.
Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), senior Member of the Subcommittee, said, “We all want a grid that is more reliable and resilient. Smart grid technology holds the promise of a greener, more cost-effective and more secure future for our nation’s electrical infrastructure—a major benefit for families, for industry and for the environment.”
Dr. George Arnold, National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability at NIST, said, “The successful transformation of this infrastructure into an interoperable system would support the Administration’s vision of a highly reliable electrical grid that uses a diverse suite of energy resources, including distributed and renewable resources, energy efficiency, and supports electric vehicles. This 21st century grid would be a significant engineering achievement with important economic and environmental impacts.”
Using funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, NIST has developed and begun implementing a three phase plan to create a smart grid architectural framework and interoperability standards.
· Phase I engaged stakeholders in a participatory public process that identified an initial set of existing smart grid consensus standards and developed a roadmap to fill gaps.
· In Phase II, NIST established the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) to provide ongoing recommendations for new and revised smart grid standards. The SGIP is a public/private partnership including stakeholders from the entire smart grid community. It has brought together over 680 organizations and 1800 individual participants, including private companies, universities, research institutes, industry associations, standards setting organizations, laboratories, and Federal, state, and local government agencies.
· Phase III is the development and implementation of a testing and certification framework.
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