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IEEE: The expertise to make smart grid a reality

IEEE Smart Grid Questions and Answers

Interview with Oleg Logvinov

Oleg Logvinov is a member of the IEEE-SA Standards Board, Vice Chair of the IEEE 1901.2(TM) Working Group, and Director, Market Development, Industrial and Power Conversion Division, STMicroelectronics. He also serves as Chief Technical Officer of the HomePlug Alliance.

Oleg Logvinov discusses how the need for behavioral changes is key to Smart Grid’s success.

Question: When did you get involved with Smart Grid?

Interview with Tariq Samad

Tariq Samad is a member of the IEEE Smart Grid Steering Committee, a Fellow of the IEEE, and the former President of the IEEE Control Systems Society. He is a Corporate Fellow at Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions.

In this interview, Tariq Samad explains that many Smart Grid technologies can be employed today to substantially improve energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption. In many cases, benefits can be realized almost immediately and a return-on-investment can be quickly achieved.

Question: What is your role as a member of the IEEE Smart Grid Steering Committee?

Interview with Jay Giri

Jay Giri has been named an IEEE Fellow in recognition of his contribution to advances in Energy Management Systems (EMS) technology. He is also the director of Power Systems Technology and Strategic Initiatives at ALSTOM Grid.

In this interview, Jay Giri discusses recent advances in energy management technology with an emphasis on synchrophasors and their application to a range of service reliability and operating efficiency issues.

Question: The Smart Grid's value in energy conservation is well publicized but electric utilities also expect the Smart Grid to enhance service reliability. Can we look forward to the Smart Grid eliminating blackouts, for example?

Interview with Steven Collier, Part 2

Steven Collier is an IEEE Smart Grid expert whose broad experience includes being a consultant and executive with energy, telecommunications and information technology companies. He is also the vice president of marketing and business development at Milsoft Utility Solutions.

In this second interview, Steven Collier continues to explore synergies between the Smart Grid and the Internet and argues for broader industry acceptance of the Internet as the "control plane" for the Smart Grid.

Question: What is the problem with utilities owning and operating their Smart Grids?

Interview with Steven Collier

Steven Collier is an IEEE Smart Grid expert whose broad experience includes being a consultant and executive with energy, telecommunications and information technology companies. He is also the vice president of marketing and business development at Milsoft Utility Solutions.

In this first interview, Steven Collier discusses the synergies between the Smart Grid and the Internet and argues for broader industry acceptance of the Internet as the "control plane" for the Smart Grid.

Question: You are a leading proponent of an Internet-enabled Smart Grid. What does the Internet offer that is so special?

Interview with Samuel Sciacca

Samuel Sciacca is a registered Professional Engineer and an active Senior Member in the IEEE and the IEC in the areas of utility automation. He has more than 25 years of engineering, marketing, and sales experience in the domestic and international electric utility industries.

Samuel Siacca discusses how issues surrounding cybersecurity and privacy are impacting Smart Grid's success.

Question: What is your role with Smart Grid?

Interview with Chuck Adams

Dr. Adams served as President of the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) in 2009-2010, chaired the IEEE-SA’s Board of Governors and represented the IEEE-SA on the IEEE Board of Directors. Today he serves the IEEE Board of Directors as Chair of Public Visibility. He is also distinguished standards strategist at Huawei.

In this interview, Chuck Adams discusses the new and unprecedented business frontier that Smart Grid is poised to unleash in the coming years and he characterizes the near-term and long-term opportunities it will offer to those who seek to innovate or invest in Smart Grid technologies and services.

Question: You have said that the Smart Grid is introducing a new business frontier for entrepreneurs and investors. What do you mean by that?

Interview with Massoud Amin

Dr. Massoud Amin, director of the University of Minnesota's Technological Leadership Institute and professor of electrical and computer engineering.

In this interview, Massoud Amin discusses the important example that university microgrids can be to their communities and the value these early implementations can provide to the overall industry.

Question: You have said that university campuses and communities represent an appealing environment for test applications of Smart Grid. Why is this? And what can industry and the population-at-large learn from these Smart Grid test beds?

Interview with Wanda Reder

Wanda Reder is Chair of the IEEE Smart Grid Task Force, past-president of the IEEE PES (Power & Energy Society), and vice president of the Power Systems Services Division at S&C Electric Company.

Wanda Reder discusses how the IEEE Power and Energy Society is working to get more students and engineers interested in making Smart Grid a reality.

Question: What is the biggest challenge facing Smart Grid?

Interview with Bob Heile

Dr. Bob Heile is chair of the IEEE 802.15 Working Group on Wireless Personal Area Network and is chairman of the ZigBee Alliance. He also served as co-chair of the IEEE 2030 Work Group Task Force 3.

In this interview, Bob Heile discusses the technology and consumer-psychology challenges of the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) rollout.

Question: How much progress has there been in the Smart Meter rollout nationwide?