Publication: FierceSmartGrid
Issue Date: June 2012

The smart grid market potential is enormous. It is projected to support a multi-trillion dollar global industry during the next two decades. But this market is also very, very complex because it will create a universe of cross-industry and cross-technology products and services that we haven't seen before. Read more

Publication: FierceSmartGrid
Issue Date: June 2012

Today's North American power grid is widely acknowledged to be the most complex system ever built. More than 10,000 generating stations and tens of thousands of substations are connected in a complex network of transmission and distribution lines that deliver electricity to many millions of homes and businesses with remarkably low cost and high reliability. Read more

Publication: FierceSmartGrid
Issue Date: June 2012

With more than 1.3 billion residents and counting, China's demand for electricity ranks among the highest in the world. As this energy appetite grows, so does the need to develop electricity infrastructure and build a smarter grid. China's booming smart grid has impacts for the U.S. market --both positive and negative -- including the possibility for new, lower-cost products and the opportunity to learn from China's successes and failures. Read more

Smart Grid, EPONs, Train Control, Medical Information Transmission and Social Networking Among the Applications Addressed by Newly Approved Standards and Development Projects

Shuang Yu, Marketing Manager
+1 732 981 3424; shuang.yu@ieee.org

PISCATAWAY, NJ, 17 May 2012 - IEEE, the world's largest professional association advancing technology for humanity, today announced a host of new, revised and reaffirmed standards and standards-development activities. Detailed information on the standards and projects recently approved by the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Standards Board is available on the IEEE-SA website.

Among the new standards that have been published is IEEE 1409™ “IEEE Guide for Application of Power Electronics for Power Quality Improvement on Distribution Systems Rated 1 kV Through 38 kV.” A standard of prime relevance to the global smart grid, IEEE 1409 is designed as a resource for electric utility providers seeking to implement electronic-based equipment in distribution systems in order to improve power quality. The standard presents guidelines and performance expectations for such custom power devices. IEEE 1409 is available for purchase at the IEEE Standards Store.

Newly published revised standards include IEEE 367™ “Recommended Practice for Determining the Electric Power Station Ground Potential Rise and Induced Voltage from a Power Fault.” The updated standard for power and telecommunications engineers offers guidance for calculating and managing power-station ground potential rise (GPR) and longitudinal induction (LI) voltages in metallic telecommunication protection design. IEEE 367 can be accessed with subscription at IEEE Xplore® Digital Library..

Among the standards-development projects that the IEEE-SA approved are four that are intended to expand the IEEE 802® family of standards covering personal, local and metropolitan area network interfaces for evolving wired and wireless networking technologies:</>

• IEEE P802.3bk™ “Draft Standard for Information technology--Telecommunications and information exchange between systems--Local and metropolitan area networks--Specific requirements Part 3: Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) Access Method and Physical Layer Specifications Amendment: Physical Layer Specifications and Management Parameters for Extended Ethernet Passive Optical Networks” is being developed to extend the optical loss budgets supported by Ethernet Passive Optical Networks (EPONs). In this way, the standard would be designed to support broadband service providers in utilizing EPONs for higher-density and longer-reach applications, while optimizing costs of ownership.
• IEEE P802.15.4p™ “Draft Standard for Local and metropolitan area networks--Part 15.4: Low-Rate Wireless Personal Area Networks (LR-WPANs) Amendment: Positive Train Control (PTC) System Physical Layer” is being developed to specify an IEEE 802.15.4™ physical layer (PHY) and any associated media access control (MAC) changes necessary for use in equipment intended to address U.S. PTC regulatory requirements and similar requirements that may be adopted in other geographic regions.
• IEEE P802.15.4n™ “Draft Standard for Local and metropolitan area networks--Part 15.4: Low-Rate Wireless Personal Area Networks (LR-WPANs) Amendment: Physical Layer Utilizing Dedicated Medical Bands in China” is being developed to define an IEEE 802.15.4 PHY and associated MAC layer changes that are necessary for utilizing the 174-216 MHz, 407-425 MHz and 608-630 MHz frequency bands approved by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for medical information transmission.
• IEEE P802.15.8™ “Wireless Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications for Peer Aware Communications (PAC)” is being developed to provide a global standard for scalable, low-power and highly reliable wireless communications for burgeoning social networking, advertising, gaming, streaming, emergency and peer-to-peer applications for mobile devices with the awareness of their relative positioning.

IEEE-SA also reaffirmed a number of standards, including IEEE C57.13.1™ “IEEE Guide for Field Testing of Relaying Current Transformers,” which is intended to describe field-test methods that assure that current transformers are connected properly, are of marked ratio and polarity and are capable of performing as designed. IEEE C57.13.1 is available for purchase at the IEEE Standards Store

To learn more about IEEE-SA, visit us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or connect with us on the Standards Insight Blog.

About the IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body within IEEE, develops consensus standards through an open process that engages industry and brings together a broad stakeholder community. IEEE standards set specifications and best practices based on current scientific and technological knowledge. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 900 active standards and more than 500 standards under development. For more information visit the IEEE-SA website.

About IEEE IEEE, the world's largest technical professional association, is dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Learn more at the IEEE website.

Membership to enable IEEE SA to play a growing role in the rapidly evolving Indian smart grid market

Shuang Yu, Marketing Manager
+1 732 981 3424; shuang.yu@ieee.org

Shruthi Bojamma, PRHUB
+91 80-22483007; shruthi@prhub.com

BANGALORE, 17 May 2012 - The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA), a globally recognized standards setting body within IEEE, today announced that it has become an associate member of the India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) promoted by Ministry of Power, Govt. of India. The membership will allow IEEE SA to attend forum meetings and participate in initiatives driven by the forum. The growing role in the Indian smart grid market is in line with the stated commitment of IEEE SA to play a macro role in evolving the right ecosystem for effective smart grid implementation here. IEEE SA will bring its deep standards related knowledge and arising perspectives to the deliberations at the forum and thus make it more holistic. IEEE SA has been continually investing over the past two years in creating wider awareness of Smart Grid as a concept and also in bringing multiple stakeholders together to transfer best practices and knowledge from other Smart Grid markets worldwide.

Commenting on the membership, Bill Ash, Strategic Program Manager, IEEE Standards Association, said “We believe ISGF is the apt platform for the facilitating role we have chosen to play and are pleased to be the first association to become a member. The membership marks a significant step forward in our growing engagement with the Indian Smart Grid market. Beyond participation, we will actively contribute and help ISGF achieve the objectives it has set for itself.”

IEEE SA has launched key standards and guidelines such as the IEEE 2030® Smart Grid Interoperability Guide, the first such standard that aids interoperability of energy, information and communications technologies; IEEE 1547™, the first guide for implementation of Microgrids and the IEEE 1901™ standard for Broadband over Power Line. More standards are in the pipeline providing among the most comprehensive, globally accepted and validated set of standards that enable better interoperability, connection, communication and management of the various elements that go into a Smart Grid. Currently, IEEE SA has over 100 standards and standards-in-development spanning the entire Smart Grid spectrum.

About ISGF
The India Smart Grid Forum is a non-profit voluntary consortium of public and private stakeholders formed with the objective of helping Indian power sector to deploy Smart Grid technologies in an efficient, cost-effective, innovative and scalable manner by bringing together all the key stakeholders and enabling technologies. Visit ISGF website for more information.

About the IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body within IEEE, develops consensus standards through an open process that engages industry and brings together a broad stakeholder community. IEEE standards set specifications and best practices based on current scientific and technological knowledge. The IEEE SA has a portfolio of over 900 active standards and more than 500 standards under development. For more information visit the IEEE SA website.

About IEEE IEEE, the world's largest technical professional association, is dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Learn more at the IEEE website.

Publication: IntelligentUtility
Issue Date: May 2012

Intelligent Utility: The diversity of participants involved in standards setting is a strength, but it can also make reaching consensus arduous. How do diverse participants reach consensus? Read more

Publication: IntelligentUtility
Issue Date: May 2012

Global standards are critical to the success of the power industry because they lay the groundwork for interoperability, innovation, market growth and economies of scale. To achieve those standards, a diverse array of industry stakeholders must achieve consensus. We asked Oleg Logvinov, member of IEEE-SA Standards Board, vice chair of IEEE Standards Association's P1901.2 Working Group, and director of market development at STMicroelectronics, about the drivers and progress in the standards-setting processes. Read more

Over the last few several years, there has been recurring theme in the power and energy community: an aging workforce with large number of retirements anticipated in the new future. It is critical that educational programs and professional training be developed to equip today's workforce with the technical tools they need to solve address this challenge. A January 2012 PWC Survey shows that many companies are unsure how to best handle the ongoing dramatic evolution within their organizations.

On 14 June 2012, the IEEE Power & Energy Society is hosting a unique event in which representatives from the US Government, Academia, Industry and Utility segments will participate in a panel discussion entitled "Building the Technical Workforce for Our Energy Future". The discussion will focus on the importance of developing the technical workforce within the power and energy industry and how the PES Scholarship Plus Initiative is helping to address this issue. The event will be held at the Union League Club in New York City, NY from 11:00am - 2:00pm. Read More

Empowering Consumer Choice and Boosting Power Reliability and Efficiency Dependent on More Robust Communications and Distribution-Automation Capabilities

Shuang Yu, Marketing Manager
+1 732 981 3424; shuang.yu@ieee.org

PISCATAWAY, N.J., USA, 23 April 2012 — IEEE, the world's largest professional association advancing technology for humanity, today announced the publication of a new standard, as well as the launch of three new standards-development activities, all designed to enhance the communications and distribution-automation capabilities of the smart grid globally.

“Many of the benefits that the world hopes to achieve through smart-grid development—such as empowering greater consumer choice in energy use, improving the reliability of power generation and distribution and more efficiently meeting skyrocketing power demand—are dependent on integrating significantly more robust systems for communications and distribution automation,” said Dr. W. Charlton Adams Jr., past president of the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA). “The new standards activities approved by the IEEE-SA Standards Board are designed to enhance those very capabilities—and, in doing so, accelerate realization of the smart grid’s revolutionary promise.”

IEEE-SA has published IEEE 1591.1™-2012 – Standard for Testing and Performance of Hardware for Optical Ground Wire (OPGW). OPGW is being used in the smart grid to provide both grounding capabilities for transmission lines and communications back to utility systems such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA). IEEE 1591.1 provides manufacturing, testing and procurement specifications for use with OPGW hardware. The new standard is available for purchase at the IEEE Standards Store. 

Smart-grid standards projects newly approved by IEEE-SA include the following:

• IEEE P1909.1™ – Recommended Practice for Smart Grid Communication Equipment -Test methods and installation requirements – is intended to document testing and installation procedures that are geared specifically for communications equipment to be installed in various domains of the smart grid, such as generation, transmission and distribution. Safety, electromagnetic capability (EMC), environmental and mechanical tests are to be covered in the recommended practice, toward the goal of improving the safety and reliability of a wide range of smart-grid communications equipment.
• IEEE P1703™ – Standard for Local Area Network/Wide Area Network (LAN/WAN) Node Communication Protocol to complement the Utility Industry End Device Data Tables – is intended to improve the cost efficiency and flexibility of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) deployments. The standard is being developed to define uniform, managed, adaptive and secure network data and message delivery for plug-and-play, multi-source utility meters, home appliances, communication technology and other ancillary devices.
• IEEE P1854™ – Guide for Smart Distribution Applications Guide – is being developed to categorize and describe important smart distribution applications and fill a gap for standardized definitions of such systems. The guide is intended to cover advanced automation and SCADA systems for reliability improvement, outage management, fault location and management, voltage and var management, distributed-resource and renewable-generation integration, demand response, advanced protection, equipment diagnostics and asset management, real-time simulation for system optimization, microgrids and many other applications.

With a portfolio of more than 100 active standards or standards in development relevant to the smart grid, the IEEE-SA is a global leader in smart-grid standards development, as well as smart-grid vision, awareness and education.

To learn more about IEEE-SA, visit us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or connect with us on the Standards Insight Blog. 

About the IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body within IEEE, develops consensus standards through an open process that engages industry and brings together a broad stakeholder community. IEEE standards set specifications and best practices based on current scientific and technological knowledge. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 900 active standards and more than 500 standards under development. For more information visit the IEEE-SA website.

About IEEE
IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional association, is dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Learn more at the IEEE website. 

Power Networks for Communications Engineers (Frede Blaabjerg, Aalborg University)
Power Line Communications for the Smart Grid (Andrea M. Tonello, University of Udine; Masaaki Katayama, Nagoya University)
Communications and Networking for Smart Grid Systems (Dusit Niyato, Nanyang Technological University; Rose Qingyang Hu, Utah State University; Ekram Hossain, University of Manitoba; Yi Qian, University of Nebraska- Lincoln; Rose Qingyang Hu, Utah State University)

To purchase or get more information, visit www.comsoc.org/webcasts.