Grid-Interop 2008 a Success!

GridWise Architecture Council, National Institute of Standards and Technology accelerate progress of interoperable smart electricity system at Grid-Interop event.

Systems integrators, business managers, and policymakers work together to develop the smart electricity system of the future

ATLANTA –The GridWise Architecture Council (GWAC) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) brought more than 200 technical experts together at the second Grid-Interop Forum Nov. 11-13 (www.grid-interop.com/2008) to provide input for reports to Congress on the interoperable status of the U.S. electricity system. The meeting also honored the authors of three conference papers for presenting concepts that advance the cause of interoperation of the many intelligent devices and systems that are emerging in the electric system.

Commissioner Suedeen Kelly of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), New Jersey Commissioner and in-coming National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Chair Fred Butler, and ISO New England President and CEO Gordon van Welie presented keynote addresses. They emphasized the importance of aligning the industry around open standards for the integration of smart electricity devices and systems that can be readily integrated into the power network to enable smart grid capabilities.

A major NIST-led workshop explored interoperability challenges, gaps and best practices relevant to integrating smart grid automation components. NIST will incorporate information gathered in a report on the state of smart grid interoperability and the development of a roadmap for an interoperability framework.

The GWAC sponsored the first Grid-Interop in 2007 to consider the varied aspects of the electric system and to establish a direction for improving the interoperation of automation systems. At that meeting, roundtable discussions focused on interfaces to commercial buildings, homes and industrial facilities.

NIST has organized domain expert working groups around these topics and expanded them to include transmission and distribution, business and policy, and cyber security. "Grid-Interop is proving to be pivotal to advancing our efforts," said NIST Interoperability Framework lead, Jerry FitzPatrick. "We would not have been able to come this far so quickly without the support and collaboration of the GWAC and the many other organizations contributing to the smart grid and represented at this event."

The GWAC recognized the following papers in the meeting’s closing ceremony:

• Power Grid 360’s Stipe Fustar for the paper “Defining Common Information Model (CIM) Compliance,”

• Itron’s Matt Spaur and Michael Burns, for the paper “Enabling Cost-Effective Distribution Automation Through Open Standards AMI Communication,”

• Gary McNaughton (Cornice Engineering), Greg Robinson (Xtensible Solutions), and Gerald Grey (Consumers Energy) for the paper “MultiSpeak® and IEC 61968 CIM: Moving towards Interoperability.”

In presenting the awards, GWAC member Joe Bucciero spoke of the authors’ important contribution to the meeting and thanked the remaining authors of the nearly 30 papers accepted for their excellent work.

The GWAC consists of 13 practitioners and leaders with broad-based knowledge and expertise in power, information technology, telecommunications, financial systems and other fields who are working together toward a coordinated GridWise vision—the transformation of the nation's energy system into a rich, collaborative network filled with decision-making information exchange and market-based opportunities.

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