The McDonnell Group

GAITHERSBURG,MD - January 20, 2010 – Standardizing the Smart Grid is the main focus here at the NIST IEEE PES Smart Grid Innovation conference at NIST headquarters outside Washington, D.C.

In yesterday’s opening session, NIST Director Pat Gallagher unveiled version 1.0 of NIST’s smart grid standards report, reflecting the input of several months of public comment.  Gallagher said it is already being advanced towards its next iteration thanks to the work of the hundreds of volunteers across the many organizations that comprise the over 70 standards in version 1.0.  Gallagher also specifically noted the tremendous potential for current and future job creation and economic growth under smart grid programs underway worldwide.

Of particular interest to those working in smart grid start ups, research labs, universities, and areas that Gallagher called “white space” opportunities, he noted a program called “TIP.”  The NIST technical innovation program (TIP) provides funding for labs and research universities to support work in critical areas of interest around the smart grid. Currently they are sponsoring 29 projects worth more than $234 million, with around $113 million funded by TIP. TIP is seeking white papers and comments on white papers to shape future discussion and research. http://www.nist.gov/tip/

Wanda Reeder, past president of the IEEE PES, also spoke. She said repeatedly that smart grid is a global movement which will benefit from cooperative efforts and standards sharing across organizations and nations.  IEEE PES also announced the launch of a dedicated smart grid web site, http://smartgrid.ieee.org, to serve as a clearinghouse for white papers, event calendars, and updates on industry developments. On a panel that followed, George Arnold, leader of NIST's Smart Grid efforts, outlined the group's game plan and aggressive agenda for continued rapid development of the standards while noting that the current 1.0 is just the  beginning and seconding Reeder's view that the standards require global inputs and global cooperation.

I'll post later this week on my perspectives on the balance of the conference and some suggested key takeways for industry participants who couldn't make it in person.