IEEE Improves Power Grid Concert with IEEE P1547.8 Standard

IEEE, the world's top professional association for the development of technology announced IEEE P1547.8, a draft standard establishing a common scientific platform for distributed assets interconnection applications. The proposed standard expands upon IEEE 1547, while incorporating industry and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recommendations for enhanced interconnection routine functionality. It also addresses energy storage challenges coming into play across the distributed resources and Smart Grid industries. Authorization of IEEE P1547.8, which is sponsored by the IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee 21 (SCC21), is targeted for calendar year 2012.

With IEEE 1547, the energy and service industries gained a stable, strong foundation for the additional construction and development of distributed resource networks. With more renewable energy sources coming online, storage capabilities are becoming more and more important and need to be addressed earlier rather than later, said Dick DeBlasio, program manager at the National Renewable Energy Lab facility of the U.S. Department of Energy, and IEEE Smart Grid liaison to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). By incorporating support for rising storage technologies, as well as other industry-driven recommendations, IEEE P1547.8 future-proofs the original scaffold by both extending current functionality and laying the groundwork for future advancements.