IEEE announces two smart grid standards

IEEE 1815 Smart Grid standard accelerates interoperability and security, extending DNP3 for SCADA systems with IEC 61850 mapping and NIST alignment, enabling secure device data exchange, backward compatibility, and utility automation across energy networks.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE, the world's leading professional association for the advancement of technology today announced the ratification of its IEEE 1815 Distributed Network Protocol DNP3 standard for electric power systems communications.

The new standard, which improves device interoperability and strengthens security protocols, was fast-tracked for completion and was delivered in only seven months. Scheduled for final publication in July 2010, IEEE 1815 is expected to play a significant role in the development and deployment of smart grid reliability initiatives and technologies.

IEEE 1815 is a collaboratively developed, adaptable framework that is the groundwork for achieving greater device interoperability and security. The robust, multi-layered protocol specifies an agile, forward-looking architecture enabling better optimized and more secure information gathering, exchange, and use, particularly in supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA systems.

Expanding on widely used industry protocols, the comprehensive standard also preserves previous significant infrastructure investments by remaining backward compatible with existing object models, while incorporating emerging Smart Grid and other new technologies through IEEE’s interoperability standards project work and guidance. Newly ratified as IEEE 1815, the protocols will benefit from the broad support, expertise, and resources that IEEE offers, providing a foundation for the continued deployment of Smart Grid technologies.

“Two elements key to the success of the global Smart Grid are device interoperability and security without addressing these fundamental underpinnings, the Smart Grid could be hampered by unforeseen challenges and complexities,” said H. Lee Smith, President, DNP Users Group. “Backed by IEEE’s knowledge, experience, and leadership in smart grid efforts, IEEE 1815 will both endure and expand to incorporate coming technology advancements. The DNP Users Group is pleased to have been part of the development and ratification of this critical standard.”

The accelerated deployment of Smart Grid technologies, as well as thousands of new and legacy device installations in process automation settings like the electric utility, energy, and water industries, dictated the need for IEEE 1815. IEEE, in conjunction with the DNP Users Group, fast-tracked the protocol’s continued development and approval. The standard passed rigorous evaluation by each organization before being submitted to a diverse pool of more than 100 IEEE balloters, and similar panel approvals such as the IEEE 1901 standard underscore this rigor.

“IEEE 1815 is a triumph of both innovation and collaboration. With growing numbers of Smart Grid deployments coming online, swiftly answering global demand for improvements in device data communication and transmission, such as broadband over power lines approaches, is an imperative,” said Judith Gorman, Managing Director, IEEE Standards Association. “IEEE’s leadership position in Smart Grid information and expertise enabled us to bring key constituencies together to collaboratively craft and deliver a solution that will carry us forward for today and generations to come.”

IEEE 1815 has also garnered strong backing from organizations and institutions like the National Institute for Standards and Technology NIST. Its overall thoroughness in addressing rising interoperability and security challenges, its collaborative nature, and its potential as a cornerstone for the emerging Smart Grid won the institution’s support.

In August 2009, NIST established an initial set of priority actions plans PAPs for developing standards necessary to build an interoperable Smart Grid. IEEE 1815 supports NIST PAP12 DNP3 Mapping to IEC 61850 Objects.

“DNP3 is already one of the most widespread and commonly specified protocols in use today. Ensuring that it remains functionally relevant and evergreen requires a combination of inspired leadership, technology expertise, and cooperation,” said George Arnold, NIST’s National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability. “IEEE has done a remarkable job of uniting an array of stakeholders to deliver a solid base upon which Smart Grid technologies can be built and deployed.”

IEEE 1815 was co-sponsored by the IEEE Power & Energy Society PES Transmission and Distribution Committee and IEEE PES Substations Committee, with additional input from the DNP Users Group. Collaborative efforts between IEEE and the DNP Users Group will continue after the standard’s publishing in July 2010, and updates will be shared through IEEE’s Smart Grid web portal channels.

IEEE has more than 100 standards and standards in development relevant to smart grid, including the over 20 IEEE standards named in the NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards and in EPRI’s smart grid roadmap work as well.

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