ANSI members collaborate to develop smart grid standard

RP news wires
Tags: energy management

Two members and accredited standards developers of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) have teamed up to jointly develop a standard under the national smart grid effort.

The standard from the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) will provide a common basis for electrical energy consumers to describe, manage, and communicate about electrical energy consumptions and forecasts.

According to an ASHRAE news release, ASHRAE/NEMA Standard 201P, Facility Smart Grid Information Model, will define an object-oriented information model to enable appliances and control systems in homes, buildings and industrial facilities to manage electrical loads and generation sources in response to communication with a “smart” electrical grid and to communicate information about those electrical loads to utility and other electrical service providers.

Work on the standard will begin with a kickoff meeting to take place on August 30-31, 2010, at ASHRAE headquarters.

This standard is just one way that ANSI members are supporting the efforts of the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel. Led by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), this public-private partnership aims to speed the development of interoperability and cybersecurity standards that will support a nationwide smart electric power grid.

For more information on the ASHRAE/NEMA proposed standard, see the ASHRAE news release.