SEPA Updates Key Industry Resource for Smart Grid Standards

‘Catalog of Standards’ provides an industry expert-vetted source of information about available smart grid standards

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) announces updates to the SEPA Catalog of Standards (CoS). The Catalog offers a compendium of standards and practices relevant for the development and deployment of a robust, interoperable, and secure smart grid, and serves as a valuable resource for utilities, manufacturers, regulators, consumers, and other stakeholders.

“Standards are the necessary first step towards interoperability,” said Aaron Smallwood, VP, Research at the Smart Electric Power Alliance. “Each standard in the Catalog has undergone a thorough industry stakeholder vetting process focused on interoperability, grid architecture, cybersecurity and other elements.”

Originated in 2014 from the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP), the Catalog now includes over 80 national and international smart grid standards. Each standard has undergone independent research evaluation, as well as multi-part objective reviews by industry experts. The catalog also provides a key, non-exclusive source of input to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) process for coordinating the development of a framework of protocols and model standards for an interoperable smart grid.

The three newly added standards include:

IEEE 1547-2018 Standard for Interconnection and Interoperability of Distributed Energy Resources with Associated Electric Power Systems Interfaces
This standard establishes criteria and requirements for interconnection of distributed energy resources with electric power systems (EPSs) and associated interfaces, and provides a uniform standard for the interconnection and interoperability of DERs with EPSs.

IEEE 1815.1-2015 Standard for Exchanging Information Between Networks Implementing IEC 61850 and IEEE Std 1815(TM) [Distributed Network Protocol (DNP3)]
This standard secures data communication via data mapping between IEC 61850 and IEEE 1815 with gateway functionality specified and associated cybersecurity addressed. It defines rules and methods for the exchange of information between networks implementing these protocols.

IEEE 2030.5-2018 IEEE Standard for Smart Energy Profile Application Protocol
This standard secures data exchange and facilitates modern technology deployment by maximizing capabilities. It defines the application layer – with transmission control protocol/internet protocol providing functions in the transport and internet layers – to enable utility management of the end-user energy environment that includes: demand response, load control, time-of-day pricing, management of distributed generation, electric vehicles, and more.

The CoS project is funded by NIST, as are a number of other interoperability-focused projects at SEPA, including the convening of the SEPA Interoperability Profiles Task Force, and the publication of the SEPA Catalog of Test Programs.

To learn more about the SEPA Catalog of Standards, visit https://sepapower.org/knowledge/catalog-of-standards/

For more on the Interoperability Profiles Task Force, the SEPA Testing and Certification Working Group, and other ways to get involved, click here.