Software SIG--The Smart Grid: Power for the 21st Century  

The Smart Grid: Power for the 21st Century

by: George W. Arnold

It is often said that the structure of the nation (and the world�s) electrical system has not changed much since the era of Thomas Edison: currently it is characterized by the one-way flow of electricity from carbon-producing centralized power generation plants to users who have little awareness of how much energy they consume and how they can be more efficient. The Smart Grid will eventually enable the dynamic, two-way flow of electricity and information needed to support growing use of distributed green generation sources (such as wind and solar), widespread use of electric vehicles, and ubiquitous intelligent appliances and buildings that can dynamically adjust power consumption in response to conditions on the grid. The nation�s electric grid is owned and operated by over 3200 utilities, using equipment and systems provided by thousands of suppliers, delivering power to hundreds of millions of users and billions of end devices. The transformation of this infrastructure into an �energy internet� is a huge undertaking requiring an unprecedented level of cooperation and coordination across the private and public sectors. A robust, interoperable framework of technical standards is the key to making this possible. Recognizing the complexity of the task, Congress assigned the National Institute of Standards and Technology the responsibility to coordinate the development of standards for the U.S. Smart Grid. In this talk we will explain how this work is being done, explore the conceptual reference model of the Smart Grid and related standards that are emerging, and discuss some the challenges that need to be addressed.

George Arnold was appointed National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in April 2009. He is responsible for leading the development of standards underpinning the nation�s Smart Grid and also co-chairs the White House National Science and Technology Council�s Smart Grid policy subcommittee. Dr. Arnold joined NIST in September 2006 as Deputy Director, Technology Services, after a 33-year career in the telecommunications and information technology industry. Dr. Arnold served as Chairman of the Board of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) from 2003 to 2005. He served as President of the IEEE Standards Association in 2007-2008 and Vice President-Policy for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2006-2009. Dr. Arnold previously served as a Vice-President at Lucent Technologies Bell Laboratories where he directed the company�s global standards efforts. Dr. Arnold received a Doctor of Engineering Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Columbia University in 1978. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and has delivered or authored over 100 talks and publications.

6:30 PM � Networking and Pizza(*)