QC Data Inc, a provider of outsourced data management and maintenance services for electric, gas, telecommunications, and water organizations based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, has joined the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP).

The Smart Grid Interoperability Panel  was established in late 2009 by the Gaithersburg, Maryland-based National Institute of Standards and Technology, in order to help fulfill the goals of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA).

With that act, the U.S. Congress made the development of a smart electric power grid a national policy goal. Essential components of the smart grid, as conceived in the EISA legislation, included: standards, information architecture, a cybersecurity strategy, and a framework for testing and certification.

Today, the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel is a public-private partnership dedicated to facilitating the connectivity of smart grid devices and systems—from home appliances to transmission substations, to wind farms and other bulk power generators. The SGIP comprises more than 700 member organizations, representing 22 stakeholder categories—including federal agencies, and state and local regulators. More than 1,800 individuals participate in SGIP activities. Membership is free and open to all organizations interested in achieving the smart grid vision

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The principle mantra of the SGIP is that it does not duplicate work being done in any other well-functioning forum of the smart grid community. It is the goal of the SGIP to fill a role that is not sufficiently being addressed in other current smart grid forums, and, that specifically advances the goals of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in its EISA 2007 mission. As such, it focuses on two principal areas:

• Analysis of cross-functional area applications requiring coordination between one or more technologies beyond the original scope of the technology itself; and
• Coordination among any and all groups that must complement each other on the resolution of a gap or overlap in smart grid technologies.

"As a member of the SGIP, the firm will provide its expertise in the ongoing coordination, acceleration, and harmonization of standards development for the smart grid," said QC Data President and CEO Michael Pfeiffer. "QC Data will apply its years of experience in managing asset-related data to this historic undertaking involving multiple utilities and government agencies."

‘The build-out of a secure, reliable, 21st century smart grid presents a unique opportunity for the nation's power and telecommunications companies," said Rik Drummond, Chairman of the Smart Grid Testing and Certification Committee, adding, "We are excited to have QC Data as our newest member."

In related news, in mid-October, the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) Plenary Committee voted to add three new standards to the SGIP Catalog of Standards. According to the NIST website, “the catalog is a compendium of standards and practices considered to be relevant for the development and deployment of a robust and interoperable smart grid.” NIST and the SGIP no longer recommend standards for adoption by regulators like Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).  Instead, the agency has created the Catalog of Standards, which enables regulators to review common standards when creating regulations and best practices.  Standards added to the catalog recently include SAE 2847-1 Communication between Plug-in Vehicles and the Utility Grid.