Universal Powerline Association Readies Powerline Communication Smart Grid, Command & Control Specifications
The Universal Powerline Association (UPA), an international industry consortium providing a forum for the design and development of interoperable and open specifications for Powerline communications, announced that it is issuing two advanced marketrequirement documents (MRDs) for Powerline communication based Smart Grid and command and control applications.
The MRDs for Smart Grid and Command and Control applications have three primary goals: to deliver interoperability across all C&C and Smart Grid applications; to maintain an open, non-proprietary protocol meeting & exceeding industry requirements; and to facilitate international regulatory approvals.
The UPA Command and Control MRD focuses exclusively on in-home applications and those that tie into the Smart Grid such as HVAC, appliance, security, lighting and energy management applications among others. The UPA’s Command and Control (C&C) working group collaborates with UPAs Smart Grid working group for the definition of the residential gateway interface.
Paul Bertrand, Chairman of UPA’s C&C Working Group stated that, "UPA shall develop a single technical specification and certification process based on the UPA MRD. We are paying special attention to energy consumption requirements. New regulations in Europe and the US require low power devices and place restrictions on standby power and the MRD has arrived on time to take full account of these requirements in the development of a specification for environmentally friendly command and control devices."
The UPA Smart Grid MRD provides a baseline to clarify the multiple economic, commercial, legislative and environmental requirements against which UPA members develop products and services. Smart Grids must help utilities to intelligently integrate the actions of all components and users connected to the grid. This holistic infrastructure defines the UPA Smart Grid from generation, transmission & distribution to advanced metering. The considerations include reliability requirements in a range of operating environments.
The UPA Smart Grid MRD tackles a range of grid issues such as necessary data speeds that allow the infrastructure and product or solutions on the grid to be instantaneously responsive in a wide range of applications. It also tackles robust levels of security to defend against cyber intrusion, which could have significant economic implications. The UPA MRD defines how the entire value-chain of the Smart Grid network needs to operate and interoperate – taking into account existing infrastructure, processes and approvals, as well as, future proofing with new and proven techniques and technologies.
Whether FCC, Cenelec, ARIB, or other regulations, the UPA is currently in discussions and requesting participation from key stakeholders in the energy markets including utilities, regulators, OEMs and suppliers to join its efforts to ensure a successful and effective Powerline Command & Control and Smart Grid technology solution.
