Top executives from eleven NEMA member companies attended the White House Leadership Summit on Smart Grid sponsored by the National Institute for Standards and Technologies (NIST).
Hosted by Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, the summit gave the Obama administration a forum to discuss manufacturer priorities relative to the rapid deployment of Smart Grid. The meeting also provided industry motivation for accelerated efforts in standards development and adoption.
The summit validated views expressed by NEMA President and CEO Evan Gaddis during testimony before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in March 2009.
Summarizing one of the manufacturer's concerns, Gaddis said, "A primary goal is to ensure that the focus on interoperability standards for Smart Grid encourages innovation and does not penalize pro-market activities."
He further noted that "NEMA is pleased with the accelerated pace NIST has shown on the Smart Grid standardization effort, and we are working with our members to identify additional manufacturer recommendations for Secretary Locke and Secretary Chu."
Capitalizing on the momentum from the summit, NIST convened its second two-day workshop on Smart Grid on May 19 and 20. Several NEMA staff and more than 70 representatives from 21 NEMA member companies were included in the list of almost 700 registrants invited to review and make recommendations on existing and missing standards for Smart Grid.
NEMA has been involved in the NIST Smart Grid efforts since Title 13 of the Energy Security and Independence Act of 2007 named NEMA to develop a Smart Grid interoperability standards framework.
Priorities for this effort include developing better wide-area situational awareness for utilities; raising the bar on demand response performance; and incorporating emerging technologies in renewable sources, energy storage, and electric vehicles.
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