IEEE unveils comprehensive resource portfolio to drive continued advancement of global smart grid

USA: IEEE, the world's largest professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, unveiled a host of resources designed to foster continued innovation and advancement of the global smart grid.

IEEE Smart Grid Research represents a concerted effort to build one of the industry’s most comprehensive portfolios of smart grid-related intelligence, including materials such as vision documents and research papers that address problems and challenges in both the long- and short-term.

“With IEEE Smart Grid Research, we are moving into the full lifecycle of standards-related activities by adopting a proactive, forward-looking approach from pre-standard activities to real-world adoption and implementation,” said Bill Ash, strategic program manager, IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA).

“We are building out a portfolio of rich resources ranging from long-term vision and roadmap documents to research papers that explore today’s pressing challenges, to help key stake holders advance their own work. This will enable us to create a pipeline for incubation of innovative technologies to standards development and market acceptance, supporting global growth of the smart grid market.”

IEEE Smart Grid Research incorporates long-term research focused on five technology sectors that include power, computing, communications, control systems, and vehicle technology. It leverages potential use cases, application scenarios and enabling technologies to deliver the most complete picture possible of the next generation of technology in each respective smart grid space.

IEEE Smart Grid Research will have a long-term vision document, reference model and roadmap for each of the five technology sectors, as well as shorter-term research available for addressing more immediate concerns. IEEE Smart Grid Research materials will cover projections of where the smart grid will evolve to, technology challenges and opportunities, and areas where additional research is needed.

Among the first resources available will be three downloadable Vision documents.

IEEE Grid Vision 2050, addressing the smart grid power landscape, offers a long-range view of the power landscape as it relates to the smart grid, including existing and future technology developments and emerging challenges that must be overcome during the next 40 years.

IEEE Smart Grid Vision for Computing: 2030 and Beyond examines potential branches for the evolution of both smart grid operational concepts and computing technologies. The document aims to stimulate investments in those computing technologies enabling achievement of Smart Grid visions and improving electric power system performance and capability for greater efficiency, speed, reliability, and resiliency.

IEEE Smart Grid Vision for Computing: 2030 and Beyond also focuses on a broad array of computing technologies spanning multiple disciplines, and outlines their possible roles in the future electric grid. It further details projections of how smart grid concepts will influence power systems and span bulk transmission systems to isolated islands of local generation, as well as different demand-side participation concepts.

IEEE Smart Grid Vision for Communications: 2030 and Beyond lays out a vision of the smart grid for the year 2030 from a communications perspective. It also discusses imperatives of different stakeholders, and impediments to realizing this vision. Following the discussion are smart grid goals for different constituencies, and how communications should evolve to enable key smart grid functionality.

Long-term IEEE Smart Grid Research resources represent a collaborative effort being jointly produced by IEEE-SA and its relevant IEEE technical societies, which are partnering to develop long-term documents in each of the five technology topic areas. Participating societies include IEEE Communications Society (IEEE ComSoc), IEEE Computer Society, IEEE Control Systems Society (IEEE CSS), IEEE Intelligent Transportation Society (IEEE ITSS) and IEEE Power & Energy Society (IEEE PES).