Smart grid standards: Interoperability and cyber security standards ready for review

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced that five sets of "foundational" standards for smart grid interoperability and cyber security are ready for consideration by state and federal energy regulators. The standards were developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and focus on information models and protocols critical to reliable and efficient grid operations and security.

The standards address:

1. A Common Information Model necessary for exchanges of data between devices and networks, primarily in transmission and distribution (two separate sets of standards)
2. Facilitating substation automation and communications as well as interoperability with a common data format
3. Facilitating information exchanges between control centers
4. The cyber security of the communication protocols defined by the preceding standards.