The Smart Grid: Power for the 21st Century

January 20, 2010

George Arnold, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Thursday, January 20, 2010, 11:00 AM
Davis Auditorium, Schapiro Center

Abstract: The nation's electric grid is owned and operated by over 3200 utilities, using equipment and systems provided by thousands of suppliers, delivering power to hundreds of millions of users and billions of end devices. The transformation of this infrastructure into an "energy internet" is a huge undertaking requiring an unprecedented level of cooperation and coordination across the private and public sectors. A robust, interoperable framework of technical standards is the key to making this possible. Recognizing the complexity of the task, Congress assigned the National Institute of Standards and Technology the responsibility to coordinate the development of standards for the U.S. Smart Grid. In this talk we will explain how this work is being done, explore the conceptual reference model of the Smart Grid and related standards that are emerging, and discuss some the challenges that need to be addressed.

George Arnold was appointed National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in April 2009. He is responsible for leading the development of standards underpinning the nation's Smart Grid. Dr. Arnold joined NIST in September 2006 as Deputy Director, Technology Services, after a 33-year career in the telecommunications and information technology industry. Dr. Arnold received a Doctor of Engineering Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Columbia University in 1978. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE.

The Armstrong Lecture Series

This series of lectures offered by the Department of Electrical Engineering at Columbia University in New York is named in honor of Edwin Howard Armstrong, 1890-1954, a pre-eminent electrical engineer, who through his extraordinary inventions, FM radio among them, contributed immeasurably to the advancement of wireless communications and broadcasting. He spent his entire career in the department - first as a student and later as a professor.