GRID MODERNISATION In January 2015, the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) restructured “to bring better clarity, focus and agility to the group,” says Sharon Allan, President and CEO. “The initial phase of the work done by SGIP was around the identification of key standards affecting the smart grid. The original structure was built around accomplishing that piece of work. As I start to look at how SGIP moves forward, I’ve gone back to the clients of the smart grid – the folks that have the capital to deploy these projects such as utilities, IPPs who are deploying microgrids and smart technology, and service providers who are using smart grid technology – and asked them what their needs are and what we can do that is helpful for them.” Because of the very broad focus that SGIP initially had, Allan believes that it is necessary to refocus in order for About: Sharon Allan President and Chief Executive Officer Before taking on her current role at SGIP, Allan ran her own consulting firm and before that, the Accenture NA Smart Grid Practice. Other industry roles include President of Elster Integrated Solutions, Chief Knowledge Officer of Elster Electricity, Director of Product Management ABB, and IBM Marketing Information. She was named one of the “100 Movers and Shakers of the Smart Grid in 2012” and recognized as “Smart Grid’s three most powerful women,” “One of the 50 Key Women in Energy,” and ‘Class of 2007’ recognized leaders. Allan is also a contributor to “Accelerating Successful 46 it to remain clear what SGIP plans to accomplish, and in order for the Association to operate in a streamlined, efficient manner. Allan wants SGIP to be more than just a discussion forum for stakeholders to share ideas and discuss things. “Our end goal is to make a difference and to push the smart grid agenda forward so that customers have choices not only in how they use electricity but also around whether they should subscribe to a service provider, or choose to be a prosumer, or have community delivered electricity or grow their relationship with their current utility through new services. In the shorter term, by coming together and having utilities, vendors, regulators and government working together to remove barriers, it opens up that marketplace to clean energy adoption. Smart Grid Pilots,” a report issued by the World Economic Forum. She is an honours graduate from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and holds an MBA from Duke’s Fuqua Business School. “In the long term, I want SGIP to be viewed as an organisation where member collaboration makes a difference. An organisation that drives results with a focus on improving individual quality of life by integrating energy resources in a secure, intelligent and efficient manner.” Allan believes that organisations such as SGIP allow for workforce, technology and process threads to be worked through. “Bringing the people together in such a manner helps drive interoperability. Ultimately, whether here in the US or globally, costs are lower and time to market and implementation is quicker if we have a harmonized set of standards and equipment that will operate, not only with equipment produced by one company, but with someone else’s company as well.” One of the challenges to standards implementation is in how standards are ultimately interpreted. To that end, SGIP has recently signed an MOU with the National Electric Manufacturers Association (NEMA), whereby NEMA and ANSI will be using the SGIP Interoperability Process Reference Manual (IPRM) to formulate that work into a standard. In addition, UCA International is exploring using the IPRM to certify laboratories around the world for testing IEC 61850, the international standard for substations. “We are more than just an organisation that facilitates standards. Some of our groups which have worked around distributed energy and storage have identified some potential gaps in the standards – for instance for micro controllers that would control the microgrid – so SGIP, along with other stakeholders, collaborated to create those standards which are now being fed into the IEEE, which is working on making the results of our collaboration into a global standard.” Asked why interoperability is so important, Allan tells Metering and Smart METERING INTERNATIONAL ISSUE – 1 | 2015