ETSI and T&D Europe have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the development of ETSI standards for smart grid.
The collaboration of the telecoms standards body and the European Association of the Electricity Transmission and Distribution Equipment and Services Industry (T&D Europe) highlight’s the importance of standardisation in this emerging field.
With this agreement T&D Europe will provide input and requirements from the electricity transmission and distribution industry to ETSI's smart grid standardiation activities.
"We fundamentally support with ETSI the coordinated development of standards, which should be in line with the current international standards framework to foster the deployment of smart grids,” said Ralf Christian, president of T&D Europe.
T&D Europe's members will be able to validate ETSI's standards, ensuring that they meet the needs of the Smart Grid industry.
"ETSI's partnership with T&D Europe will ensure that the electricity transmission and distribution industry is represented in ETSI's Smart Grid standardization work,” said Dr Walter Weigel, ETSI Director-General.
The expectation is that smart meters will provide that information as well as an opportunity to manage power demands and increase energy efficiency and reduce waste.
Consumers will be able to choose an energy supplier that can provide the best value according to their needs. And by collecting precise readings, it may be possible to route suppliers intelligently to meet requirements.
But while smart meters and smart grids have great potential to benefit energy suppliers and consumers, security experts are concerned that careless implementation of the enabling technology has just as much potential to be abused.
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