Smart grids get wifi, powerline support

Two industry initiatives, the Wi-Fi Alliance and the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, have joined forces this week to push wifi and powerline technologies in smart grid applications.

The two organisations are already participating members in the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP), which works alongside the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop smart grid standards in the US.

The Smart Energy 2 Applications Profile (SEP 2.0) was selected last year by the US Department of Energy and NIST as an initial interoperable standard for smart energy management with home area network devices, which the wifi and powerline guys will enable with their relevant technoliges.

“Both Wi-Fi and HomePlug solutions will play key roles in energy management and connecting home systems and appliances to the smart grid,” said Rob Ranck, president of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance.