NIST Engagement with Smart Grid:

A Case Study

Dr. David Wollman – david.wollman@nist.gov

Deputy Director, Smart Grid and Cyber-Physical Systems Program Office, 

Engineering Laboratory

National Institute of Standards and Technology
Smart Grid Case Study

• How NIST became a 

smart grid convener

• How NIST did it

• At what cost?

• What the outcome 

has been

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 

2007 gave NIST “primary responsibility to coordinate development of a framework 

that includes ...standards ... to achieve

interoperability of smart grid devices 

and systems...” 

http://www.nist.gov/smartgrid/

NIST SG Framework 

(Release 1.0, 2.0 & 3.0)

Smart Grid Interoperability 

Panel (SGIP)
Backstory: 2007

• House science committee contacted a NIST Lab to 

discuss how NIST could help advance the smart grid

• Several conversations (over months) led to a plan to 

improve metrology and standards

• Seemed like a great way to increase support for 

core work in the Quantum Electricity Metrology Division

– This was an area with underinvestment for many years 

resulting in continuous loss of staff and capability
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 

http://www.nist.gov/smartgrid/

NIST is given 

“primary responsibility to coordinate development of a 

framework that includes ...standards ...to achieve interoperability 

of smart grid devices and systems...” 

But

• No funding

• No measurements

• A convening role

EISA had new roles and responsibilities for DOE, NIST and FERC
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 

http://www.nist.gov/smartgrid/

NIST is given 

“primary responsibility to coordinate development of a 

framework that includes ...standards ...to achieve interoperability 

of smart grid devices and systems...” 

But

• No funding

• No measurements

• A convening role

EISA had new roles and responsibilities for DOE, NIST and FERC

2008: NIST response

• “Volunteer” staff level activities

• Small team (~10 staff in several Labs)

• Interactions with stakeholders

(Domain Expert Working Groups)
Smart Grid heats up

National Priority

– Administration change in January 2009, emphasis on smart grid

Government Engagement

– ARRA “stimulus” $4.5B for smart grid (DOE) 

– NIST Framework/interoperability standards needed to support 

deployments, avoid stranded investments

Industry Engagement

– National priority/urgency of smart grid and fear of FERC-mandated 

standards motivated positive engagement/defensive participation
NIST ramps up 2008-2010

NIST reassigns/redirects numerous staff to address smart grid (~16 FTEs)

• 5 from Quantum Electrical Metrology Division (including DC and GL) 

and 3+ from other parts of the Lab (PML) 

• 3+ from ITL (cyber security, networks/timing)

• 3+ from EL (smart buildings, industrial control systems)

• Reassigned an SES (George Arnold) to lead the program

– 2 new staff hires for standards coordination (not measurements!)

– Additional support from Director’s Office/Public Affairs, contracting office, ...

Discretionary nature of NIST funding allows this

Primarily impact is opportunity cost, but it put even more pressure 

on Quantum Electricity Metrology Division technical work
NIST plan for convening 

NIST “Three-Phase 

Plan” (April 2009)

– White House Kickoff Meeting

including DOC & DOE Secretaries

• Deeper engagement w/DOE & FERC, industry and standards orgs

– NIST provided high-level national (and international) coordination

– NIST team is able to competently leverage others
Heavy NIST involvement in “coordination machinery”

Smart Grid 

Interoperability Framework 

Coordination Office

NIST

Smart Grid 

Interoperability 

Standards Panel

Board of Directors

Full Panel

(Organizational 

Membership)

Working Groups

(Evolved from NIST 

Domain Expert Working 

Groups)

NIST Recognized 

Interoperability 

Specifications (Model 

standards and Protocols)

FERC rulemaking

DOE pilots and prototype 

implementations

DOE Clearinghouse 

Conformity assessment

Advisory Committee

Smart Grid Task Force

DOE, FERC, 

NIST, DHS, ...

Smart Grid 

Interoperability Framework 

Coordination Office

George Arnold, NIST

Smart Grid 

Interoperability 

Standards Panel

Board of Directors

Full Panel

(Organizational 

Membership)

Working Groups

(Evolved from NIST 

Domain Expert Working 

Groups)

Standards Development 

Organizations (IEEE, IEC, 

NAESB, NEMA, ...)

NIST Recognized 

Interoperability 

Specifications (Model 

standards and Protocols)

FERC rulemaking

DOE pilots and prototype 

implementations

DOE Clearinghouse 

Conformity assessment

Advisory Committee

• NIST Framework 

list of smart gridrelevant standards

• SGIP Catalog of 

Standards • NIST SG FAC 

members 

announced 

Sept2010

• Special outreach to 

SDOs, including SGIP 

meeting in Mar2010

• Liaisons: IEC, IEEE, ...

• NIST identified “first 5” 

stds to FERC (Oct2010)

NIST Recognized 

Interoperability 

Specifications (Model 

standards and Protocols)

Color code: 

deeper “blue” 

indicates 

greater NIST 

involvement
Help arrives

Smart Grid began as unfunded mandate, with NIST bearing the cost by 

reassigning and redirecting staff

2009 One-time ARRA stimulus funding (totaling $18M)

• Pass-through funding, used to build standards coordination infrastructure

$10M (+ later $2M) from DOE ARRA, $5M from NIST ARRA , $1M NIST ARRA grants program

Applied to SGIP costs 2009-2011 ~$4M-5M/year contacts, plus accelerating standards work

Contract and activity management consumed significant NIST staff effort

2010 NIST Budget increase +$5M (first smart grid initiative)

2011 NIST Budget increase +$3.5M (second smart grid initiative)

– Mostly used to pay for Smart Grid Office and SG Framework infrastructure as ARRA was 

spent down, and to support NIST staff in SGIP coordination activities
Today 

NIST funding continues to support Standards Coordination Framework

• Starting 2012 we have tapered back (SGIP transitioned to non-profit organization)

• Goal is to reduce to $500k/year by FY18

Now funds can be reinvested

• NIST smart grid program

• SG coordination (less over time)

• Smart grid testbed capability

• Associated research & standards

NIST smart grid testbed 

NIST Smart Grid R&D portfolio
Going forward ... stakeholder engagement

• Healthy programs interact vigorously & intentionally with stakeholders...

• Grid 3.0 Multi-Organization Collaboration – convening with larger umbrella

– Grid 1.0: legacy grid (traditional grid, centralized generation/control)

– Grid 2.0: smart grid (current state, new IT/intelligence+communications)

– Grid 3.0: future grid (fully modernized grid; operations fundamentally different: flexible, 

resilient, highly-interactive, new capabilities to meet evolving policy goals)

– Participating orgs: EPRI, NIST, DOE, NEMA, GWAC, SGIP, EEI, UCAIug, IEEE, ... 

• Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) – synergy with Smart Grid in a broader 

multi-infrastructure context, informed by work of CPS Public Working Group 

(CPS Framework) and testbed science development (federated testbeds)
Outcomes

Catalog of Standards, Governing Board, 

Completed PAPs, Committees/Pubs, ...

Smart Grid Interoperability Panel

NISTIR 7628 Guidelines for Cyber Security

NIST SG Framework (Release 1.0, 2.0 & 3.0)

Priority Action 

Plans (PAPs)

White House Kickoff

NIST smart grid testbed 

NIST Smart Grid R&D portfolio in EL, ITL, PML, CTL: R&D, standards, testing/certification, publications, ...

New/revised smart grid standards, 

guidance, implementations

NEMA SG-AMI 1, IEC 61850/CIM, IEEE 

1547 & C37.118, UL1741, OASIS 

Energy Interop, ASHRAE 201 FSGIM, 

NAESB Green Button (ESPI)...more! 

...more! 
Outcomes/Impacts: Recognition

• Grid Week awards

(2010, Leadership, International Standards 

Coordination & 

2012, Taming Complexity: SGIP and 

Smart Policy: Green Button)

• Functioning SGIP (now transitioned to 

non-profit SGIP2.0) that has completed 

18 PAPs; 76 entries in SGIP Catalog of 

Standards 

• Project Management Institute Award: 

2013 Distinguished Project Award for the “NIST 

Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) 

Program”

• DOC Gold, Silver and Bronze medals

DOC Gold, 2011 

(SG Framework)

DOC Silver, 2015 

(Green Button)

DOC Bronze

2012 (SG Timing)

2012 (PMU)

2015 (PMU T&C)

NIST SG 

Framework 

translated into 

other languages
Summary – Smart Grid Case Study for VCAT

NIST was given new assignment (though different from what NIST had hoped for)

– Legislation: EISA – signed into law in Dec2007, convening role for NIST in smart grid

– But authorization without funding (also different from what NIST had hoped for)

NIST executed

– Reassigned/redirected numerous staff, cancelled/delayed planned work

– Used fortuitous ARRA funding to build a standards coordination infrastructure

NIST was successful

– NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards R3 (recognized internationally)

– Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (now transitioned to non-profit 501c3)

– NIST smart grid efforts recognized by industry, regulators

– Lessons learned for other similar NIST activities (frameworks, public-private partnerships)

– Continuing implementation of smart grid by industry/utilities, new benefits (ex: distribution system sensors)

But there’s an opportunity cost....