Smart Grid Update Newsletter April 2014

• Draft NIST Framework 3.0 Now Available for Public Comment
• Cybersecurity Issues to be Focus of April 24 Webinar
• Smart Grid Testbeds Discussed at NIST Workshop, March 13-14
• SGIP Update
• NIST's NCCoE Invites Collaboration to Address Cybersecurity Challenges in the Electric Power Sector
• Information Now Available from ISGT 2014

Draft NIST Framework 3.0 Now Available for Public Comment

An updated roadmap for the smart grid, NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, Release 3.0, is now available for a 45-day public comment period. The draft Framework 3.0 document—published in April 15's Federal Register—updates and expands earlier Releases 1.0 and 2.0 (January 2010 and February 2012),outlining plans for transforming the nation's aging electric power system into an interoperable smart grid.

"There have been many remarkable advances in smart grid infrastructure since the release of the last edition," says Chris Greer, Director of NIST's Smart Grid Program Office. "By 2015, nearly a third of the 144 million meters in the U.S. will be smart meters. Through the Green Button effort, more than 45 electricity suppliers nationwide have committed to providing 59 million homes and businesses with access to their energy usage data. This new edition embraces this remarkable progress and provides a foundation for working together for the smart grid of the future."

Important new elements in this revision are an updated reference model of the smart grid,revised guidelines for cybersecurity, advances in testing and certification frameworks, international smart grid activities, and discussion of smart grid research and development needs.

A PDF version of the 255-page document (8 MB) is available online at http://www.nist.gov/smartgrid/framework3.cfm. The link also provides instructions for any individual or organization wishing to comment. Comments are due Friday, May 30.

On May 2,1-2 p.m. EDT, NIST's Smart Grid and Cyber-Physical Systems Program Office will be hosting a free, public webinar providing an overview of Framework 3.0.Registration information is available at https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/registrations/new?cid=vbz1164cprha.

Cybersecurity threats exploit the increased complexity and connectivity of critical infrastructure systems—such as the smart grid—placing our national security, economy, and public safety and health at risk. Over the past several years, NIST experts have played leading roles in addressing these issues, working with stakeholders from industry, government, and academia to develop key documents such as: Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity  Draft NIST Interagency Report (IR) 7628 Revision 1: Guidelines for Smart Grid Cybersecurity (draft document, published October 2013) To update the smart grid community on recent developments in the cybersecurity arena, the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) is hosting a webinar, "Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity," on Thursday, April 24, from1-2 p.m. EDT. The webinar is free and open to the public. This interactive live session will be moderated by Victoria Pillitteri, Advisor for Information System Security at NIST and Chair of SGIP's Smart Grid Cybersecurity Committee. An open question and answer period will follow panel presentations. Expert panelists will include: Adam Sedgwick, Senior Information Technology Policy Advisor, NIST Kevin Stine, Manager, Security Outreach and Integration Group, Computer Security Division, Information Technology Laboratory, NIST Akhlesh Kaushiva, P.E., Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, U.S. Department of Energy Webinar attendees will learn about topics such as: The Cybersecurity Framework The Companion Roadmap to the Cybersecurity Framework Current activities in the energy sector around Framework Implementation Guidance Evolution of the Cybersecurity Framework and next steps To reserve your webinar seat, please visit the webinar registration page on the SGIP website.

Smart Grid Testbeds Discussed at NIST Workshop, March 13-14

"Measurement Challenges and Opportunities in Developing Smart Grid Testbeds," a workshop held last month at NIST-Gaithersburg, attracted over 60 attendees from industry, government, and academia. These diverse stakeholders listened to keynote speakers and then divided into three workgroups to identify major technological and measurement science challenges that impede smart grid testbed development, and discuss the best approaches for their design and operation.

David Wollman, Deputy Director of NIST's Smart Grid and Cyber-Physical Systems Program Office, described the workshop as being very interactive, and said, "The workshop explicitly addressed the needs and drivers for composable, modular, and interconnected testbeds. These testbed advances are important and will enable greater interactions between smart grid testbeds and also support the development of new multi-domain cyber-physical systems testbeds."

Plenary and keynote speakers included:

• Mark Siira, Director, Business Development and Technology Strategy, ComRent International
• Osama Mohammed, Professor and Director of the Energy Systems Research Laboratory, Florida International University
• Jeff Gooding, IT Principal Manager of Smart Grid Engineering, Southern California Edison
• Sokwoo Rhee, Presidential Innovation Fellow, NIST

The workgroups proposed a number of ideas which will be useful to the broad smartgrid community and which will also guide NIST's actions and partnerships in the coming months. A full report of the workshop proceedings is being developed and will be available later this year on the NIST Smart Grid website.

SGIP Update

• NIST staff—who serve as chairs or co-chairs for a number of SGIP committees, priority action plans, and working groups—will be attending and leading sessions at the upcoming Spring 2014 SGIP Members Meeting (May 5-8, 2014, in Denver, CO). For more information, including the agenda and registration information, visit http://www.sgip.org/news/may-2014-members-meeting.
• SGIP is hosting an April 24 webinar on cybersecurity issues (see above for related article).
• SGIP has published an infographic illustrating some of the main points in the recently-released white paper, NISTIR 7628 User's Guide.
• SGIP has published a case study of DTE Energy's implementation of the IEC Common Information Model(CIM). The 25-page case study, a project of SGIP's Implementation Methods Committee, includes lessons learned and recommendations for SGIP and the energy industry.
• The SGIP announced on March 31 that two standards—OpenADR and Smart Energy Profile (SEP) 2.0—have now been added to the Catalog of Standards.

NIST's NCCoE Invites Collaboration to Address Cybersecurity Challenges in the Electric Power Sector

In a March 18 Federal Register Notice, "National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE)and Electric Power Sector Identity and Access Management Use Case," NIST invites organizations to provide products and technical expertise to support and demonstrate security platforms for identity and access management for the electric power sector. This notice is the initial step for the NCCoE in collaborating with technology companies to address cybersecurity challenges identified under the Energy Sector program. Participation in the use case is open to all interested organizations.

The NCCoE, part of NIST, is a public-private collaboration for accelerating the widespread adoption of integrated cybersecurity tools and technologies. The NCCoE brings together experts from industry, government, and academia under one roof to develop practical, interoperable cybersecurity approaches that address the real-world needs of complex Information Technology systems.

Information Now Available from ISGT 2014

As described in our February 2014 newsletter, the Innovative Smart Grid Technologies (ISGT) Conference, sponsored by the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES), is a forum for participants to discuss state-of-the-art innovations in smart grid technologies. This year's conference, held February in Washington, D.C., was attended by more than 500 participants from 41 countries. It featured plenary sessions, multi-track panel discussions, technical paper and poster presentations, as well as tutorials by international experts on smart grid applications. NIST's George Arnold was the Technical Program Chair, and a number of NIST staff made presentations at the conference. In addition, NIST's Gerald FitzPatrick and Cuong Nguyen served on the Technical Program Committee and helped organize panel sessions, review technical papers, and chair a paper session.

Presentation slides from the keynote addresses and plenary and panel session are now available online, including these two NIST-related presentations:

• "Smart Grid Power Conditioning Systems," Allen Hefner, NIST
• "NIST Smart Grid Cybersecurity," Victoria Yan Pillitteri, NIST

A nine-page report from the Department of Energy (DOE), "Summary of DOE Sessions on the Recovery Act Smart Grid Projects," summarizes a series of six ISGT panel sessions featuring presentations on the results of smart grid projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (RecoveryAct). One of the key points highlighted (see p. 4 of report) was the following: "There is an ongoing need for industry standards for interoperability and for wide dissemination of best practices based on project experiences so lessons learned can be replicated and common pitfalls can be avoided."