The Universal Powerline Association (UPA) is issuing two advanced market requirement documents (MRDs) for Powerline communication-based Smart Grid and Command and Control (C&C) applications. The MRDs share three fundamental principles:
- delivering interoperability across all Smart Grid and Command and Control applications;
- maintaining an open, non-proprietary protocol meeting and exceeding industry requirements;
- and facilitating international regulatory approvals
The UPA C&C MRD focuses exclusively on in-home applications and those that tie into the Smart Grid such as HVAC, appliance, security, lighting, and energy management, among others. The UPA’s Command and Control working group collaborates with association’s Smart Grid working group for the definition of the residential gateway interface.
The Smart Grid MRD provides a baseline to clarify the multiple economic, commercial, legislative, and environmental requirements against which UPA members develop products and services. The document tackles a range of grid issues such as the required data speeds that allow the infrastructure and products or solutions on the grid to be instantaneously responsive in a wide range of applications. It also discusses robust levels of security to defend against cyber intrusion, which could have significant economic implications. The MRD defines how the entire value-chain of the Smart Grid network needs to operate and interoperate—taking into account existing infrastructure, processes, and approvals as well as future proofing with new and proven techniques and technologies.
Universal Powerline Assoc.
www.upaplc.org