A smart grid is an advanced electricity network that efficiently integrates the behavior and actions of all users both generators and consumers to ensure a cost-effective, sustainable, and secure power system.
These grids enable companies and households to generate electricity through renewable sources such as photovoltaic panels and wind turbines and sell excess power within existing networks.
Standardization and Smart Grid Development
The European Commission and EFTA issued the Smart Grid Mandate M/490 in March 2011, accepted by CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI in June 2011.
This mandate tasked these organizations with developing a framework to support ongoing standardization and enhancement of smart grid technology.
To address this, the CEN-CENELEC-ETSI Smart Grid Coordination Group (SG-CG) was formed in July 2011.
By 2012, the SG-CG had produced key reports, including:
Additionally, a comprehensive Framework Document was developed to illustrate how these components integrate into a cohesive smart grid framework, aligning with the objectives of M/490.
Further Developments
The Smart Grid Mandate M/490 was extended until the end of 2014 to refine the methodology and expand the set of standards supporting smart grid deployment in Europe.
By December 2014, several crucial reports had been finalized and approved by CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI, including:
Post-M/490, the Coordination Group continued its efforts to address standardization gaps and provide best practice examples for smart energy grid use cases.
This resulted in two key reports:
Clean Energy Package
In 2017, the CG-SEG established the ‘Clean Energy Package’ working group to support the European Commission’s Clean Energy for All Europeans initiative.
This led to the development of a report outlining key legal provisions relevant to standardization and the assessment of priority topics. After final negotiations in 2019, the final report was approved in early 2020.
