The Consortium for Smart Energy Profile 2 (SEP 2) Interoperability, which includes founding members HomePlug Alliance, WiFi Alliance and ZigBee Alliance, announced their formal incorporation on Tuesday.
One of the goals of the consortium is to create and maintain a certification test suite to validate interoperability for a number of wired or wireless devices such as thermostat, electric meters and other consumer items utilities could use in their smart grid programs.
During its recently completed interoperability Plugfest, the consortium tested the interoperability of products built using HomePlug, WiFi or ZigBee communications vehicles. Over the course of the next few months, the consortium plans to conduct other Plugfests while moving to complete its certification program.
Set to be completed in the fourth quarter this year, SEP 2 is an IP-based application layer that incorporates the work of the ZigBee Alliance partnering with Wi-Fi Alliance, HomePlug Alliance and technology industry groups. In 2009, SEP was selected by the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as a standard for home energy management devices.
Edgar Figueroa, Consortium chairman, said that "CSEP incorporation is an important step toward establishing the Consortium as the recognized creator of the SEP 2 test plans and tools required to ensure interoperability across multiple communications technologies."
Having this certification process in place will not only be a help to utility companies moving ahead with their respective smart grid and smart meter initiatives, but also service providers such as Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Frontier (Nasdaq: FTR) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ), which have been rolling out their own home automation services, a segment that will over time will include home energy management.
For more:
- see the release
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