Smart Grid Model Helps Plan Grid Upgrades

Wednesday, 14 September 2011 09:29

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Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute (SEI) has released the 2011 Smart Grid Maturity Model (SGMM) update. The presentation, made during GridWeek 2011, provides updates on the worldwide community of SGMM users and partners. The SGMM is a management tool designed to help utilities map out and prioritize their smart grid plans, and measure progress as they upgrade the power grid. Developed by utilities for utilities, SGMM is hosted by the SEI as a resource for industry transformation with the support of the United States Department of Energy.

Smart Grid Program Executive Austin Montgomery says, “Our focus this year has been to improve the worldwide availability of SGMM Navigation, and we have accomplished that by enlisting seven partner organizations and training more than 30 SGMM Navigators. Our SGMM Partners are industry leaders who work directly with utilities to help them use the model as part of their roadmap and strategy development.”

SGMM Navigators are trained and certified to guide utilities through the five-step process to apply SGMM Navigation.

David White, Smart Grid Maturity Model Team Lead, notes, “The SGMM community data demonstrates that the model is being used by a diverse set of utilities around the world, and repeat use data shows that utilities using the model are making progress with their smart grid implementations. The upcoming release of version 1.2 will leverage lessons learned from users to date and from partners to make the model easier to interpret and use.”

Version 1.2 features changes with the Compass survey, a questionnaire-based assessment that uses SGMM to provide maturity ratings and performance comparisons of utilities.

White says, “We’ve reconstructed the Compass survey to collect a richer set of information about the utility and its performance to enable more sophisticated peer-to-peer comparisons and inform aspirations setting during assessments led by an SGMM Navigator.”

Montgomery adds: “With this release we wanted to create the opportunity for more organizations to become licensed SGMM partners. As more and more utilities participate and the SGMM experience base continues to grow, the more the model can be used to help inform the industry’s smart grid transformation.”

For more information or to download SGMM materials, visit http://www.sei.cmu.edu/smartgrid/.