The computer industry consortium, Object Management Group (OMG), has launched a Smart Energy Working Group (WG)—to be co-chaired by Irv Badr, Senior GoToMarket Manager of computer colossus IBM (News 
- Alert), and John Teeter, Chief Scientist of PeoplePower, an energy services platform provider.
Based in Needham, Massachusetts, OMG is an international, open membership, not-for-profit consortium that is dedicated to developing enterprise integration standards that provide real-world value. OMG is also committed to promoting business technology and optimization for innovation through its Business Ecology® Initiative (BEI) program and associated Communities of Practice.
The idea for the Smart Energy Working Group originated at the OMG Technical Meeting in Washington, D.C., in March. At that session, George Arnold, National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), spoke about the importance of standards for energy— specifically, for smart grid. Standards have played a key role in the explosive growth of the Internet and computer technology over the past two decades. The nation's energy grid, by comparison, is, if not archaic, behind the times. George encouraged the group to apply its expertise to creating a standards framework to enable a smart grid-enabled electricity system.
Among the member organizations that participated in the formative meeting of the Smart Energy WG were IBM, PeoplePower, PrismTech, Washington State University, EPRI, Grid Data, Real-Time Innovations, and Open Commons
"Some of the areas we'll be looking at in terms of standards include business process modeling and enterprise architecture, which are significantly impacted during the smart grid transformation process," said Irv Badr, of Armonk, New York-based IBM.
"We are actively engaged in global smart grid activities as we see the opportunity to leverage the new energy infrastructure for significant growth," said John Teeter of Palo Alto (News - Alert), California-based PeoplePower.
The Smart Energy WG is inviting anyone interested in the smart grid and smart grid standards to participate in its meeting on June 22 in Salt Lake City. At the meeting, the group plans to work on developing a standards roadmap; and to continue to work on a gap analysis, in order to identify which areas would most benefit from standards (either existing or needed).
For more information and to register for the meeting, visit the OMG website.
Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Chris DiMarco
