Power Vents

Smart Grid

The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released for public review a report that identifies issues and proposes priorities for developing technical standards and an architecture for a U.S. Smart Grid. The Smart Grid is a planned nationwide network that will use 21st century information technology to deliver electricity efficiently, reliably, and securely, while allowing increased use of renewable power sources. The nearly-300-page report is part of the first phase of NIST’s three-phase plan to expedite development of key standards for the Smart Grid.

NIST is submitting the report for public review before proceeding to drafting its Smart Grid Interoperability Standards Framework. Under the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, NIST has primary responsibility to coordinate development of a framework that includes protocols and model standards for information management to achieve interoperability of smart grid devices and systems. For more information, visit http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/epri_smartgrid_061809.html The EPRI report is available at http://www.nist.gov/smartgrid/

Patent call for PoE

Via Licensing announced a call for patents that are essential to the practice of Power over Ethernet (PoE). The company is issuing this patent call for the purpose of identifying the owners of patents that are determined to be essential to the practice of the IEEE 802.3af specification and IEEE P802.3at draft standard. A patent is essential if it contains at least one independent claim that is necessarily infringed by the implementation or use of the specification. Owners of patents with potential patent claims based on the IEEE P802.3at draft standard can submit patents for preliminary evaluation, but can only be confirmed as members of the licensing program if and when the standard is approved by the IEEE-SA Standards Board. For submission information, e-mail submissions@vialicensing.com

NASA selects Saft

Saft, a designer and manufacturer of high-performance batteries, has been awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to develop the next-generation lithium-ion (Li-ion) technology for NASA. Saft is developing an advanced Li-ion cell that will enable NASA to significantly reduce the weight of its next-generation missions. The new technology must offer very high specific energy in order to launch and operate rovers, landers, astronaut packs, and other space applications on the moon.