Chopra is in charge of crafting the Obama Administration's smart grid vision

This week I met Aneesh Chopra, the first Chief Technology Officer of the US. My first question was: What does America’s CTO do?

Not surprisingly, his job description is quite lengthy — and it includes several duties critical to smart meters and the smart grid. In fact, Chopra is responsible for crafting President Obama’s vision of the smart grid. He’s also responsible for promoting efforts nationwide to get the smart grid built, and to deliver benefits to consumers.

Chopra believes strongly that energy information will empower consumers to understand, manage, and reduce their electricity and gas consumption…

Chopra sees technical standards as the key to making that information available. He oversees the Smart Grid Interoperbility Standards Project at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

We discussed at length the value of both next-day data on a consumer engagement web site (such as the one used in the PowerCentsDC demand response program), and real-time data sent directly from a smart meter via its Home Area Network (HAN) interface. We also discussed the critical need for providing cost data, not just usage data — since cost is consumers’ top priority.

I explained to Chopra that the HAN interface is the “RJ-11 jack” of the electric industry. This standard telephone wiring connector allowed companies to build and consumers to buy any kind of phone they wanted — forever banishing black rotary telephones.

Unlike RJ-11, the HAN interface is wireless. But like RJ-11, it opens the door for all manner of companies to build — and for consumers to buy — any kind of device to receive meter data and convert it to useful applications and information. This would include everything from simple in-home displays to smart refrigerators.

…Of course, it’s not necessary for every home appliance to talk directly to the meter. There may be a special-purpose home energy management device or gateway. My guess is that laptops, iPhones, iPads, and other multi-purpose smart devices will do the managing.

Similarly, adopting TCP/IP and HTTP protocols had the same powerful effect on the growth of the Internet. For both RJ-11 and the Internet protocols, the Federal government provided leadership — in one case mandatory, in the other voluntary — to drive adoption of the standard.

Chopra is seeking input from the energy and smart grid industries on this smart grid vision. He is balancing the strong desire of states and industry for leadership from Washington with the need to honor states’ rights, making the voluntary approach more sensible.

eMeter will continue to assist Chopra in this effort.