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NTS Creates Smart Suite Certification Testing for Smart Energy Devices
May 9, 2012
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National Technical Systems recently announced the launch of a comprehensive certification program for smart energy devices that includes new areas identified by major utility companies as vital for new products in smart grid networks that are not covered by existing certification testing.
The new Smart Suite Certification Program, which extends NTS' leadership in the growing smart energy certification testing market, is divided into three parts, each focusing on key components that are highly important in the selection of smart energy devices for utilities:
- iSmart -- The NTS iSmart Certification focuses on interoperability testing to verify that these devices will function correctly with other devices. Testing covers negative, corner, functional, and other test cases not covered by standard certification testing.
- rSmart -- The NTS rSmart Certification focuses on the RF (radiofrequency) performance of smart energy devices. Testing covers transmission and receiving power, robustness to interference, and the impact of building materials on the performance of these devices.
- sSmart -- The NTS sSmart Certification focuses on the security of these devices. Testing covers validation of trust center and security keys to make sure that communications via the protocol are secure.
"We have worked closely with several major utilities over the past several years to plan for the testing of their new products, and to identify the gaps in the current testing and certification programs," said NTS President and CEO William McGinnis. "We see this as a key program that will generate new revenues for NTS as the world of smart energy evolves."
NTS has worked with numerous utilities in the validation of smart energy devices, such as in-home displays, smart thermostats, and energy service portals. NTS, during its testing of various devices, has identified specific areas in which standard smart energy certification testing is lacking, but which utilities deem vital to products rolled out in their smart grid networks. The NTS Smart Suite Certification Program is designed to help customers answer important questions about a product that utilities will want to know, such as:
- Can a device recover from a power outage?
- Can a device talk to the meter throughout the house?
- Can a device talk to other devices in the house?
- Can the device survive for long periods of time on the network without failures?
"NTS has tested Smart Energy devices which have passed industry-standard certifications, but still have issues which preclude them from being rolled out in utility networks," said Spiro Sacre, NTS Engineering Development Manager. "Product failures may have cost utilities millions of dollars in product orders because their devices were unable to pass the utility's pre-deployment testing. The NTS Smart Suite Certification can help identify these issues before release."
Source: NTS
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