TTA Uses QualityLogic IEEE 2030.5 Program, Tools

SIMI VALLEY, Calif; October 18, 2016 – QualityLogic, a leading developer of interoperability test tools for the smart grid industry, and TTA, a non-government, non-profit organization for ICT standardization, testing and certification services in Korea and Asia, have announced completion of conformance testing of the first four IEEE 2030.5 products for the Korean market. The products tested were Client and Server IEEE 2030.5 conformant products from KERI, WIZnet, INSCOBEE, and KETI. TTA’s conformance testing uses QualityLogic’s IEEE 2030.5 test tools, approved by the Consortium for Smart Energy Profile 2.0 Interoperability (CSEP), along with a QualityLogic-designed testing process. Testing assessed the conformance of IEEE 2030.5 (also known as SEP2.0) implementations to the IEEE 2030.5 standard.

IEEE 2030.5 is the internationally-adopted standard for providing secure encrypted smart grid communications from energy management systems to end users and devices. It is being adopted in Korea as one of the reliable interface standards between utilities and demand response resources, as well as the emerging “smart” inverters that integrate renewable energy, electric vehicles, storage and other distributed energy resources into grid operations.

“We are working to adopt and implement the IEEE 2030.5 standard in Korea by testing conformance to the specification,” said Jeong-gu Lee, General Manager of TTA. “Conformance testing of the IEEE 2030.5 standard is an important step in driving adoption of the standard and giving the country confidence that we can move forward with implementing its use in grid management.”

For demand response with residential appliances, lighting, heating and cooling, IEEE 2030.5 covers the communications needed for providing information on pricing, energy usage, and control to participate in utility programs, such as demand response and time of use pricing. IEEE 2030.5 is a full-path, standards-based protocol that enables connection from the utility to appliances whose electricity consumption can be changed to meet electrical grid needs.

The Korea Electric Research Institute, or KERI, Ansan City, was required to have independent testing using the industry-standard certification tests under its project to develop a DRLC client.   “Our customers asked us to demonstrate the use of open standards with independent validation. IEEE 2030.5 was the logical communications standard to implement because of its capabilities for the application, the availability of approved certification tests, and TTA’s conformance testing using the test tools from QualityLogic,” said Jae-Jo Lee, Team Leader of Power Telecommunication Research Center.

WIZnet, Seongnam, submitted an IEEE 2030.5 Server product, the GAENGT01RA direct load control controller (DRLC) for conformance testing. “It is very important to us and the Republic of Korea to have our product tested by an independent, respected test lab using the official IEEE 2030.5 test tools. Working with TTA and QualityLogic, we will give our customers confidence in the quality and interoperability of our product,” said YB Lee, CEO of WIZnet.

Working on a government project that required testing using industry standard IEEE 2030.5 tests, INSCOBEE, Seoul, submitted its LK-A03 demand response server for conformance testing by TTA. “The results of the TTA and QualityLogic testing will increase our customers’ confidence in our products and will meet key criteria for deployment in demand response load control applications,” said Byungchul Cho, INSCOBEE R&D Director.

The testing is done by TTA under an agreement with QualityLogic. TTA conducts the formal testing process using the QualityLogic program and test tools, and QualityLogic maintains an online list of successfully tested IEEE 2030.5 products with detailed test reports available for download.

The Conformance Test Suite consists of 31 tests for the five IEEE 2030.5 core function sets required of all conformant IEEE 2030.5 products tested. Another 65 tests are included for eight optional function sets, such as demand response and metering. The combination of the core and specific optional function sets is required to implement specific products, such as smart thermostats, in-home displays and load controllers.

For additional details, contact QualityLogic.