July 18, 2003—In June, the IEEE Standards Board approved IEEE 1547 Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources With Electric Power Systems. Based on a high-priority schedule by the IEEE Standards Office, the standard will be published in early summer.
This standard establishes the long-awaited technical foundation to allow the interconnection of all distributed generation technologies with the electric grid. It also ensures that major investments in distributed generation technology development by the federal government and industry will result in real-world applications—providing alternative sources of electric power to the electric utility operating infrastructure.
This national standard may be used by more than three thousand utilities in formulating technical requirements for interconnection agreements.
The US Department of Energy, industry, and other individuals have provided strong support to the development of IEEE 1547.
