Overview
IEC TS 62872-1:2019 - Industrial-process measurement, control and automation - Part 1: system interface between industrial facilities and the smart grid - defines the information-flow interface between industrial facilities and the smart grid. The Technical Specification identifies, profiles and, where necessary, extends existing standards to enable exchange of data required for planning, management and control of electrical energy flows between a facility and the grid. The document explicitly excludes protocols for direct control of on-site energy resources where control authority is delegated by the facility (e.g., DER control by the grid operator).
Key Topics and Requirements
- Information models and attributes: defines required data, data types and information attributes for facility–grid exchanges (see Tables and Annexes in the TS).
- Architecture and system models: architectural requirements for Facility Energy Management Systems (FEMS), network models and interfaces between enterprise, control and energy management layers.
- Demand response (DR) support: profiles use cases, user stories and incentive- and price-based DR mechanisms to manage facility-side responses to grid signals.
- Security and safety: security services, communication security requirements, audit logging and safety considerations for information exchange.
- Communications and timing: recommendations on communication technology use, network availability and time synchronization for reliable interaction with the smart grid.
- Use cases and normative examples: detailed normative annexes with user stories, sequence diagrams and exchanged-information tables; examples applying DR energy-management models.
- Standards profiling: analysis and mapping of existing standards to address information requirements (see Annex E).
Applications and Who Uses It
IEC TS 62872-1 is practical for organizations involved in integrating industrial sites with smart grid operations:
- Industrial automation and energy managers implementing Facility Energy Management Systems (FEMS).
- Utility and grid operators designing interfaces and programs for demand response and distributed energy resource coordination.
- System integrators and OEMs building gateways, EMS/FEMS products and communication adapters.
- Security and IT teams ensuring secure, auditable exchange of operational energy data.
Practical uses include designing DR participation workflows, specifying data schemas for energy reports, and defining network/security requirements for facility–grid interfaces.
Related Standards
Annex E profiles and analyzes several complementary standards and specifications:
- OpenADR 2.0b (IEC 62746‑10‑1)
- OASIS Energy Interoperation 1.0
- NAESB Energy Services Provider Interface (ESPI)
- ISO 17800 Facility Smart Grid Information Model (FSGIM)
Keywords: IEC TS 62872-1:2019, smart grid, industrial facility, system interface, FEMS, demand response, energy management, information model, IEC standard.