The ZigBee® Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, residential, commercial and consumer electronics applications, announced the ZigBee Smart Energy version 2.0 Technical Requirements Document (TRD) is available for public comment by the Smart Grid community at large, opening it beyond those who have been active in its creation. The Alliance makes this unprecedented move for an organization engaged in standards development because it recognizes the important role ZigBee Smart Energy plays in the Smart Grid and the need to expedite the broadest consensus possible on its capabilities.

The Alliance has entered into numerous liaison relationships with key stakeholder groups to engage directly in the collaborative development process for the HAN and the Smart Grid. The TRD represents input from a broad set of players into the development of the IP-based version of ZigBee Smart Energy. The TRD is driven by the Market Requirements Document that was made publicly available in June 2009. ZigBee Smart Energy version 1.0, currently in wide deployment, was made publicly available in May 2008.

“ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0 will provide an IP-based energy management solution that is MAC and PHY agnostic, allowing for expanded use in new areas and configurations,” said Bob Heile, Chairman of the ZigBee Alliance. “The TRD outlines a basic architectural structure to achieve our goals. By making it available today and by offering several public comment opportunities, we expect the broader Smart Grid community, who for whatever reason have not been involved to date, to provide guidance that will help create the most effective standard for energy management.”

There are two methods of providing commentary on the ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0 TRD: online comment submission or attendance at a public forum. The public forum will be held on May 4, 2010, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Ritz Carlton in McLean, VA. The TRD comment form and public forum information are available at www.zigbee.org/smartenergy. All comments must be received by May 7, 2010, and the Alliance will announce future public comment periods based on the successful completion of development milestones.

In 2009, ZigBee Smart Energy was included by the US Department of Energy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the initial list of standards for the Smart Grid roadmap.