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TI joins HomeGrid Forum board of directors to bring standardized next-generation networking to the smart grid and beyond

27th April 2010

Texas Instruments

ES Admin

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The evolution and success of the smart grid is heavily contingent on the global standardization of low-frequency band power line communication (PLC) solutions. Addressing this market need, Texas Instruments announced it has joined the HomeGrid Forum board of directors to contribute to this worldwide standardization effort through the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU-T) G.hn organization. Through the implementation of a worldwide standard, developers will be able to bring the intelligence and reliability of networking over power lines to a broad range of energy management applications that will advance the smart grid, including Automatic Meter Infrastructure (AMI), home networking, building automation, electric vehicle communications and distributed renewable energy sources. In doing so, consumers will be able to more closely monitor and control devices to save money and energy. For more information, go to www.ti.com/smartmetering-hgf.

ITU-T recently commissioned G.hnem, a new project within G.hn, intended to address the home networking, electric vehicle communications and grid access aspects of energy management. G.hnem will look to learn from existing Low Frequency Narrowband OFDM (LF NB OFDM) technologies. This growing worldwide collaboration will ensure that field experience is used to optimize the specification for the global smart grid community.

“AMI, home networking and electric vehicle communications are critical smart grid applications, and low frequency narrowband PLC is essential to not only enabling the technologies, but also to realizing their full benefits. Texas Instruments will bring extensive experience from its involvement in the leading European PLC initiatives, PRIME and G3, to the G.hnem effort,” said Emmanuel Sambuis, general manager for TI’s metering business. “To eliminate fragmentation in the industry, TI sees HomeGrid and ITU-T as essential partners with other standards organizations, and together we will help achieve worldwide harmonization that will drive low cost, low power dissipation and high-reliability for smart grid solutions.”

“G.hn and G.hnem have the ability to connect hundreds of end products in and outside of the home, allowing manufacturers and service providers to overcome traditional challenges while enabling new functionality,” said Matthew Theall, president, HomeGrid Forum. “As an industry leader who provides end-to-end PLC solutions as well as complete analog and embedded processing portfolios for smart grid, consumer and industrial applications, TI brings invaluable expertise and support to the rapidly expanding HomeGrid Forum.”

Since 2004, TI has provided PLC low frequency narrowband solutions that include flexible, cost-efficient software and hardware to speed design and lower barrier to entry. TI is also a principal member of the PRIME Alliance.