Industrial Internet Consortium launches first grid-focused testbed

The Industrial Internet Consortium has launched its first energy-focused testbed. The Communication and Control Testbed for Microgrid Applications is made up of Industrial Internet Consortium member organizations Real-Time Innovations (RTI), National Instruments, and Cisco, collaborating with power utilities CPS Energy, Duke Energy, and Southern California Edison (SCE), as well as the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP).

Grid operators manage a huge infrastructure of generation, transmission and distribution systems, and Consortium members believe microgrids could successfully address the communication, load, and generation challenges currently facing the grid.