U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Distributed Energy Program

IEEE 1547

In March 1999, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standards Association Board voted to undertake the development of uniform standards for interconnecting distributed resources with electric power systems.

IEEE SCC21 P1547 Series of Interconnection Standards - The image identifies existing IEEE SCC21 standards development projects (P1547 series) and potential activities under discussion by SCC21 Work Group members. Standards currently under development are: P1547 - Draft Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems, P1547.1 - Draft Standard for Conformance Test Procedures for Equipment Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems, P1547.2 - Draft Application Guide for IEEE P1547 Draft Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems, P1547.3 - Draft Guide for Monitoring, Information Exchange and Control of DR Interconnected with EPS. Guide For Interconnection System Certification: Guide for Networks, Guide for Impacts, Guide for Islanding, DP Specifications and Performance.

In January 2000, the IEEE Standards Board approved a standard for interconnecting photovoltaic systems under 10 kW to the utility grid. The new standard, Recommended Practice for Utility Interface of Photovoltaic Systems, will be referred to as IEEE Std 929-2000.

The IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee 21 (IEEE SCC21) — the committee responsible for coordinating the development of standards in the areas of fuel cells, photovoltaics, dispersed generation, and energy storage — is now working to develop the IEEE 1547 series of standards.

IEEE 1547, Standard for Distributed Resources Interconnected with Electric Power Systems, is the foundation of this series. It is a consensus standard that contains specific requirements related to performance, operation, testing, safety, and maintenance of interconnections between distributed resources and other electric power systems.

The U.S. Department of Energy funded IEEE to develop the standard on an accelerated schedule of about half the time usually required, and in June 2003, the IEEE Standard Board approved IEEE 1547.

The working group continues to work on supporting standards and materials. Information about officers and members of the IEEE P1547 working group, upcoming meetings, and the status of the standards development process are available online at the P1547 Web site.

The following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Acrobat Reader

The following documents summarize the work to develop IEEE 1547. Explore them to learn what has been accomplished.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers: Interconnection Standards Development (PDF 161 KB). A fact sheet summarizing collaborative work with Distribution and Interconnection R&D.
Development of Applications Guide to IEEE Std. 1547 (PDF 726 KB). Presented at the Electric Distribution Transformation Annual Program and Peer Review Meeting, 2004, in Coronado, CA.
IEEE Standards Development and Technology Standardization (PDF 80 KB). Presented at the Distribution and Interconnection R&D Annual Review, 2003, in Arlington, A.
P1547-SCC21 Interconnection Standards Development Status (PDF 715 KB). Presented at the Distributed Power Program Quarterly Review, July 2002, in Madison, WI.
IEEE/P1547: Electric Power Resources Interconnected with the Electric Power System (PDF 856 KB). Presented at the Distributed Power Program Annual Review, 2002, in Arlington, VA.
IEEE Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources (PDF 364 KB). Presented at the Distributed Power Program Annual Review, 2002, in Arlington, VA.
Perspective on P1547 Development: Completing the Standard (PDF 500 KB). Presented at the Distributed Power Program Annual Review, 2002, in Arlington, VA.
Status on Developing IEEE Standard for P1547 for Distributed Resources Interconnection (PDF 1.1 MB). Presented at the Distributed Power Program Quarterly Review, October 2001, in Golden, CO.