Objectives of IETF EMAN – Energy Management Working Group

The IETF Energy Management (EMAN) defines an Energy Management Framework for Networked Devices. Networked Devices could comprise many different devices: Router, Switch, Battery, Printer, … by the way: the variety of monitoring, control, protection and automation devices in power systems could be understood a “Networked Devices”. So: the scope of IETF EMAN could be quite wide. Yes!

A new document provides the “Applicability Statement” from the IETF viewpoint.

It lists several use-cases for identifying requirements for the framework and MIBs. Further, it describes the relationship of the EMAN framework to relevant other energy monitoring standards and architectures.

One thing is sure: Electrical Power is one of the crucial issues to be dealt with in 2015 and beyond!

Click HERE for the “Applicability Statement”.

On my radar screen I see a lot more IEC 61850 applications that hid the street in 2015! Wherever there is a need to unify the information exchange of crucial information about the electrical system and related information IEC 61850 has them (almost) all standardized.

Please note: The many international standards setting organizations are more or less all independent – this means, every group can define a standard for energy management … There is one big difference between the various standards available today: IEC 61850 has been defined internationally by experienced senior Electrical Engineers.

Seminar on IEC 61850 for Protection Engineers in Brussels – English and French speaking

Please note for the Seminar scheduled for 16-18 February 2015 in Brussels (Belgium): 

NEW SERVICE: Both English and French speaking – Presentations in English and Question/Answers in English and French. We have a native French speaking expert present (Romain Douib, FMTP).

Click HERE for the course details.

Cyber Security in Industrial Automation – Huge list of Links to Crucial Resources

How do you feel at the end of 2014? Save and Secure? Hope you are really doing well.

In case you have some spare time during the days off from the office, here is a huge list of Links that lead to crucial papers, presentations, reports, recommendations, … in the domain of cyber security for industrial automation systems … applicable in most power delivery domain.

Click HERE for the huge list.

Warning: The list comprises several 100 links! More than what you can chew in two weeks!

In case you need to secure your device or system applied in power systems: Contact an expert for power system security …

In case you don’t want to spent days in browsing trough 100 thousand pages … here is what you may do instead: Study the most common requirement document applied in the German utility industry:

BDEW Whitepaper on Security in Power Systems

The well-accepted dual-language BDEW Whitepaper
- Requirements for Secure Control and Telecommunication Systems
- Anforderungen an sichere Steuerungs- und Telekommunikationssysteme

is now available: Download Security Whitepaper [pdf].

… this document can also be used to learn German ;-)

What to do in case of a blackout? Belgium seems to be prepared

What would you do when lights are OFF during Christmas? How would you get prepared for a brownout or a blackout? Hm …

In Belgium people are informed officially to look at the four color “energy traffic light”:

DE

Normale Situation (OK)

Risiko einer Stromknappheit (Risk of shortage)

Risiko einer Abschaltung (Risk of load shedding)

Abschaltung angekündigt (Load shedding planned)

FR

Situation normale

Risque de pénurie

Risque de délestage

Délestage annoncé

NL

Normale situatie

Risico op stroomtekort

Risico op afschakeling

Afschakeling aangekondigd

The color of the traffic light at the moment and many tips and hints are posted on the Website: OFF-ON.

Would the website be ON or OFF in case of a blackout?!

The Motto could be summarized: Switch more often OFF to stay ON … save energy to keep power flowing.

I wish you light during the year-end season … and in 2015.

IEC Smart Grid Standards Map

IEC has spent some time to list the relevant standards for the many areas of Smart(er) Grids:

http://smartgridstandardsmap.com/

When you browse this site, you may wonder to see a list of 301 standards and other official specifications. There are many areas that are related to the 50 Hz or 60 Hz 3-phase electrical power systems:

• Advanced distribution management system
• Advanced metering infrastructure
• Asset management and condition monitoring system
• Blackout prevention system
• Clock reference system
• Communication network
• Communication network management system
• Data modelling
• Demand response / Load management
• Distributed energy resources operation system
• Distribution automation system
• E-mobility system
• EMC & Power quality
• Electric Storage system
• Energy management system
• FACTS for grids
• Generation management system
• Industrial automation system
• Market place systems
• Meter-related back-office systems
• Security
• Smart home and building automation system
• Substation automation system
• Weather forecast

The home page states: “Easily and instantly identify the standards that are needed for any part of the Smart Grid – no need to be a standards expert”. Hm, really? There may be no need to be an expert browsing the site – BUT if you are not an expert in standards like IEC 60870-5-10x, CIM, IEC 61400-25, IEC 61850,  IEC 62351, … then you need to talk an EXPERT. We are here to help you!

Fortunately, when it comes to information exchange, the many parts of IEC 61850 are the most crucial standards you will find in the list of the 301 standards:

IEC 61850-6 IEC 61850-7-1  IEC 61850-7-2 IEC 61850-7-3 IEC 61850-7-4 IEC 61850-7-410 IEC 61850-7-420 IEC 61850-8-1 IEC 61850-8-2 IEC 61850-80-1 IEC 61850-80-4 IEC 61850-9-2 IEC 61850-90-1 IEC 61850-90-10

IEC 61850-90-11 IEC 61850-90-12 IEC 61850-90-13 IEC 61850-90-14 IEC 61850-90-15 IEC 61850-90-2 IEC 61850-90-3 IEC 61850-90-4 IEC 61850-90-5 IEC 61850-90-6 IEC 61850-90-7 IEC 61850-90-8 IEC 61850-90-9

I guess, even IEC has not fully understood the impact of IEC 61850 on the power delivery system: So, why is IEC 61850-90-3 missing in the list of standards relevant for cable?

Here is an overview (from draft IEC 61850-90-3) on cable monitoring:

It is impossible to list IEC 61850 in any application domain. The model (LN – Logical Node) STMP (temperature supervision) could be used allover – where ever a temperature is measured. Modeling the temperature in a green house and communication the value with IEC 61850 does not require to list IEC 61850 as a standard for green houses … ;-)

IEC 61850 is a common standard that covers specific and general models and services.

To understand the impact of IEC 61850: you have to be an expert or you have to ask an expert.

2014 comes to a close – wish you the best for 2015

Impressions from Prague (CZ), 2014-12-09 … after the second day of our training course:

 

… we saw many happy people there … enjoying the nice place and the peace.

As 2014 comes to a close, I want to say "Thank You!" for choosing our services, and for the cooperation this year.

I wish you and your family a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year 2015 … living in peace and harmony! 

I look forward to see you next year.

Best Regards,
Karlheinz Schwarz

IEC 61850 in Hydro Power Plants (additional information)

Recently I have reported about an example of the use of IEC 61850 in hydro power plant.

As I said then: “Be sure: More to come.” has become true. Additional information can be found here:

Efacec IEC 61850 automation system is in operation since 2013:

Document 1 (Products)
Document 2 (Projects)
Document 3 (Why IEC 61850?)

Founded in 1948, but with a century-long history, Efacec is the largest Group in the electric field financed by Portuguese capital. It employs over 3900 people and is present in more than 65 countries, in five continents.

Other vendors will follow soon.

NettedAutomation’s regular IEC 61850 Courses extended to 2 + 2 Days

NettedAutomation GmbH has updated the course agenda early 2014. For 2015 the training will be upgraded: using real devices and solutions (including protection relays and testing equipment) to work with during the public 2+2 days general training course.

Reorganized, extended and improved program for the 2 +2 days course:

• 1 1/2 days Introduction and Basics
• 1/2 day Hands-on training on SCL

Hands-on training group 1 (SCADA):

• 1 day Configuring and using Server devices for monitoring and control
• 1 day Configuring and using Client devices for IEC 61850 and gateways

Hands-on training group 2 (Protection; parallel to group 1) - by Andrea Bonetti (FMTP):

• 2 days Impact of IEC 61850 on Protection (using real protection relays, ...

The next courses are scheduled for

05.-08. May 2015 Frankfurt (Germany)
13.-16. October 2014 Frankfurt (Germany)

Click HERE for details, program and registration information.

Many NEW IEC 618850 Training courses in 2015 – especially for protection engineers

More than 10 years after the first substation have been equipped with IEC 61850 conformant devices, we see now the need for more education. Several new trainers have entered the market.

BUT: What about training for the most crucial engineers in the power delivery system: Advanced education of the many protection engineers? They need much more than to understand protocols (MMS, GOOSE, SV) and the configuration language! They need to understand how IEC 61850 impacts the whole protection system: When and HOW to use GOOSE for breaker failure protection? How implement interlocking schemas? And how to test systems based on IEC 61850?!? How to … What you should not do! We could answer all your questions.

These and many other questions MUST be answered by real protection engineers. One of the few well (with IEC 61850 experienced) protection engineers is Andrea Bonetti (FMTP). Andrea spent part of his time in Substations!! Watch his introduction in a 5 min video.

After the first joined course for protection and SCADA engineers in Prague last week, NettedAutomation and FMTP offer several new courses especially for protection and SCADA engineers during the next months:

26-29 January 2015
Guayaquil (Ecuador)

16-18 February 2015
Brussels (Belgium)

09-11 March 2015
Berlin (Germany)

27-29 April 2015
Hong Kong

18-20 May 2015
Bratislava (Slovakia)

Click HERE for details, program, and registration information.

Other dates and locations are under preparation.

Protection and Control with IEC 61850 – Very Successful Training in Prague (CZ)

Two crucial application domains for IEC 61850 are the Power Protection and Power Control – no doubt. What does this mean for the electrical engineers responsible for the reliability of the Power System? A lot!

The first 3 days joint Seminar of FMTP Power and NettedAutomation in Prague, CZ, (8-10 December 2014) was very successful. The Training was held in the Holiday Inn (Congress).

 

The 3 days were split between presentations and demonstrations of general IEC 61850 issues and special protection issues. The main topics were centered around the impact of IEC 61850 on the protection. Andrea Bonetti (FMTP) used several test tools from ABB and Megger, as well as an ABB protection relay (REL 670):

Andrea is one of the developers of the ABB series 670 and the Megger GOOSER. He really knows what he is talking about – when it comes to protection.

The attendees were absolute happy with the many lessons learned during the three days fully packed with experience. Note that Andrea has spent some time of his life in substations – many days and nights … listen to him next time:

Ecuador, Jan 26-29, 2015
Brussels, Feb 16-18, 2015
China, March 9-11, 2015
Bratislava, Apr 20-22, 2015
Berlin, May 18-20, 2015

Additional courses are in preparation.

Draft TR IEC 61850-90-2 Substation to Control Center Communication published

The Draft IEC Technical Report: IEC TR 61850-90-2 – Use of IEC 61850 for the communication between substations and control centres

has been published under 57/1507/DC dated 2014-09-26

This technical report provides a comprehensive overview of the matters that need to be
considered in order to use IEC 61850 for information exchange between substations and control or maintenance systems.

Fertigungsautomatisierung und Smart Grids

Die Anforderungen an die Kommunikationstechnik in den künftigen Energienetzen ähneln denen in der Fertigungsautomatisierung: Sowohl für die Industrie als auch für die elektrische Energieversorgung ist eine sichere, robuste und zuverlässige Kommunikationstechnik unerlässlich.

In der elektrischen Energietechnik werden Normen wie IEC 60870-5-104 und IEC 61850 immer häufiger in Ausschreibungen verbindlich vorgeschrieben. Auch in Fertigungsanlagen spielt die elektrische Energie eine zunehmende Bedeutung (Energiemanagement, Energieeffizienz). Eine schier unendliche Anzahl von Prozessdaten wird über eine Vielzahl von Feldbussen bereits heute feldbus-spezifisch gesammelt. Wie kommen diese Daten in die Leitsysteme der elektrischen Versorgungssysteme?

Ganz einfach: über Gateways, die den Anschluss nach “oben” herstellen!

HMS hat auf der Messe SPS/IPC/Drives letzte Woche in Nürnberg im HMS Innovation Corner gezeigt, wie das mit einfachen Mitteln zu bewerkstelligen ist:

 

… mit Gateways zu allen relevanten Feldbussen:

In einem Beitrag in der “Energy & Technik” hat Herr Garcés von HMS das Thema näher beschrieben:

In Smart Grids wie in der Industrie kommunizieren (Teil 1, mit Link zu Teil 2)

Von IEC-61850-Profilen profitieren (Teil 2, Link zu Teil 3)

Gateways von der Industrie für Smart Grids (Teil 3, Link zu Teil 4)

»SG-gateway«-Familie  (Teil 4)

Über die Gateways wächst zusammen, was zusammengehört: Die Energieinformationen aller Ebenen von der Erzeugung, über den Transport, die Verteilung UND NUTZUNG (in allen Bereichen!).

VHPready English Website

The Industry Alliance VHPready e.V. is happy to announce that the English website is now online:

www.vhpready.com

The industry alliance VHPready e.V. is committed to the realization of the energy transition (“Energiewende”) by creating and using a standardized network of decentralized energy systems.

Standards like IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850 will build the core of the communication system.

The group is growing quite fast … 25 Members (per 2015-01-01) are supporting the crucial idea that we need standardized information and information exchange in the future energy domain.

New Editions for IEC 60870-6 TASE.2 (ICCP) Parts

IEC 60870-6 TASE.2 (ICCP) is a series of standards that are used for communication between control centers. The first parts have been published in the 90s. In the meantime a lot of experiences have been made. These experiences have issued the revision of the documents.

For the following three parts new Editions have been published:

IEC 60870-6-503:2014 Edition 3.0 (2014-07-15)

Telecontrol equipment and systems - Part 6-503: Telecontrol protocols compatible with ISO standards and ITU-T recommendations -
TASE.2 Services and protocol

IEC 60870-6-702:2014 Edition 2.0 (2014-07-15)

Telecontrol equipment and systems - Part 6-702: Telecontrol protocols compatible with ISO standards and ITU-T recommendations -
Functional profile for providing the TASE.2 application service in end systems

IEC 60870-6-802:2014 Edition 3.0 (2014-07-15)

Telecontrol equipment and systems - Part 6-802: Telecontrol protocols compatible with ISO standards and ITU-T recommendations -
TASE.2 Object models

Please note that the basic technology used for TASE.2 is the same as for IEC 61850:
MMS (ISO 9506).

Monitoring the Battery of the Boeing Dreamliner 787 would have helped to prevent damages

I guess you remember the trouble Boeing was faced with when the huge battery packs in the Dreamliner 787 some two years ago. The Auxiliary Power Unit Battery Fire was likely caused by several severe “cell internal short circuiting and the potential for thermal runaway of one or more battery cells, fire, explosion, and flammable electrolyte release”.

More precise Condition Monitoring would have helped to prevent such incidents – and would have shown very early that the design of the battery system was quite fragile.

One of the findings (page 91 of the released incident report) is:

“More accurate cell temperature measurements and enhanced temperature and voltage monitoring and recording could help ensure that excessive cell temperatures resulting from localized or other sources of heating could be detected and addressed in a timely manner to minimize cell damage.”

Click HERE for the complete official NTSB report.

Monitoring batteries is very crucial the more our life depends on these systems – in airplanes, in substations, power stations, mobile systems, communication infrastructure … It is not sufficient to have a battery – the batteries must be maintained, tested from time to time, and monitored continuously.

Two groups (I am aware of) have defined Battery Monitoring information models:

1. IEC 61850-90-9 (Use of IEC 61850 for Electrical Storage Systems)

Excerpt of the battery system (without further discussion):

2. IETF EMAN (Energy Management)

Definition of Managed Objects for Battery Monitoring / draft-ietf-eman-battery-mib-13

Click HERE for the EMAN draft for Battery Monitoring.

Battery monitoring could safe life!

NEW DATE for IEC 61850 Seminar in Ecuador: 26.-29. January 2015

Please note the new date for the IEC 61850 Seminar for Protection and Control is scheduled for:

26 - 29 JANUARY 2015

LOCATION: GUAYAQUIL (ECUADOR)

The focus is on protection and control in HV/MV substations using typical Relays, Tools, GOOSE, SV, SCADA and SCL Language

Click HERE for details and registration information.