IEC 61850 in Cyber Secure Environments - New Comprehensive Seminar

Due to my family situation (nursing my beloved wife from 2017 to 2022) I had to slow down my training activities. This year I was asked by several senior experts if it would be possible to resume the training.

As a result of discussions with friends of mine, we updated our previous course program and offer a brand new 5-day comprehensive public seminar for Automation, Protection, Monitoring, Engineering, Configuration (SCL), SCADA, Smart Grids, RTU, Gateways, … cyber physical security in electrical systems of any industrial plant … it is available for you and your people.

The reason for the update: We want to do more than teaching the theory of IEC 6850 and demonstrate single IEDs … we want to let our practice talk for your practice. The new training will start in March 2026. Taking the experience with many crucial applications of IEC 61850 into account we offer a new program for a 5-day course conducted by four (4) real experts.

09.-13. March 2026, Karlsruhe (Germany)
21.-25. September 2026, Karlsruhe (Germany)

Click HERE for more details on dates, location, and registration information.

Basics For The Future Electric Power Systems – Some Thoughts

Smart Grids, Energiewende, renewable energy, ... Digitalisierung (digitization) der Energiewende, ... are buzzwords for some years. What is really needed for the future electric power systems?

Against the background of the ongoing discussions by engineers, lawyers, politicians, other people ... with a degree in the social or natural sciences, graduate engineers, medical doctors, lawyers, and graduates of business studies and economics, it may be helpful to look at the real needs that are related to the physics ...

I have written a one page document:

Basics for the future electric power systems – some thoughts 

It starts (de and en):

"Das zentraleuropäische Verbundnetz UCTE ist eine der größten Maschinen (oder gar bezüglich der Leistungsfähigkeit der Energiebereitstellung weltweit die größte Maschine) auf unserem Planeten. Bezüglich der Ausdehnung wird dieses elektrische Netz nur von dem inzwischen weltweit ausgedehnten Kommunikationsnetz übertroffen. Alle diese technischen Netze folgen dabei strikt physikalischen Gesetzen – egal, von wem sie und zu was sie genutzt werden oder auch welche Ideen am Markt gerade en vogue sind..."

"The central European interconnected network UCTE is one of the largest machines (or even the world's largest machine in terms of the performance of energy supply) on our planet. In terms of expansion, this electrical network is only surpassed by the communications network that has now expanded worldwide. All these technical networks strictly follow physical laws - regardless of who uses them and for what they are used or which ideas are currently in vogue on the market..."

Click HERE to download the above mentioned document [pdf, 108 KB de/en]

Some Information About My Personal Situation

You may be surprised about the fact that I posted very few information on this blog for some time. Let me explain our family situation here at home. I received an email today from a colleague and follower of this blog. This email encouraged me to publish excerpts from the emails we exchanged and to add some thoughts at the end of this post:

Email I received on 2021-10-16:

"Dear Karlheinz,

Perhaps you remember me, I've long been a keen follower of your blog on IEC 61850, and we have exchanged e-mails a few times in the past. ... I am writing to you because 

I remain looking forward to any news from you ... Kind Regards ..."

Email I sent on 2021-10-16:

"Dear ...,

I am sorry to read these lines ... 

I have changed my work (now being retired) to nurse my wife 24/7 … she was diagnosed ALS in January 2017. We are happy that the Lord Jesus has helped us to do that work together with one of our daughters. My wife needs non-invasive ventilation around the clock … we are still together … which is very good.

So, as a consequence I have more or less stopped my business …

Have a great weekend!

Best Regards,
Karlheinz"

Email I received on 2021-10-24:

"Dear Karlheinz,

I am very sorry to learn that you stopped your business because your wife is seriously ill.

To be honest I had realized that the frequency of your posts had declined in the last months... Your blog was a wonderful source of information and it will be missed by the smart grid community. Your posts were real, technical, relevant, useful stuff and not the usual buzzword-laden, over-hyped bullshit we are all used to read these days.

Given the circumstances, I believe no one will say you didn't do what was your duty.

I wish all the best to you and your family."

Some Thoughts to think about:

• Have you ever thought about the electric power in your personal life or the life of the people around you 👪?
  
  
• What could we do to help keeping the power flow? It is more than IEC 61850 ... 
  
  
• Smart(er) Grids are nice ... more important is the need for power in situations where the public grid is down ... In our case we need power for the breathing ventilator 24/7, power for the lifter to lift my wife from chair to wheel chair ... to bed ... power for the nursing bed (move it up and down), power for light, power for heating and cooking, ... and so on. It is more than emergency power ... we need at least some power 24/7 ... we use just PV, batteries and inverters, ... 
  
  
• Did you know that (in Germany) we had in 2019 some 4,100,000 care-dependent people that needed nursing ... 3,310,000 nursed at home (usually in families), 818,000 in nursing homes, ... even in nursing homes it is not required to have emergency power !! ... some have. What about the many homes that need electric power 24/7 to survive ... I guess most of them believe that there is always power ... except for a few minutes per year ... 
  Click HERE for the source of the German nursing situation.
  
  
• One of the most crucial challenges in the future is to provide permanent available power to those homes that nurse people ... 
  
  
• Try to contact your neighborhood, your police station, nearby hospital, fire station, power utility, ... to figure out how and where you could get power to operate the breathing ventilator or other medical devices in case of a blackout! You may be surprised what you get ... almost nothing.
  
  
• It seems to be more important (or interesting) to install hundreds of super charger stations along the German Autobahn ... than to care about a minimum of power to help care-dependent people to survive.
  
  
• We need all-over more electric storages ... small and big ones ... for various applications ... in order to have electric power whenever and wherever we need some ...
  
  
• Let me know what you think ... or report about your experiences ... Thanks.

IEC 61850 For Electrical Testing

Megger AB, Stockholm, Sweden is using IEC 61850 for various reasons in the electrical testing domain.

Andrea Bonetti is senior specialist in relay protection and IEC 61850 applications at Megger. Andrea has written a very interesting article in the latest issue of Electrical Tester magazine of Megger:

The importance of IEC 61850 in relation to the smart grid

He concludes: "Economic electricity supply: We need to study and get used to IEC 61850 methods, but once this is done, the economic advantage is evident: reusability of previous projects, shared understanding, focus of the technical community on solving common problems, and concentration of the resources.

In conclusion, I hope it is now clear that IEC 61850 is not just a communication protocol but a complete philosophy for electrical systems. So, next time you have a smart grid project, please try to answer this question: How much of IEC 61850 am I using in my project?"

Click HERE to download the latest issue of the Magazine (101 MB) or click HERE to view the magazine online.

The abbreviation "IEC 61850" could be found 100 times throughout the magazine! ... in conjunction with testing, smart grid, ...

Enjoy!

Ethernet Comes with a Brand New Easy Solution: Single Pair Ethernet (SPE)

Ethernet is well known globally as solution for communication. Ethernet was hated and liked for the last 40 years or so ... there have been alternative solutions developed that were marketed as much easier, faster, deterministic, ... think of Tokenbus (IEEE 804), Profibus, ... and many others.

Now we see a new version: Single Pair Ethernet (SPE). SPE can bring fast Ethernet (up to 1 GBit/s) and power to the field level using just one twisted wire pair ... enabling application of protocols using TCP/IP.

Click HERE for a general description.

Click HERE for a nice presentation by IEEE experts (January 2019)

SPE is a new technology to replace CANbus in automobiles (cars, trucks, busses, ... trains) and fieldbusses. SPE is a layer 1 standard ... so it can be used for Profinet, Ethercat, ... and it could run TCP/IP.

SPE is more intended to replace fieldbus systems ... here my dream of the late 80s becomes true:

Fieldbus Standardization - Another Way to Go

http://blog.nettedautomation.com/2017/05/tsn-fieldbus-standardization-another.html

additional posts related to the topic:

http://blog.nettedautomation.com/search?q=another+way

The use of SPE for connecting sensors to the cloud is to follow a trend ... it may increase the sales of component manufacturers.

When I wrote my Diploma Thesis in 1982 (at Siemens) I was asked to analyze Ethernet ... the idea was cancelled because of the very very expensive MAU ... needed two ... each for 23,000 USD ... total of 46,000 USD ... no way to get approval to spend that amount for a "standard" Diploma Thesis ... 

It took some 40 years to get to SPE - likely the real Ethernet ... ;-)

Too late for me ... just retired this year with 67 ... 

One crucial challenge is here: HOW to SECURE a huge number of end nodes (sensors, actuators ...) directly connected to the clouds or data lakes? Compare the situation with Smart(er) Grids: In Smart(er) Grids it is intended to connect millions of smart meters to the entities (clouds!?) that use the data for billing and further applications like controlling millions of inverters or power users. 

In the German power system there is a requirement to use the so-called Smart Meter Gateway (SMG) to provide highly secure communication channels! 

Click HERE to check what has to be implemented ... many published Megabyte pdf documentation of the required specification like: "Protection Profile for the Gateway of a Smart Metering System (Smart-Meter-Gateway PP)" ... by the German BSI.

It took many years before we have seen the first certified Smart Meter Gateway offered at the market. And be aware: The Administration of this infrastructure is very complex and ... far away from cheap and affordable by "everyone".

Many similar huge "security systems" would be required to connect the billions of smart sensors and actuators through Single Pair Ethernet to some centralized entities ... 

SPE is nice - BUT to build secure distributed systems it is required to develop also new security solutions that are as simple as Single Pair Ethernet!!

We have to look at the complete SYSTEM COST - not just at the possibilities of a new physical layers ... the SPE increases the problems of implementing secure systems, because it is easier and cheap to build a huge mashed network of millions of end nodes ... that may not perfectly secured!

IEC 61850 Schulungen bei der FGH Mannheim

Die FGH Mannheim (Forschungsgemeinschaft für Elektrische Anlagen und Stromwirtschaft e.V.) bietet folgende Schulungen bezüglich IEC 61850 an:

Grundlagen und Anwendung der IEC 61850 (CHANGES)
Seminar -> Will be a Webinar ... no details on Website of FGH (2020-03-19)
22.04.2020 - 23.04.2020
Mannheim

IEC 61850 und ihre Anwendung bei der Steuerbox des Smart Meter Gateways
Webinar
04.05.2020 - 18.05.2020
Mannheim

Die Basics der IEC 61850
Webinar
14.09.2020 - 09.10.2020
Mannheim

2020 - IEC 61850 Events in UK, USA and Belgium

Dear All,
Please note the following IEC 61850 training opportunities and conferences:

3-Day Training for Electrical Engineers New to IEC 61850
17-19 March 2020
London, UK

IEC 61850 USA 2020
Driving the large-scale deployment of IEC 61850 across the smart grid
14-16 July 2020 
New Orleans, USA

IEC 61850 Global 2020
Leveraging advanced IEC 61850 features to drive interchangeability within the substation and across the wider smart grid
26-30 October 2020
Brussels, Belgium

Draft IEC 61850-90-16 (Requirements for System Management) Published

IEC TC 57 just published the draft Technical Report (57/2190/DC)

Draft IEC TR 61850-90-16:
Communication networks and systems for power utility automation –
Part 90-16: Requirements for System management for IEC 61850

It contains the key use cases which will be the foundation for defining an appropriate solution meeting these requirements ... to be incorporated into the Technical Report.

This time it is a good chance to help getting the needed use cases defined.

To understand the importance of this part, please check the Introduction:

"The distribution grid is facing a massive roll out and refurbishment of automation equipment to implement deeper monitoring and new smart grid applications. The new equipment to be deployed in order to solve today’s issues (MV voltage and reactive power regulation for example) will necessarily have to be adjustable and updatable in order to face challenges of tomorrow (for example massive electric vehicles fleets, low voltage automation, …) which will arrive long before the end of its 20 years’ service life. Furthermore, there is a necessity for the equipment to adapt to the evolving and growing cyber security threats.
The equipment will therefore need to be patched, updated and reconfigured, and this has to be done remotely due to the great number of equipment. This is a cornerstone of the System Management (SM), which refers to functionalities that are not directly linked to the operational role of the equipment but allow it to perform its operational functions in the best conditions possible. System Management or Smart Grid Devices Management also includes other functions such as asset management or supervision.
These functionalities need to be managed by the grid operator and address multiple devices from
different vendors through independent Information Systems and thus the requirements and exchanges need to be standardized. As these are to be applied to IEC 61850 compliant equipment, these mechanisms need to be integrated in the standard."

By the way, I have not seen anything similar in the non-electric standardization domains. These requirements are more comprehensive than what is in most cases needed for operational purposes. Let's have a look at the German FNN-Steuerbox: It defines currently mainly changing the active power limit (W) ... more or less one value coming from the grid operator or from a pre-configured schedule running at the Steuerbox. Ok. Then there are several needs to log various events ... and finally there is a need for updating certificates, firmware, patches, ... so the core operational object may require only a small fraction of what needs to be defined, specified, implemented, configured, and used. The people may complain: Why is it so expensive for just one setpoint to be modified?

Congratulation to the experts writing this part 90-16.

IXXAT Smart Grid Gateway With NEW Possibilities

IXXAT (HMS) has offered their Smart Grid Gateways for some time. Click HERE for some blog posts that give you a good overview of the possibilities so far (HERE for HMS or HERE for Beck).
The other day IXXAT has published an extended range of possibilities to share information between many different communication solutions in almost ALL automation applications:

SG-gateway IO
SG-gateway M-Bus Master
SG-gateway EtherNet/IP
SG-gateway PROFIBUS
SG-gateway PROFINET

New:

SG-gateway Media Converter
SG-gateway Switch

All types support as well:

Modbus-RTU master/slave via RS232/485
Modbus-TCP master/slave
DHCP server, SNTP, Network trace (pcap), SNMPv2c
OPC-UA server
MQTT
Codesys network variables

Optional:

IEC 60870-5-104 client/server with redundancy (Norwegian User Convention)
IEC 60871-5-101 master/slave
IEC 61850 client/server (both roles and GOOSE pub/sub are supported simultaneous)
IEC 61850 GOOSE publisher/subscriber
Outstation DNP3
Hardware versions with 3G or 4G modem

Click HERE to visit the IXXAT website for an overview (German).
Click HERE to download a new 12 page pdf bochure (German).

Megger Organizes the First Latin American Protection Conference 6-7 November

Primera edición del Congreso Latinoamericano de Protecciones

La primera edición del Congreso Latinoamericano de Protecciones (https://www.eventosmeggercsa.com) a desarrollarse los días 6 y 7 de noviembre del corriente año en el Hotel Meliá, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

El evento reúne a especialistas y líderes en la implementación de sistemas de protecciones orientado a la experiencia del usuario final. Se dirige a lograr un panorama sobre el estado actual y futuro de los sistemas de protecciones dentro de la subestación y en la red más amplia en América Latina.
El programa de dos días abarca ponencias de usuarios, fabricantes, especialistas y expertos, seguido del tutorial de dos horas de duración sobre los Factores de éxito para la utilización de IEC 61850 dirigido por el Ing. Carlos Samitier centrada en los estudios de caso de implementación de IEC 61850 a nivel global, los errores más frecuentes y cómo evitarlos. Además, de los paneles sobre futuras aplicaciones en mantenimiento en IEC 61850 con la participación de los especialistas en tecnologías de ensayo de protecciones.

Los ejes temáticos están relacionados con los Avances y tendencias en IEC 61850, Esquemas avanzados en protecciones, Ensayos automatizados de protecciones eléctricas, Lecciones aprendidas en activaciones de protecciones, Comunicaciones para protecciones, entre otros.

In case you are interest to share your experiences at the conference, contact Mr. Roberto Sartori (Roberto.Sartori@megger.com).

Many IEC 61850 Projects Under Progress

37 new parts and parts under revision are under progress as listed in the following table:

As you can see here: IEC 61850 is a bit more than another protocol.

Other parts are published already (some of them are under revision - see above):
https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/6028



Unfortunately many "grey-hair experts" with a lot of experience regarding IEC 61850 have been retired and a lot of experience has been wasted ... politics cares more about wasting food than wasting "experience" good for human survival! It's really a pity when we take into account that the comprehensiveness and complexity of IEC 61850 is growing so fast ...

Prolan Offers One Of The First CLS "Steuerboxes" Based On IEC 61850

Prolan (based in Hungary) offers one of the first Steuerboxes according to the German FNN Specification "Steuerbox":


Prolan's own-developed and manufactured device offers a solution to German energy suppliers for tariff and power control and for regeneration of renewable power plants.
The device is connected to the new smart measuring system in Germany, called "Intelligent Messsysteme", one of its system elements.

• The role of electricity distribution: the establishment of network balance by influencing decentralized energy producers and consumers.
• Characteristic feature:  use of modern communication technologies (bidirectional communication, encrypted data transfer).

Click HERE for general information (EN)
HIER klicken für eine Broschüre (DE)
HIER klicken für eine Kurzinformation des VDE FNN (DE)

Smart Grid Interface Modul (SGIM) auf der Hannover Messe 2019

Vom 01. bis 05. April 2019 findet die Weltleitmesse der Industrie in Hannover statt.







beenergy SG zeigt eine interessante Neuheit:

Smart Grid Interface Modul (SGIM) für die Energieverteilung - 
unterstützt IEC 60870-5-104 und IEC 61850!

Die Sicherstellung der Verteilnetzfunktion  sowie kostenoptimierte strukturelle Anpassungen durch die Versorgungs-netzbetreiber erfordern ein fortlaufendes Messen und Überwachen der dynamischen Belastungen in den Verteilnetzen. Mit dem BeEnergy SG Smart Grid Interface Modul lassen sich in Verteilnetzen an neuralgischen Stellen einfach und kostengünstig Messpunkte realisieren.

Hier klicken und mehr Information finden.
Hier für eine Broschüre klicken





Treffen Sie die SGIM-Experten persönlich in Halle 13, Stand E81 (Efen GmbH).

Smart Grid Communication Challenges With IXXAT SG Gateways

Smart Grid communication challenges can easily be solved with IXXAT SG-gateways

New IIoT gateways from HMS allow industrial 
equipment to communicate with smart grids.

IXXAT SG-gateways...

• Enable easy remote control and management of electrical systems
• Support IEC 61850 client/server, GOOSE, proxy gateway, IEC 60870-5-104 client/server and VHPready
• Provide Modbus-TCP client/server and Modbus-RTU master/slave interfaces
• Enable SNMP, SNTP, and cloud connectivity
• Provide I/O, M-Bus, PROFIBUS, PROFINET and EtherNet/IP interfaces
• Are safe – firewall, OpenVPN & password protection
• Support IEC 60870-5-104 redundancy acc. edition 2 (Norwegian Convention)

Click HERE to enter the world of IEC protocols for power delivery systems

[EN, DE, FR, CN].
Hier klicken ... für ein Kurzvideo und weitere Informationen ... von Martin Matt, Produktmanager Energy Communication bei HMS Networks, über intelligente Smart-Grid-Gateways.

Workshop „IEC 61850 und CIM – Durchgängige Automatisierung im Netz der Zukunft“

Am 11. April 2019 findet in Frankfurt ein interessanter Workshop zu den Themen IEC 61850 und CIM (IEC 61968/70) statt:

Workshop „IEC 61850 und CIM – Durchgängige Automatisierung im Netz der Zukunft“

Die konkrete Anwendung von CIM mit aktuellen Praxisbeispielen, Fragen und Antworten sowie Diskussionsgrundlagen erwarten Sie auf dem diesjährigen Workshop.

Folgende Themen sind u. a. geplant:

• Kurzeinführung IEC 61850 und Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM)
• Vertikale Integration und End2End-Nutzung auf Basis der IEC 61850 Datenmodelle
• Anwendung von IEC 61850 für Kommunikation in der FNN Steuerbox und Abbildung in CIM
• Anwendungsbeispiele Verteilnetze
• IT-Security aus Sicht der Verteilnetzautomatisierung
• Podiumsdiskussion „Wie sehen Standards der Zukunft aus?“

Klick hier für weitere Informationen.

Es ist ratsam, an diesem Workshop teilzunehmen und mit den Experten zu diskutieren, welcher Weg in der Zukunft zielführend sein wird (soll)! 

Smart Grid Interface Modul (SGIM) supports IEC 60870-5-104, DNP3, IEC 61850 and OPC UA

Smart Grid Interface Modul offered by BeEnergy (Pohlheim/Germany)

The Smart Grid Interface Module (SGIM) is a ready-to-use system to monitor measured electrical values in switch cabinets and cable distribution cabinets. The mechanical design of SGIM is in line with industrial standards and is especially meant to be installed in a 185mm busbar system.
SGIM is built from two main parts: the installation platform and the plug-in unit. The plug-in unit contains all necessary control, communication and measurement functions to provide measured data either to a cloud-based data management system or via standard IEC protocols like IEEE 1815 - DNP3, IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850 as well as industrial protocols like OPC/UA.
The device includes a local web server for the visualisation of the acquired data, the configuration of drivers and communication protocols as well as an interface to the WEB-PLC editor.







Click HERE for more information (Data Sheet).
Click HERE to visit BeEnergy

New Smart Grid Controller with IEC 61850, IEC 61850-5-104, and DNP3

System Corp (Perth/Australia) offers a new very powerful Smart Grid Controller for applications in:

1. Secondary Substation Control
2. Transformer and Asset Management
3. Micro Grid Control and Automation
4. Data Gateway Application
5. IoT and Cloud Service Interfacing

Click HERE for more details.

First Draft IEC 61850-90-16 Requirements for System Management for IEC 61850

The first Draft on IEC 61850-90-16 (97 pages) has been published (57/2014/DC):

Requirements for System Management for IEC 61850

"The distribution grid is facing a massive roll out and refurbishment of automation equipment to
implement deeper monitoring and new smart grid applications. The new equipment to be deployed in order to solve today’s issues (MV voltage and reactive power regulation for example) will necessarily have to be adjustable and upgradeable in order to face challenges of tomorrow (for example massive electric vehicles fleets, low voltage automation, …) which will arrive long before the end of its 20 years’ service life. Furthermore, there is a necessity for the equipment to adapt to the evolving and growing cybersecurity threats.
The equipment will therefore need to be patched, updated and reconfigured, and this has to be done remotely due to the great number of equipment. This is a cornerstone of the System Management (SM), which refers to functionalities that are not directly linked to the operational role of the equipment but allow it to perform its operational functions in the best conditions possible. Smart Grid Devices Management also includes other functions such as asset management or supervision.
These functionalities need to be managed by the grid operator and address multiple devices from different vendors through independent Information Systems and thus the requirements and exchanges need to be standardized. As these are to be applied to IEC 61850 compliant equipment, these mechanisms need to be integrated in the standard. ..."

Comments are due by 2018-09-28

Read One of the Best Papers on IEC 61850 ever Published

Eric A. Udren (a friend of mine) from Quanta Technology, LLC of Raleigh, North Carolina has written one of the best papers on the application of IEC 61850 in general and in the USA I ever read:

What Drives the Business Case for IEC 61850?

published in the December 2016 issue of the PAC World magazine.

This paper summarizes the experience of more than 10 years with the application of the standard series IEC 61850. It is a very easy to read and understand summary of the content of my training courses. After more than 230 training courses I conducted globally since 2003 and more than 4,200 experts educated in these courses I fully agree with the crucial recommendations of the paper:

Eric states at the very beginning (3rd sentence!): " ... one must first understand that IEC 61850 is not just a communications protocol." Well said. He lists many crucial facets.

The main part of Eric's conclusion is [highlights are added by myself]:

"The following action items can help the utility to achieve technical success and lowest life cycle costs:

• Develop requirements for and relationships with product vendors, who must commit to support interoperable and sustainable products and designs over the service life of the PAC design.
• Apply the sustainable design principles of the previous sections. If some of these seem unfamiliar, get expert help from vendors and from vendor-independent industry experts with experience in PAC system design and integration.
• Create strong, rigid design standards; develop broadly useable documentation for new PAC design features like network configuration, data flows, and GOOSE messaging connections of functional points.
• Set up rigid documentation and configuration management systems. With IEC 61850, much of the PAC design is no longer evident in the physical installation – this managed design information is the only tool to maintain the system.
• Create a development laboratory to validate the performance of the design. Keep the laboratory throughout the installation life to train personnel, to troubleshoot bugs that arise in the field, and to test new product or firmware insertions in the existing design before authorizing those for field use.
• Develop and run training programs for field maintenance personnel, including hands-on participation and feedback during the design and laboratory test phases.
• Develop and run training programs for other enterprise stakeholders, including system planning, capital planning, purchasing, and operations teams.
• After the pilot or trial phase, plan a crisp organizational transition to the new design at the fastest sustainable rate."

Click HERE to access the paper for free.

There have been a lot of misleading and strange statements on the benefits of IEC 61850 communicated ... trust the real experts like Eric Udren ...

One of the real show-stoppers of a beneficial application is the lack of education of many engineers. We offer the right experience and knowledge for your people to harvest the benefits of the application of IEC 61850 and other standards:

Click HERE for the latest announcements of courses in German.
Click HERE for the latest announcements of courses in English.

I look forward meeting you in one of the public courses or in an inhouse seminar. Peopleware is one of the most crucial issues in future energy systems.

IEEE PES published Report on "Centralized Substation Protection and Control"

The IEEE Power System Relaying Committee has published a very comprehensive report worth to be read by power system engineers dealing with substation protection and automation (partlywith focus on the  North American market):

Centralized Substation Protection and Control IEEE PES
Power System Relaying Committee Report of Working Group K15
of the Substation Protection Subcommittee
(2015-12)

Excerpt of the Introduction:
"The power grid is now more dynamic than ever before and newer tools are increasingly developed to manage the grid better. Renewable energy sources are changing power system characteristics at a time when utilities are also focusing on improving customer service and resiliency of the grid, by using advanced monitoring and control technologies....
In addition, communication technologies are advancing and related international standards are maturing to be deployed in substation environment. ... the IEEE Power System Relaying Committee has formed a working group to prepare a report describing and analyzing the state-of-the-art technologies for centralized protection and control (CPC) within a substation...
This report starts by reviewing the advancements in substation protection and control technology. Next the report describes CPC and reviews its history. Then the report reviews some of the existing
technologies that can support CPC.
Finally the report concludes that CPC technology, when appropriately applied, significantly improves the reliability of protection and control systems and the power grid at an affordable cost - with enhanced applications capability and maintainability for both hardware replacement an software upgrade."

Click HERE for the full report [pdf, 80 pages, 4.4 MB]

The report gives inside views of the challenges in managing future power systems. Power systems are very complex - and will become more complex in the near future. In addition to the fact that "utilities are also focusing on improving customer service and resiliency of the grid" the utilities are quite often focusing on increasing their shareholder values ... and outsourcing many tasks. In the German "vdi nachrichten" (a very famous weekly German technical newspaper) I read yesterday an interesting statement of the new president of the BDEW (Bundesverbandes der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft):

Translated: " ... Unfortunately the industry invests too little in view of the challenges in research and development. The German Pharmaceutical industry employs 40,000 humans in R&D laboratories.
In the energy industry there are not such research and development mechanisms. That is not because of the fact that our industry is come to a hold and does not see challenges. It is financially no more able to implement comparable research activities. We have no more enterprises, which can do that. Everyone knows nevertheless around the difficult situation of many large energy enterprises. Also normal public distribution utilities cannot advance innovative developments in the storage area."

Original: " ... Leider investiert die Branche angesichts der Herausforderungen zu wenig in Forschung und Entwicklung. Die deutsche Pharmaindustrie beschäftigt 40 000 Menschen in F- und E-Laboren.
In der Energiewirtschaft gibt es solche Forschungs- und Entwicklungseinrichtungen nicht. Das liegt nicht daran, dass unsere Branche verstockt ist und Herausforderungen nicht sieht. Sie ist finanziell nicht mehr zu vergleichbaren Forschungsleistungen in der Lage. Wir haben keine Unternehmen mehr, die das können. Jeder weiß doch um die schwierige Lage vieler großer Energieunternehmen. Auch normale Stadtwerke können bahnbrechende Entwicklungen im Speicherbereich nicht voranzutreiben."

Vendors, too, are struggling with similar challenges. We need more universities to compensate these situations. When it comes to the definition and application of information exchange systems in power or energy systems, we could be quite happy that we have the well accepted standards IEC 61968/70 (CIM), IEC 60870-5-104, DNP3, IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25, ICCP/TASE.2 (IEC 60870-6), ...