Saudi Arabia to Build 50 MW PV Plant

Several companies announced to establish a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant with a capacity of 50 MW in the city of Saudi Aflaj, which will be the first utility-scale PV plant in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Quite interesting that Saudi Arabia is expecting a growth of energy demand rising by 8 percent annually and is expected to be 120 GW by 2030.

Click HERE for a news report.

During my visit of Dammam (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) this week (training on IEC 61850) I was (by chance) contacted by a senior engineer (involved in gas related automation) who walked by outside our meeting room, stopped, and asked what we were doing. We talked about this and that.

Then he asked me how we can store PV power … this led us to the situation in Germany where we have several MW scale projects that convert PV or Wind Power into gas. He was very impressed that this is happening in big scale.

Sure, we have a lot of renewable power in Germany.

What to do with all the power? Convert to gas! Yes!

Click HERE to a report on the largest system today in Hamburg (1.5 MW).

Click HERE for some explanations of the basics of power-to-gas.

The gas and heat/cooling domains will find that the IEC 61850 can be used for many applications in these areas – to benefit from the standards used in electric power systems.

Click HERE for some discussion of using IEC 61850 (UCA 2.0) for the gas industry.

More to come. Keep tuned to the IEC 61850 blog.

Deutsche Gasversorgung nutzt Profil für IEC 60870-6 TASE.2

20 Jahre nach der Veröffentlichung der Normenreihe IEC 60870-6 TASE.2 (ICCP) ist das Thema TASE.2 bei der deutschen Gasversorgung immer noch hochaktuell! Das wird sicher auch für die nächsten 20 und mehr Jahre so sein!

IEC 60870-6 TASE.2 basiert auf derselben Basistechnologie wie IEC 61850 und IEC 61400-25: MMS (Manufacturing Message Specification, ISO 9506). MMS ist aus dem MAP-Projekt Mitte der 80er Jahre hervorgegangen.

Der DVGW-Arbeitskreis „Standardisierung des Informationsaustausches zwischen Dispatchingzentralen“ empfiehlt für den Austausch von Prozessdaten den Einsatz des „Telecontrol Application Service Element Two“ (kurz TASE.2).

Die Spezifikation des TASE.2-Standards zum Einsatz zum Prozessdatenaustausch zwischen Leitzentralen der Gaswirtschaft sowie einen Leitfaden zur Anwendung finden Sie in der DVGW Gas-Information Nr. 18 "Prozessdatenaustausch zwischen Leitzentralen der Gaswirtschaft auf Basis von TASE.2" , Ausgabe Februar 2012.

Der Leitfaden gibt einen Überblick über die wichtigsten Merkmale und Funktionalitäten von TASE.2 und die konkrete Anwendung von TASE.2 im Extranet der Gaswirtschaft. Der Leitfaden kann auch als Profil verstanden werden. Von der Vielzahl der Möglichkeiten der TASE.2 werden die Definitionen ausgewählt, die für den Anwendungsbereich zu verwenden sind – um einen hohen Grad an Interoperabilität zu erreichen.

Hier klicken, um die DVGW Gas-Information Nr 18 herunterzuladen [pdf, nur lesbar]. Eine druckbare Pdf-Version kann erworben werden.

Vor 15 Jahren haben die an der Normung beteiligten Experten den folgenden Report veröffentlicht:

etz-Report 32
Open communication plattforms for telecontrol applications:
benefits from the new standard IEC 60870-6 TASE.2 (ICCP)

Einige Exemplare des etz-Reports 32 stehen noch zur Verfügung und werden kostenlos abgegeben.

Die hier beschriebene Profil-Bildung sollte auch für IEC 61850 in anderen Anwendungsbereichen zum Vorbild dienen! Dafür werde ich mich verstärkt einsetzen.

Could a Counter Interrogation Service bring the European Power or Gas Networks down?

Good question! Easy to answer: Yes! It depends on the standard and implementation used.

Early May 2013 it almost happened in Europe. What? During a test of a new control center communication and application an IEC 60870-5-101 or –104 Broadcast “Counter interrogation” command went out to interrogate counters from ALL RTUs somehow “connected”. The command was received and answered by all these RTUs. Obviously one RTU responded with a “Broadcast” response … and obviously there was a “loop” somewhere in the network … it ended up in flooding the network for days!!!

The operators had very severe problems to get status and measurements from the process – because first the network was sending bunches of messages back and forth and around. Second, when experts started to “break” the “loops” and disconnect from the neighboring network they could “cool” down the traffic but lost some awareness of the system’s situation. After a few days they fixed some software … but they did not yet find the device that caused the trouble. According to a report from experts involved.

Hm!? That’s really a crucial issue with a standard protocol in operation for 15 or 20 years.

Here is why this could happen at all: During the days IEC 60870-5-101 was designed, people thought that the communication is strictly hierarchical and looks like a tree (top-down) – see next figure from 101: 

For counter interrogation the broadcast is often used in order to catch the counter values at a certain time, let’s say 20:00 h. To freeze the value at 20:00 h the control center has to send out a broadcast counter interrogation to freeze the value at 20:00 h (+/- some seconds – due to travel time …).

Next it can send another command to start sending the values from the RTUs to the control center.

That means: A lot of messages have to be sent at the same time … to reach all RTUs … in star topologies, or “looped” networks, … how to control such a process if you have hundreds of RTUs … owned by different utilities … blablabla …

The issue is here: People thought that you could start system-wide synchronous functions by synchronizing through timeliness messages. That may work in simple topologies … but … in Smart Grid systems with many (many) meters, it is unlikely that this approach will work reliably.

How does IEC 61850 solve that requirement? It defines a concept of time-wise synchronized RTUs (or generally speaking IEDs). The control center can send a command to freeze well in advance – an hour or two … so that no message shower will occur around 20:00 h. The IEC 61850 server stores the time when it has to freeze the corresponding value(s). The server can then send the frozen values via a data set and report control block, or can the data set or log it.

The synchronization is completely decoupled from the freezing and retrieving process.

The process is configured using the common data class BCR (Binary Counter Reading):

This model really is based on the (bad) experience with 101 and 104 … and … it works … and does not flood the network!

The broadcast command in 101 and 104 SHOULD be REMOVED … at least utilities should no longer rely on it!!! Take this very serious … as many other utility experts do.

Use of IEC 61850 for Electrical Systems Monitoring and Control in the Oil and Gas Industry

Laurent Guise and Patrick Montignies both from Schneider Electric Industries (Grenoble, France) have discussed the use of IEC 61850 for Electrical System Monitoring and Control Systems in the Oil and Gas Industry. The results can be found in a nice paper some years ago.

“Crucial industrial sites such as for Oil and Gas plants are requesting more and more monitoring and control of their electrical installation to increase the electricity availability of their process while optimizing the cost of operation.

While willing to implement an Electrical Monitoring and Control System (EMCS), users face the issue of choosing the right communication technology.

By the way an emerging technology – IEC 61850 – appears on the market. This technology promises real interoperability, while offering unprecedented capabilities for reducing the wiring and increasing the installation agility. Are all these promises a reality? What would be the most pragmatic way for taking the maximum benefits of this new technology while minimizing the risk? The object of this paper is to make a point of technology maturity, to identify the real benefits, but also some potential drawbacks.”

In the conclusion the authors state: “Is there a value to choose IEC 61850 for EMCS application? … there are definitely a lot of reasons for considering positively the usage of IEC 61850.”

Access the complete paper on IEC 61850 for Electrical System Monitoring and Control [pdf]

Today, a few years after the paper was published, we can state that the situation has been improved since then. Especially the availability of mature products for monitoring and control of any kind of processes and equipment installed in the many electrical systems make it easy these days to implement IEC 61850 in short time to market – and for a reasonable price.

To build a Gateway between IEC 61850 and any typically used RTU protocol is as easy as riding a bike.

IEC 61850 at 17. Kasseler Symposium Energie-Systemtechnik

The 17. Kasseler Symposium Energie-Systemtechnik will be held in Kassel (Germany) on 11.-12. October 2012. One of the various issue is the information and communication technology and the extended focus on electricity, gas and heating systems that are understood to form “Hybrid Grids”.

IEC 61850 will be discussed in the presentation “Standardisierte Anbindung von Anlagen nach IEC 61850” (Standardized connection of plants according to IEC 61850) by Martin Winter, SIEMENS AG.

The complete Program (German and English) can be downloaded.

Online registration.

I look forward to meeting you there. Want to discuss any IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25 or IEC 60870-5-104 related issue, let me know please.

TASE.2 für den Prozessdatenaustausch zwischen Leitzentralen der Gaswirtschaft

Die TASE.2 wird seit einigen Jahren für den Prozessdatenaustausch zwischen Leitzentralen der Gaswirtschaft eingesetzt. Im Februar 2012 hat die DVGW eine aktuelle Empfehlung zur Anwendung der TASE.2 in der Gaswirtschaft herausgegeben.

Die Empfehlung der TASE.2 kann heruntergeladen werden [pdf, Deutsch].

A comprehensive etz-Report introduces into TASE.2.

Wind and Solar Gas – A Challenging Storage Option

As you know, there is a crucial challenge with renewable power generation – wind and solar power are often generated during times when it could not be transported to the load centers! Usually generation has to stop – even the wind is blowing and the sun is shining. So, how to work around?

In November 2011 there was a big conference in Berlin to discuss a new way of storing energy: the existing natural gas network may become a cornerstone for a renewable energy system that provides huge storage, transport and distribution capacities that are hundred times larger than the electric power grid.

Electrons and gas? Yes!

The “SolarFuel” power-to-gas method could convert renewable electricity into CO2 neutral, renewable natural gas.

What does it all mean:

• More renewable electricity could be generated.
• Renewable natural gas stores the energy for days, weeks and months due to huge capacities in the tubes used for transportation and distribution
• Energy is accessible everywhere and at any time.

I remember that our gas utility here in Karlsruhe buried huge tubes (some 100 cm in diameter) in the 90s – this allows to transport and store more gas (volume increases to the second of the diameter). Copper wires can transport more electric power with bigger cables – but the wires do not store more electric power ;-)

The gas storage in Germany could (if full) be tapped for some 6 month!!

The new discussion is about Hybrid Grids: Electric Power, Gas and Heat. More to come soon.

One thing is for sure: We will be challenged by a steep growing demand of Information Models to be added to IEC 61850 for the many aspects of hybrid grids. UCA (the forerunner of IEC 61850) was adapted by the GRI (Gas research institute, USA) for use by gas utilities. This effort culminated in an evaluation of UCA in a gas utility environment at Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Francisco, in the 90s.

Excerpt of logical nodes (called Bricks in UCA) from the document: Integrated UCA(TM) for Gas Industry / Volume 2: Gas Industry Device Object Models.

• Pressure monitors for inlet, intermediate and outlet gas (PMON0, 1, 2 respectively)
• First stage pressure regulating valves (PRVL0, PRVM0 and PRVH0 for low, mid and high range valves respectively
• Gate station flow monitors for low, medium and high flow rates (GSFL0, GSFM0, and GSFH0 respectively)
• Gas quality monitor (QMON0):

Click HERE for the list of 6 reports from GTI (former GRI) [2000]
Click HERE to get some more information on wind and solar gas.
Click HERE for a comparison of IEC 61850 and UCA [2004].

IEC 61850 logical nodes for the gas and heat application domain could easily be defined and (if needed) standardized.